2. CONTRACTUAL BRIEF
Definition – This is when a media company signs an agreement to
complete a specific task within in a time period for a set fee, this
contract would be legally binding and must be completed on the
time period set. If they or you do not stick to the contract they and
you agreed on, there would be a breach in the contract and face
legal action.
Advantages – The first advantage would be that you would know
exactly the pay and time you’ll be getting by the end of the
contract, You and the client would also know what the work will be
so you’ll have more time for planning and there would be no issues
at all. The contract also offers protection for you and the client, so
if any issues do happen during the production phase you would be
protected legally. The last advantage is that with the type of brief
you would not have any problems with over spending as there is
proper writing over what the budget is and how much you’re being
paid you will be able to budget which will help with the contract.
Disadvantages – The first disadvantage is that the contract locks
you into that project, so you wouldn’t be able to work on anything
else as you’d be too focused on working to that deadline. You
could also be sued for not working to the exact deadlines and not
doing the work to the exact as it says in the contract.
3. FORMAL BRIEF
Definition – This is a brief that is like a half way point between no
contract and a contractual contract, this is a brief that simply
establishes the product they want to be made. It only contains
necessary information needed to complete the project, any
additional information will be gained during negotiations with the
client. Unlike the contractual brief, this is not always legally
binding.
Advantages – One advantage is that it will give you flexibility for
design elements, time periods and on budget and resources as
well. Another advantage is that the brief is simple and not
complicated like a contact, this will let you be calm about it and
would let you the designer be creative with the product. This brief
will also be a great way to negotiate terms and so you could also
add in any additional products you could make, this would build a
report with the client as you are suggesting ideas for them.
Disadvantages – The main disadvantage with this is that a formal
brief isn’t exactly legally binding, so you might not always be
legally protected by time or quality. The best way to protect
yourself legally, would be through E-mails or any messaging
service to use against the client if legal action is taken.
4. INFORMAL BRIEF
Definition – This is a verbal agreement between you and the client, this won’t
include a contract or any written agreement. This is when you and the client
discuss and agree upon a project, there may not be a date of completion or
how much you will be receiving for the product. It’s basically the complete
opposite of a formal and contractual brief. For example a manager of a
company could talk to you about work and them asking to do some work,
there is no agreement or formalising the agreement with a text or any
contact.
Advantages – There is a lot more flexibility with this type of brief, you can
control anything with the product you can make and there is no real
formality to this. Another advantage is that there is no set time frame and
the client is usually open to new ideas or suggestions, as I’ve said before
there is no formality or agreements so it’s very flexible.
Disadvantages – The main disadvantage is that this is a very risky form of
brief, that is not reliable so you can’t stick to a contract and there is no
written way of saying how much you’ll be getting payed for the product.
Another disadvantage is that you may forget about the business needs or
ethos so you might not get there core message across in your product, for
example a fair trade coffee shop and you forget to put on your posters that
they are fair trade. This contract also doesn't legally protect you at all from
the business taking legal action against you, which could have disastrous
effects on your credibility.
5. CO-OPERATIVE BRIEF
Definition – This a a brief where two or more production companies are hired
to work on a specific brief, the companies then have to work together in
order to complete the project. If a disagreement then occurs, a negotiated
brief would have to be submitted to appease both companies. For example
a big movie company would hire multiple companies to work together to
create the film as a whole who all have different skills like Sound Effects,
Video Effects, Set Design etc.
Advantages – The first advantage is, that the multiple companies can work
together and make a more refined or bigger product due to the bigger man
power. The work can also be undertaken a lot faster due to the bigger man
power, this would lead to better efficiency in planning and production so the
timeframe won’t be a big worry in the end. Due to the workflow between the
two companies more ideas can be generated to better impact the product
during the pre production stage. The last advantage is there would be a
contingency plan, so for example if you were going to shoot some
photography and you were ill on the day, then you could use your partner to
fill in for you as an acceptable replacement.
