The purpose of the Creative and Editorial Briefs is to document proposed approaches to site content. As the names imply, they are not highly detailed or elaborated documents, but rather they are brief descriptions of the Web site concept and direction your team is proposing.
This documentation serves as a milestone for internal or external client approval of the proposed approaches. The briefs help to align designers' vision with client expectation and vice versa. When the client reads what your development team has in mind, they will be assured that you and they are on the same page. If these documents do not reflect their understanding of the work you will be carrying out, you can make adjustments immediately, before time has been spent on work that will never be used.
The briefs also provide a starting point for further design work. The design team will use these Briefs as a reference point when they have the approval to move into the next phase of development.

Although the Creative and Editorial Briefs are two separate documents, they must not be written in isolation from each other. Your customer will expect that wherever overlap occurs, the two documents will propose complimentary solutions. In addition, the format of the two documents should be as similar as possible. This will make it easier for your clients to read and cross-reference between the two documents.

The Briefs present very high-level descriptions of visual and editorial approaches. More detailed and formal descriptions of the proposed site are then recorded in the Requirements Definition.
Question: What roles do the Creative and Editorial Briefs play in the communications between Web team and client?
Answer: The briefs are a more formal communication that presents the ideas discussed between the parties.
The briefs allow both groups to verify that they have the same ideas in mind for the project. If there are differences, then the briefs are a starting point for the discussion to bridge the gap. If there is consensus, then these documents are the framework for more detailed documents such as the Requirements Definition. In the next lesson, you will learn more details about the Creative Brief.