The Folio
Practice · April 2026
Reading a brief
Most briefs describe an outcome someone has already imagined. The house's first act is to find the intention underneath it.
By
Sena Koffi
Role
Practice & Delivery Editor
Reading time
2 min
Research
Method study
An intention arrives — a venue, a collection, a programme, a revival. It is rarely written in a form anyone can be held to.
The house separates the intention from the request, names the functions the work needs, and sets a standard and a sequence for each. People are then proposed by function.
A brief that survives this reading is a brief the house will sign for.
- 01Intention
- 02Written brief
- 03Functions named
- 04Team assembled
- 05One proposal
Evidence note
Five steps used to turn an intention into an accountable working brief.
Material index
- Briefs
- Methods
- Teams
Record
Reviewed April 2026
0 external sources