Disadvantages – However there are disadvantages, the first one being
arguments because there are two companies there is a chance for creative
differences to occur and then not much work can be done because of it.
Another one is the payment agreed on by the client and the companies, then
the money will be split which could cause disagreements due to how it’s
split due to how much both parties have contributed. You would also be
earning less during this project than you would if you did it alone, which
unfortunately is a disadvantage as you’re opening yourself up to earning
less in future projects if done is a Co-operative style.
6. NEGOTIATED BRIEF
Definition – A negotiated brief is when two or more media
companies are working together and they have arguments and
conflicted ideas regarding the project, that would lead to the
parties negotiating a brief to appease all parties involved. This
could involve changing visual style, content, or ensuring the
product stays within the boundaries of a legal or ethical
obligation. Both parties would have to compromise to allow the
project to continue. Negotiation allows the parties to settle
debates about the project, this means productivity could still
flow during the making of the product without the parties
having anymore disagreements.
Advantages – The first advantage for this brief is to make sure
all parties are happy with the fine details of the brief, this will
ensure the client that everyone will work well together and have
synergy with one another and so this will give the client less
stress about the quality of the product.
Disadvantages – The first and only disadvantage with
negotiations is future disagreements if there is no agreement,
this could lead to no product for the client in the correct time
7. COMMISSION BRIEF
Definition – This is when a large media company hires an
independent company to create a product for them, the brief
will be negotiated between the two media companies rather
than having an external client. For example if the BBC
approached the York Filming Company to commission a series
in York, they will outsource the work to a smaller company to
do the work for them. The independents will be paid for there
work and potentially part of the product’s profit for each time
it’s published, broadcasted or sold.
Advantages – The first advantage is when the brief is made you
will understand it more, because the brief is coming from
another media company that knows the jargon and language
used in media. Another advantage is that you will get paid for it
continually if the product is used more, so there’s longevity to
your product and there will be a consistent profit being made.
Disadvantages – A disadvantage is that you may not get paid as
much using this method compared to your company talking to
the client directly, which could lead to many missed
opportunities when using this style.
8. TENDER BRIEF
Definition - This is when a client publishes that they need a
media product that needs to be made, a production company
then creates a brief, proposal and budget that is then pitched
to the client. Several companies can pitch in to this brief to the
client to try and secure the project, the client then decides
upon the best proposal submitted and offers the project to that
production company.
Advantages – The first advantage to this brief is that you have
not just one central idea from one company, you instead have
multiple suggestions from several companies that you can use
and it just provides flexibility to what ideas are suggested to
the client. Another advantage is that the brief is more planned
out and agreed on so the pre production stage can be short,
and the companies will be ready to start making the product.
Disadvantages – The disadvantage is that the client may not
pick your idea so that means all the planning and preparation
is all for nothing and that you have wasted your time.
9. COMPETITION BRIEF
Definition – This is when a brief is made available to all
participating production companies, and the companies will
enter and complete the brief provided. All completed projects
are then judged and the best is awarded the project or the
project will be published by the client. These competitions are
usually free to the public, and the client only has to pay the
winning company.
Advantages – The first advantage is that if you produce a decent
quality piece of work that wins, it could lead onto more work
after your work being displayed for everyone to see including
large companies that would pay more for your work. Another
advantage is there’s a large variety of content for the client to
pick from and could pick multiple entries, another one is that
the competition is free to enter so that could draw more people
to join in on the competition.
Disadvantages – The first disadvantage is that if the reward is
not good enough or there isn’t enough publicity then there
might only be a couple of entries, which could lead to the client
picking a product that isn’t a good enough quality for the client
10. MY BRIEF
Which structure/structures will your client brief use?
The structure that my client brief uses is Formal, this is because
it has been written down and there has been E-mails being sent
between both me and the client that are a reference to our
agreement. My reason behind this choice is that having a
written brief gives me a good idea on what to do and it makes
the idea generation easier with only some basic information
and it allows me to create better ideas that goes towards the
project and it makes the process of production more creative,
productive and flexible.
