Working to a brief

1. WORKING TO A BRIEF
LO1
Ben Huyton

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 organises their work. It is a document which states the expectations
of the client, the prices they agree on, as well as 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 employer will agree on a set income with the employer through
the contractual brief. Another advantage of a contractual brief is that
everything is drawn up in writing, so everything is clear and there should be no
confusion
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. A
second disadvantage is that some contracts can be long winded and this may
put people off reading all of it and signing it regardless of what is in it.

3. FORMAL BRIEF
Definition - This is where a media company is given a brief by the client which outlines
the product which they are wanting to be made. This brief is very open and only gives
enough information to be able to produce the product, any issues or information that the
media company would like to go over can be discussed during the negotiations with the
client. Both the client and the company employed by them will formally agree on the
project and the brief but it can not always be legally binding.
Advantages - Having this type of brief means that the client is open to any ideas or issues if
there are any that could be raised by the company that is employed, this makes the work
quite creative for the media company and there is room for negotiation. It is known that a
formal brief is very easy to read and helps the client to understand the different aspects of
the contract. It can also never be changed which means you don’t have to read about any
other new ideas but just the one on the contract.
Disadvantages - The disadvantage of this type of brief is that the media company may feel
that the client has not offered enough information for them to complete the product to the
standard that the client wishes, also the fact that the brief is not always legally binding
could bring up problems within the project with things such as financial issues or a break of
contract. A second disadvantage is as the contract can never be changed it means that if
the company want to buy more resources for the project, then they could not because of
how fixed the contract is

4. INFORMAL BRIEF
Definition - An informal brief is not documented and is usually of the verbal kind. It
is where the client and the company which they have employed simply discuss the
requirements for the product they will be making and ultimately agree upon the
project
Advantages - the advantages to this type of brief is that there is more verbal
communication between the client and the company they are employing which could
mean that the media company will understand fully exactly what the client is asking
of them and they should be able to complete the project to the clients standards
easily. Another good thing about having an informal brief is that there are no strings
attached, it's easy and sets a nice environment for the company and the client.
Disadvantages - the fact there is no written documentation or contract to prove the
employment of the company could mean that at the end of the project the client
could easily fail to pay their employees. Also this could mean that certain things like
deadlines are not completely clear and this can cause confusion for both parties.
Another issue with having an informal brief is that it is just a meeting which means all
the details are verbally told and not on a written document. When you have things
written down on a written document it helps people to feel more comfortable in
knowing what they are doing.

5. CO-OPERATIVE BRIEF
Definition - within this type of brief there are usually two or more companies
that are hired by the client to work to the brief they have written for the specific
project they are wanting to be completed. After both companies have received
the brief they can then proceed to work together to produce the product. If
there is a disagreement or conflict in ideas there can be a negotiated brief in
order to resolve these issues
Advantages - having this type of brief means that there can be more
perspectives to creating the product needed by the client and therefore means
that the brief can be more understood than if there was only one company
working on the project. Another advantage is that it could decrease the
workload one company would have to do. It would also allow you to work with
your advantages as you would expect them to be good at your disadvantages.
Disadvantages - this type of brief can be more prone to disagreements and
conflict in the ideas being given by each of the different media companies that
have been employed by the client. Working with another company will more
than likely lead to some disagreements that will need to be negotiated which is
another disadvantage to this type of brief.

6. NEGOTIATED BRIEF
Definition - This type of brief will be brought up if the co-operative brief given to
the two or more companies that are competing the project have any issues
between themselves about the brief or anything they would like to clear up with
the client. Through the negotiations the brief can then be changed in order to
suite every party taking part in the production. This could be anything from
changing the appearance of the product to changing the product's content as
well as keeping it to the guidelines set in the brief.
Advantages - Within this brief the fact that certain points can be negotiated
means that the project is more open to suggestions from multiple perspectives
which could make the product more successful overall. Another advantage is
that it helps to let you know what you are doing and what has been improved as
the company and client can really grasp on what they want and need.
Disadvantages - Negotiating the brief can sometimes waste time is
unnecessary issues are brought up that the client believes do not need to be
tackled and this can delay the production time of the product. A disadvantage
of having a negotiated brief is that you can discuss about certain subjects too
much, and this therefore can drag out and it would not help you to get to the
bottom of the problem

