1. Working to a Brief
LO1
SanemKoyupinar and Catherine
Giggal
2. Contractual Brief
Definition: A contractual brief is a legal document, which is created between an
employee and a client. It outlines the duties that will be required by the company,
and how the company organises their work. It is a document which states the
expectations of the client, the prices they agree on, as well as the the payment
terms.
Advantages: An advantage is that it gives the company an idea of what the client
wants them to achieve, whilst also initiating a stable price range, where the client
and the employer will agree on a set income with the employer through the
contractual brief.
Disadvantages: A disadvantage is that the client may require a heavy workload from
the employer, which will put a strain upon them, and with advertising, a lot of
creativity is required, and this is likely to be hindered if the client desires to receive
written work, as opposed to graphical designs.
3. Formal Brief
Definition: A formal written brief is a document that includes detailed information
about what the client wants the company to achieve. It is usually a straightforward
document, which refrains from including any unwanted information. The brief
itself may not always be classified as a legal document.
Advantages: An advantage is that as the document itself is clear, as well as concise, as
it lacks in any form of complexity, refraining from including extended legal terms
within its theses. Also, as it is not always a legal-binding document, the company
can express their opinions, as well as having the ability to work around the
contract.
Disadvantages: A disadvantage is that the contract is very general, as opposed to the
haphazard structure of a regular contract, which is explained in a lot more detail.
The employer as well as the client, may disagree on the terms of each others
decisions, and opinions which are listed in the contract.
4. Informal Brief
Definition: A informal brief is less professional than that of a traditional brief, where it
outlines the project verbally, as this particular type of brief does not require any
means of a written document. There is a discussion conducted between the client
and the employer, where they will come to a general agreement over the details of
the contract.
Advantages: A advantage is that there is no real guideline to the brief, it is very free,
and the employer will be allowed to manoeuvre and influence their own opinions
into the document, before the client finalises it.
Disadvantages: A disadvantage would be that the expectations proclaimed by the
client may interfere with the ethos of the employer, who may not want to perform
a task that involves a heavy workload, which may disinterest the client into giving
them work, and they may look elsewhere for an individual to complete their
project.
5. Co-Operative Brief
Definition: This is where two or several production companies are employed to
operate upon a set brief, which they complete in unison on a team basis. The
project has to be completed before a certain deadline, otherwise the client will be
extremely dissatisfied, and will not employ the selected companies in the future.
Advantages: An advantage of working as a team is that it helps to build a sense of
community within the workplace, whilst adding a social side to it as well, which
inevitably means that a good form of communication will be featured between the
team members. Also, having several people work on a project means that a variety
of different ideas will be circulated, which will be beneficial in completing the
project.
Disadvantages: A disadvantage could be that the individuals who are working in the
team may disagree with other which will inevitably cause the downfall of the
project, whilst hindering the growth of it significantly, due to the conflicting views
of the individuals involved over the brief.
6. Negotiated Brief
Definition: This is where the client and the employer will come to a specified
agreement upon the brief of the project, which will include the final ideas of both
the employer, as well as the client. It is important that the client and
employer/company agree on the brief, or it will cause inevitable problems in the
future.
Advantages: An advantage to this type of brief is that it brings the ideas of the client
and employer together, and merges them into one, creating a brief that is suitable
for both the employer, as well as the client, which means that they are less likely
to quarrel in the future over the terms of the legal agreement.
Disadvantages: A disadvantage is that when the client and the employer ‘negotiate’
their brief, they may come to a disagreement, that may result in the employer
losing the potential work, as they may deny the requirements stated by the client,
which means that the client may siphon their project out to another employer or
company.
7. Commission Brief
Definition: A ‘commission brief’ is where a large corporation, such as The Daily Mail,
employ an independent company to create their product/project for them. It is
notable that this type of brief is negotiated between two media companies, as
opposed to an external client, who may receive the product once it has been
established.
Advantages: An advantage is that the independent production company will be paid
for creating the specific product, and may receive a fraction of the profit that is
generated by the product once it has been distributed to the intended consumer,
also known as the target audience of the product.
Disadvantages: A disadvantage for this might be that when the product has been
launched, the large company may develop a sense of corporate greed, not giving
the independent institution enough credit for their contribution, or paying them a
sufficient amount of money for their hard work. This creates an unfair advantage,
which may lead the independent business to complain to the large company, and
will prevent them from working for the giant corporation in the future.
8. Tender Brief
Definition: A client will produce an advertisement stating that they require a media
product to be created. A potential employer, such as a production company,
initiates a brief, a budget, as well as a proposal, which is then pitched to the client
in order to secure their chance of obtaining the work that was previously
advertised by the employer. The client decides upon the most impressive proposal
featured from their group of candidates.