11. READING THE BRIEF
Why is important to thoroughly read your brief?
If you read the brief you will completely understand on what’s been
asked of you, so you can understand the background of the company,
the opportunities and limitations involved and the ethos of the
company as well. You need to read the brief so you can know who you
will contact if any problems rise up during the production phase of the
project.
12. READING THE BRIEF
What is the nature and demand of your client brief?
Nature – I have been asked to produce a new logo for the company, with
a new colour scheme and using a new font that is copyright free. I will
also need to produce a business card, leaflet and a poster. There has
not been much additional information given so that means I will be
able to be flexible with this project, adding in new ideas that were not
previously suggested.
Demand – The time period I have been given for this project is in late
May and early June, the man power needed for this project will just be
me and there will be no other practical help. There is also zero budget
for this client project, which is ok since the only resources I will use will
be the Mac in college.
13. NEGOTIATING A BRIEF
Why is it important to discuss the brief with your client prior to
production?
It’s important to discuss the brief with the client just to clarify the
client’s intentions with the project, if you don’t you won’t know any
specific details that the client didn't put in the original brief. Another
reason why it’s important to discuss the brief is because you’ll have to
discuss pay with the client and so you can negotiate that with the client
before you do the work so there isn’t a legal fiasco over pay.
14. NEGOTIATING A BRIEF
What are the advantages and disadvantages of employing discretion
with a brief?
The advantages of using your own discretion is that, it allows you to add
new aspects to a brief that you as the producer may think is interesting
or something new to try that the client may like. This may pay off
massively because the client may approve of these new aspects and will
make you more memorable to the client for future projects, however
there are disadvantages to employing discretion as well. The
disadvantages are that the brief may compromise the initial task, and is
at risk of changing the entire project that the client wants.
15. NEGOTIATING A BRIEF
Are there any potential legal/ethical/regulatory issues with the brief’s
proposed product?
The only legal issues that I will be trying to avoid during the whole
production phase is the copyright laws, I’d have to make sure I don’t
take any image from the internet to use for my production which would
infringe copyright laws completely. I’d also have to make sure the font
I’ll be using is free for commercial use rather than personal as I’ll be
working with a company that could potentially use my work I need to
make sure the fonts are commercially free to use.
16. NEGOTIATING A BRIEF
Amendments you have considered to:
The Product
There have been some adaptations to the products because I thought
there wasn’t enough products to meet the demand of the client, So the
proposed final product now has two social media mock up pages
alongside everything else.
The Budget
The proposed budget was zero and all the work was being done on
college budget for Photoshop and the Apple Macs, there has been no
change to that in the final proposal.
The Conditions
There has also been no change to the conditions of the brief, as this is
free work for the company so no changes have been made in that
department either.
17. OPPORTUNITIES
What opportunities could this brief allow you to explore?
Self Development
This project could help me develop my communications skills with the
client, hopefully I keep in communication with the client throughout the
project. I will also get to learn how working with a client is different to
a standard college project, this project is going to be far different than
working with college on a project and many improvements and
changes might happen if the client isn’t happy with my initial products.
Learning new skills
This project can also help me improve my skills in print media, as I’m
planning on doing a wide range of products from posters to social
media mock ups which would require different levels of knowledge and
research to get it right.
18. OPPORTUNITIES
Multi-skilling
This project focuses more around graphic design and social media
research primarily, with the designing of every product being on
Photoshop which will require graphic design skills while the social
media research will require the skills I’ve learned about the audience
and how social media impacts how to sell and advertise a company and
it’s products.
Contributing to a project
The brief does allow me to heavily contribute the project, with not many
additional requirements being set in the brief which allows me to input
my ideas that the client may approve of. The initial brief as well doesn't
specifically say much, all they put was what products they wanted and
nothing with a specific design element which gives me more freedom
when creating the products.