7. COMMISSION BRIEF
Definition - This brief is where a large media company will employ another
independent media company to create and produce the product for them, and after
the product has been made the larger company may go onto use the product for an
external client who will pay the independent media company for making the product
and they could even get a cut of the royalties too. The brief is not negotiated
between the company and the client, however is negotiated between the two media
companies.
Advantages - Having this type of brief means that the larger company do not to do all
of the hard work, so to speak. They can subcontract the work that is set in the brief
out to another company and each company will both receive money for the work
they have contributed to the making of the product. Another advantage of having a
commision brief is that you as a smaller business have a say and can progress with
your idea without it being completely stolen by the client.
Disadvantages - This type of brief could mean that because there are two different
companies working on the same product there could be some conflicts, but because
the brief is not negotiated with the client, the product made may not be to the clients
standards. Another disadvantage is that should the small business not read any
documents given to them before signing they may be giving away their product and
it may be used globally without them getting a cut of the profits received.

8. TENDER BRIEF
Definition - this is where a client will advertise their brief and a production
company will bring together a proposal that they will pitch to their client, there could
be multiple pitches to the client from many different companies, so the client will
then get the chance to choose the proposal that they think best suits their brief and
offer the job to that production company.
Advantages - the advantages of this brief is that the client will be able to look at
many different ideas for their product from different companies perspectives and in
effect will be able to produce their product to a very high standard if one of the
pitched ideas stands out above all the others. Another advantage is that it is a very
relaxed and calm approach and it can be a very useful way in getting a good deal as
the companies come to them. This is because the companies will pitch against each
other and only the best offer will win.
Disadvantages - the disadvantage of this type of brief is that if a company's pitch is
turned down by the client this can set them back in business as it is very hard to gain
work in this day and age, The business may have been optimistic in thinking that the
client would have accepted their proposal and could have gone as far as to decline
any work that they were offered in the time that they would have been working on
this project. Another disadvantage is ultimately you may not be chosen to do the task
by the client should your pitch not be good enough or competitors can offer a better
deal

9. COMPETITION BRIEF
Definition - This is where a client can put their brief out so it can be accessed
by all of their different production companies that are participating. It can
sometimes be seen as a free competition as each production company will
complete the brief and the client can then judge which company has the best
project and as an award they have it published.
Advantages - The advantage is that the client only has to pay the winning
production company, but sometimes will not have to pay them all. Also the fact
that they have multiple companies producing a product means they have a
large choice of products and can choose the one that they believe will be the
most successful. Another advantage with this form of brief is that it opens up a
range of different products that the client can choose from.
Disadvantages - a disadvantage of this is the same as the disadvantage of a
tender brief, the companies that are turned down by the client may become
disheartened as they have missed out on potential work and money. A
disadvantage of this is that if the companies competing do not get the job, they
will have wasted a lot of time and possibly money on something that they did not
get.

10. MY BRIEF
Which structure/structures will your client brief use? The main brief
that my client will use is an informal brief. This is essentially where the
client and the person/s that they have employed discuss the
requirements for the project they will be making and ultimately agree
upon the project. The reason why my client has done this is because
he knows me very well anyway so he did not feel that he needed to be
very formal or go into great detail about the project. This is also the
only structure that my client will use as he feels that everything else
would be over complicating things and he does not feel that it would
be necessary.

11. READING THE BRIEF
Why is important to thoroughly read your brief?
In my opinion it is extremely important to fully read my brief as it gives
me the best opportunity to produce the best work for my client. If this
is not the case it could potentially mean that i do not fulfil his
objectives and either do too little work or provide him with too much
work. If for example he asks me to do 5 specific tasks, reading and
listening to my brief fully will make sure that i do not miss out on one of
his targets or complete more targets than i should be doing.