Advantages: An advantage could be that as there is a lot of competition, the employer
will be more determined and motivated to produce a high-quality proposal, that
will secure them the work from the client, therefore, making them more
productive as a company, as they will be thinking of the income in which they will
receive upon the completion of the project/product.
Disadvantages: A disadvantage for this type of brief is that because of the
competition, an employer is likely to be disheartened over losing the work set by
the client, to another company. It can be difficult for an employer to gain work,
due to the other employers, who also want to get the job. A company has to
expect failure, so that they can then look for temporary employment elsewhere.
9. Competition Brief
Definition: A brief which is created in order to be accessible to all of the production
companies which are participating in creating a project/product. It is notable that
each corporation completes their own brief, outlining their ethos. All of the
finished projects created by these companies are judged, and the most impressive
one is crowned winner, and is taken into publication by the client.
Advantages: An advantage may be that because of the heavy competition, the
employer will strive to pitch themselves to the client in the most sufficient way,
behaving in a professional manner, which is likely to impress the client, and may, in
turn, provide the employer with work.
Disadvantages: Even though this type of brief is generally free to join, the winner of
the competition may have to pay a fee for being crowned victorious, as opposed to
the runner-up. There is a slight possibility that the winner may be unhappy with
siphoning out some of their income to the client. However, this is a part of the job,
and they will have to learn to accept it if they want to pursue a career within this
specific field of work.
10. My Brief
Which structure/structures will the Vegetarian Recipe Cards brief use?
Reference your reasons for choice/choices
The brief for our specific project, (where we have to create vegetarian recipe cards)
will be presented in a formal matter, due to the fact that it states a sense of
professionalism, which should therefore reflect within our company, in the hopes
that it will attract a potential client, who wants to have a sophisticated style
incorporated within their work. Also, we want to utilise this as it is a fixed brief,
where we would only have to send work such as sketches and initial planning
sheets, as opposed to distributing the main body of work in which we will finalise
before sending it off the client, who will then attain the project in its full form.
11. Reading the Brief
Why is important to thoroughly read your brief?
It is extremely important for an individual to read through their brief, otherwise, they may
complete the project featuring a high abundance of errors, in which the client will be
unhappy about, and it is likely that they may not pay the employer the full agreed wage, as
the work in which they assigned to the employer is highly incorrect, causing much dismay to
the client. Also, if an individual refrains from reading the brief, they will not be able to
complete the set project in a sufficient manner, and will create a project based on their own
thoughts, instead of incorporating the wishes posed by the client within the brief. Also, if it is
a contractual brief, the employer is likely to be scrutinised for their inability to complete a set
project, in which the client stated within the legally-binding document. The
company/employer will then lose a high amount of money from producing the product
incorrectly, and their reputation as a corporation will be immediately diminished.
12. Reading the Brief
What is the nature and demand of the Vegetarian Recipe Cards brief?
The nature of the brief initiated by the client is that they require a straightforward style within
their work, so that the consumers can easily view the cards, and will be able to comprehend
the listed recipe in a sufficient manner. The company are also eco-friendly, where they print
their cards solely on recyclable paper, whilst utilising vegetable-based inks. Also, the brief
states that they want to create a biodegradable laminate to coat their cards, which is
inexpensive, due to the fact that the coating they use currently, costs a high amount of
money, which could be used for other things.
Furthermore, the demand of the product (which is stated within the brief) is that the company
wants to incorporate a vibrant style within their work, putting a ‘creative’ edge onto the
cards, which will initially attract the eye of the intended viewer. Also, they want their cards
to be laminated, and should be thematic, so that they can be identified in a set. The recipes
featured must be strictly vegetarian, listing ingredients that are suitable to the vegetarian
diet as well. It is also notable that high-quality photographs of food should be used on the
cards, and that the cooking instructions should be featured on each individual recipe card.
13. Negotiating a Brief
Why is it important to discuss the brief with your client prior to production?
It is highly important to discuss your brief with your client before you start production, merely for
the fact that it gives the employer a chance to share their queries regarding the project, and
state their views and differences upon the theses initiated by the client. Also, it gives the
client and the employer an opportunity to discuss through the stated brief, which will
become a legal document, once it has been finalised, so if there are any problems, the
employer must state them before it is too late for them to alter it. It is vital for both the
client and the employer to read over their terms, so that there are no disagreements
between them in the future.
14. Negotiating a Brief
What are the advantages and disadvantages of employing discretion with a brief?