12. READING THE BRIEF
What is the nature and demand of your client brief?
The demand of my brief is fairly simple. He has asked me to produce 5
simple tasks for his business. My client has specifically told me that he
wants a new improved flyer and poster. He has also asked me to
provide him with a revolutionised logo to go alongside a catchy
slogan which he will use to help sell his business. The final task that he
gave me was to create him a leaflet to coincide with his flyer and
poster. The nature that he presented these tasks was fairly simple. He
simply communicated with me verbally face to face with what he
would like me to do for him and what he personally felt would help
move his business in the right direction. He set me a 2 week deadline
to complete these tasks and it was something that i was very
confident of completing on time.

13. NEGOTIATING A BRIEF
Why is it important to discuss the brief with your client prior to
production?
Like i have already mentioned it is extremely important to know
precisely what you are doing before you start production. If you have
any issues or questions about the work, it is vital that you discuss this
prior to begin producing your tasks. Therefore by doing this you can
have a clear picture in your head of what you are going to be working
with. If this is not carried out correctly it could lead to potential
confusion on the type of finished piece your client wants you to come
up with.

14. NEGOTIATING A BRIEF
What are the advantages and disadvantages of employing discretion
with a brief? There are plenty of advantages and disadvantages
when it comes to the use of discretion within a brief. In terms of the
advantages, it allows personal interpretation of some vague details in
the brief. Due to the details being vague the producer is then able to
interpret this detail in whichever way they wish, therefore allowing
freedom for creativity. This can also be an advantage to the client if
they choose to leave some details vague then they can rely upon the
producer to be creative with how they cover that area.
On the flip side to this however, discretion can also cause
disadvantages. For example if the client has left an ara vague
because they are not sure how best to describe what they desire then
the producer will interpret these details in his own way, this could lead
to a difference in opinion and the product may not be what the client
desired and consequently the client may refuse the product.

15. NEGOTIATING A BRIEF
Are there any potential legal/ethical/regulatory issues with the brief’s
proposed product? The major issue with this could potentially be
trying to avoid copyright when it comes to the images of cows. I
personally will not find the time to take new photos, so i will have to
rely on copyright free sites to do this. The site i will use the majority of
the time is pexels. This is a site where i can find specific images that
match with my needs. This however is the only thing that i will find
difficult, as everything else that i am working with is simple and will not
cross any of these issues stated. There will not be any ethical issues
because of the fact that my client is my own Dad so therefore he has
not set a budget to work with and instead i am working for free. I am
essentially volunteering. It is also worth noting that there are also not
regulatory issues to be concerned about.

16. NEGOTIATING A BRIEF
Amendments you have considered to:
The Product
In terms of the product itself, i will attempt to stick to everything that was given in
the required brief. In all honesty the brief that has been set out for me, allows a
lot of room for freedom and gives me an opportunity to explore my creative
skills. Personally i feel that if i tried to change anything it would not make things
any better so for that reason no changes will be made.
The Budget
Because of the fact that my client is my Dad, i will not require a budget for this
project.
The Conditions
The main condition for this project is to complete my work in a two week
schedule. I will not attempt to adjust this because i personally feel that the time
allocated is more than suitable for what i am trying to achieve.

17. OPPORTUNITIES
What opportunities could this brief allow you to explore?
Self Development
Because this brief is not very strict it allows me to work freely. This will then
therefore give me the chance to play around with the tools i am working with,
and self develop my skills on photoshop for example. This project will also give
me the chance to improve my skills with a camera. Before this project started,
in all honesty my camera ability was far from exceptional. So therefore doing
this task gives me the opportunity to improve in this aspect.
Learning new skills
The two weeks production time will most likely give me the spare time to be able
to explore new tools on the software and therefore learn new skills. Even
though i believe that i have already got good knowledge on this, i always want
to push myself to learn more and become better.

18. OPPORTUNITIES
Multi-skilling
Even though i am working alone, there are still aspects of multi skilling involved.
The two weeks production also gives me the chance to multi skill with different
elements which will only help me in the future with other projects. An example
of this could be collecting photos while putting them together on the software
photoshop. This could turn out to be a very useful tool as it will allow me to
complete my work in better time. Throughout production i will be attempting to
produce work using different skills. This includes my photography ability and
skills on softwares such as photoshop and powerpoint.
Contributing to a project
This project also allows me to contribute to a real life business. This can only
help me in the future as it is making design work in the media. This also gives
me a form of work experience and contributing such an important role makes
me feel valued and helps my confidence improve.