An advantage in employing discretion within the brief is that it enables the employer to carry on
with the project, completing it in the most efficient way, without any interruptions from the
client, who may require several drafts of the work to be sent to them via email. It is clear
that by incorporating discretion within your work, you will be able to complete the work to
the best of your ability, without any pressure from the client, who may have required that the
employer regularly updates them on the progress of their project, which is likely to disrupt
the workflow of the employer, who will want to finish the project.
On the other hand, by using discretion, the client is literally ‘left in the dark’, where they will have
little of no news on the progress of their project, which may unnerve the client, who wants to
know how the work is going, and if the employer is committing any serious errors within the
assigned project. Also, the lack of communication between the employer and the client may
create a sense of isolation, where they do not operate in unison, which means that there will
a state of distance, and it will inevitably affect the final outcome of the project/product.
15. Negotiating a Brief
Are there any potential legal/ethical/regulatory issues with the brief’s proposed product?
When initiating a product, the employer as well as the client have to list any ethical issues in the brief,
which may arise in the near future. The client would have to state that their product does not
infringe on copyright, and that everything listed within their brief is completely original, as opposed
to incorporating the work of others into their own work, which would be highly illegal, leading to a
fine or even a prison sentence.
Also, the client and the employer would have to discuss whether any moral/ethical issues would be
touched upon in the process of making the product. It is notable that the ASA (Advertising
Standards Agency) may have to be involved in the creation of the product, due to the fact that
when the client advertises their brief, they would have to monitor it to check if it is suitable for
publication, and that is does not offend any members of the public, or potential employer. The brief
itself may contain controversial subjects in which the employer may be uncomfortable in working
with, so they would have to contact the employer to see if they could alter the brief, so that it suits
the ethical and moral level that is inhabited by the employer themselves.
16. Negotiating a Brief
Amendments you have considered to;
The Product: Instead of creating recipe cards, we could alternatively transform the list of recipes
into a booklet, in which the consumer can utilise in order to attain their recipes, instead of
tirelessly searching through a high abundance of cards. It is notable that will be more
environmentally friendly, as fewer pieces of paper are used. Also, it will save the company a
sufficient amount of money, due to the fact that they are not creating and distributing
thousands of cards to the intended consumer, instead, all of the recipes will be included
within a brochure.
The Budget: In order to complete the project in a sufficient manner, it is notable that we may
have to ask for funding from an investor (if we run out of money to complete it ourselves),
due to the fact that there may be a certain section of the project in which we cannot
complete without an extra amount of money, which means that we will have to discover a
benefactor, who is initially willing to fund this specific part, so that we can prosper and
pursue our career in creating vegetarian recipe cards.
The Conditions: It may be a smart business move to alter the conditions of the project, as it is
important for the company to take some control over the project, not enabling the client to
dictate every aspect of the project, taking priority within the brief, as opposed to the sole
creator of the media product. The client may outline several demands in which the company
can work around, coming to an outward comprise with the client, where they can work in
unison, in order to complete the project, as opposed to disagreeing over different factors.
17. Opportunities
What opportunities could this brief allow you to explore?
Self Development: In order to prosper in this field, it is important for the producer to attain a sense of
self-development when completing the project, as it enables them to become more confident as
individuals, as well as strengthening their self-belief. It is important to explore this when working
with a formal brief, as when it is finalised and negotiated with the client, the company can then
work on the project on a solitary basis, which will help their confidence to grow, as they have been
assigned a project in which they have to complete by themselves.
Learning new skills: It is notable that when a company or an individual completes a certain project, they
will gain a new set of skills, in which they did not inhabit beforehand. This is incredibly useful as
they can utilise it in the future for other projects that they take on, as well as presenting their new
skills into their advertisement, which will initially ‘promote’ their business, as they may state that
they can utilise Photoshop, which they may have not been able to use before.
Multi-skilling: It is likely that when outlining the brief of the project, the client will demand that the
company performs several types of skills that will be needed in order to complete the project, such
as utilising Adobe Photoshop, as well as a complex writing style. The company is then required to
pander to the wishes of the client, producing high quality pieces of work, which have been
established due to the fact that the company have used a variety of skills, which would have
significantly improved the overall worth of the project.
Contributing to a brief: In a formal brief, it is notable that the company, who has been assigned to
complete the specific project for the client, adds their own views and opinions to the brief, so that
the client realises that they are requiring a compromise, as opposed to letting the client dictate the
final outcome of the project through the stated brief. The client and the company/producer have to
come to a final agreement over the terms of the brief, which will enable both of them to initiate a
mutual understanding, where the requirements of the project will be outlined with the opinions of
both the client and the producer will be included within the set brief.
