The document provides definitions and explanations of different types of briefs that a media company may receive from a client, including contractual, formal, informal, co-operative, negotiated, commission, tender, competition, and my brief. It discusses the key aspects and advantages and disadvantages of each brief type. The document emphasizes the importance of thoroughly reading and understanding the brief to avoid any legal issues or failing to meet the client's requirements. It analyzes the nature and demands of the "Vegetarian Recipe Cards" brief, and discusses why negotiating changes with the client prior to production is important. Potential legal or ethical issues with the proposed product are also considered.

1. Working to a Brief
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2. Contractual Brief
Definition A contractual brief is a brief that a media company enters with a specific task and
specific guidelines, a time limit and fee set in writing. It is important for the company to stick
to the agreement, if they fail to do so it can result to breech of contract they could face legal
action or you could not get paid.
Advantages
• You know what you have to do and a set fee at the end. It is organised.
• The brief will be detailed to a specific product so the company knows what they are doing.
• If it is writing and it is set in writing then you have something to fall back on if the brief gets
breeched. The writing makes sure the company sticks to the agreement because it is on
paper and they can take back there words.
Disadvantages
• If you do not read the contract correctly you could be signing something you cannot do or
agree with.
• The fixed time could be a problem and could cost you your fee if it is not handing in on time.
• If the company feels there needs to be changes it will not fit to the standards asked for and
they could face legal action, loss of money and a bad reputation.
• Nothing can be changed once the writing has been put down and the contract has been
signed. If is drastically changed then this could be a breech of the contract and this then
would face legal charges.

3. Formal Brief
Definition This is when a client provides a media company with a brief that simply establishes the
product they want to be. The brief only contains the necessary information needed to complete the
project. Any additional information will need to be gained during negotiations with the client. Like
the Contractual brief the parties involved will formally agree on the project however a formal brief is
not always legally binding.
Advantages:
• It is very relaxed and very easy to understand.
• 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 media company that is employed, this makes the work quite creative for the media company, there
is always room for negotiation.
• It makes the company/client get what they want. It can cater to all as it is a more relaxed breif and easy to
understand.
Disadvantages:
• 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 breech of contract.
• Formal brief's can take a lot longer to process.
• It does not contain all information which could make then company confused or not giving them enough
detail/ information they may not be able to complete some of the work in which you could face legal
charges or could be a breech of the contract and there is not much that could be done about it.

4. Informal Brief
Definition This is usual a verbal contract. The client and the employer discuss the requirements
for the product they will be making and ultimately agree upon the project. Nothing is written down
which can be risky if anything is changed. An informal brief is good for a small photography for a
wedding of someone you know but bigger companies it can be risky.
Advantages
• Lots of verbal communication
• With lots of detailed communication the employer should be able to perform at their best and
complete the project to the standards asked for.
• As there is lots of communication the brief can be understood a lot easier compared to a formal
brief and more questions and quires can be brought up by the company .
• It is good for smaller companies for example a wedding photographer can use this brief because it
is not as long winded as a contractual brief is.
Disadvantages
• There is not written document or contract to prove the employment and if the client fails to pay the
employer there is no legal action that can be won.
• Schedules may be confusing for both parties as nothing is written down to organise everyone.
• If something goes wrong and things change there is nothing in writing to support it. This could lead
to arguments and discussions which leads to falling out then the job may not get done.
• Nothing is signed to say that they have to legally do what the brief says this could cause
complications as people could deny what they said and there would be no proof.

5. Co-Operative Brief
Definition: This is when two or more production companies are hired to work on a specific
brief. That mean that the companies then have to work together in order to complete
the project. However if the two companies have a disagreement a negotiated brief
would have to be submitted to appease both companies
Advantages:
• 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 were
only one company working on the project.
• There are more minds working on one project. This can make the work twice the standard.
• It halves the amount of work that is needed to be done
• The other company may be stronger at an element that your not and vice versa.
Disadvantages:
• This type of brief is more prone to conflict and disagreements. This would be caused by the
ideas given to the media companies by the client.
• Arguments could occur then the project may not get done.
• One company could do more work than another and then they would both be paid the same
which would not be fair.

6. Negotiated Brief
Definition A negotiated brief will be used if a co-operative brief given to the two or more media
companies that are helping to compete the project have any issues between themselves about anything in
the brief that they need to change or discuss. Negotiations to the brief can be changed in order to suite
each party. This can include changing the appearance of the product or changing the products content.
Although it is verbally discussed it is still written down in the contract.
Advantages
• The brief is open to suggestions therefore it can fit in abetter schedule and the product can be made
better if the employers think so.
• Lots of verbal communication.
• It is written down still, so if someone said they had not changed the brief and they were causing breech
they have something in writing to back themselves up to show that they have changed something
• Issues can be sorted using this brief. Instead of the client suffering this is a quicker method for issues and
arguments between a co-operative brief to be sorted.
Disadvantages
• Negations can take time and it can delay the product
• If the parties do not get on it can cause conflict or loss of business.
• If it takes a lot of time to do then a product may not make it’s release date.
• It can still cause arguments and issues between companies if they can not decide on the negotiations.
• This may loose money for the client.

7. Commission Brief
Definition: This brief is where a large media company will employ an other independent media
company to create and produce the product for them, and after the product has been made the
larger company may go on to 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.
Advantages:
• This type of brief means that larger companies do not have to do all of the hard work. They can sub-
contract 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.
• The independent media company can make more time for what they have been hired for and may do a
better job than the larger company.
• The independent company can get a cut of what is made, This is good because it is giving smaller
companies business and could potentially give them a chance to get more money and grow bigger.
• The larger company can give the parts that they do not really cater for to companies that will do a much
better job than them
Disadvantages:
• In this brief they are two different companies working on a project and this could cause conflict and
disagreements, but because the brief is not negotiated with the client, the product made may not be to
the client’s standards.
• It may be more expensive as the client will have to pay the small company something as well and then
they a loosing more money on their product because the small company may get a cut to.
• If there is conflict between companies then it could slow down the production time and cost the client
company. It could also breech the brief if it has a certain time limit in which the product has to be made.

8. Tender Brief
Definition A tender brief is when a client will advertise their brief and a production team will build
a proposal that they will pitch to different clients so the clients will then get the chance to choose
the proposal that they think best suits their brief and offers the job to that production company.
Advantages
• Clients can look at different proposals and ideas to make their product better to achieve the most
successful product.
• There is more of a variety of proposals.
• The client does not have to produce the brief. This may be better as they are leaving it to the
professionals to come up with an idea that works better than what the client may come up with
• This is a lot more relaxed than a brief such as a contractual brief.
Disadvantages
• If a companies pitch is turned down by a client this can set them back in business, it is very hard to
gain work.
• Thinking a client would accept their proposal and if they decline any other work they were offered
it could have effect on business.
• It could loose the company money and give them a bad name if they get turned down and they
turn other work down.
• They could be conflict between the company and client if the company do not propose something
that the client wants
• It may be hard for the client to find a production team that want to build a proposal because the
company may be scared of getting turned down and loosing work.

9. Competition Brief
Definition: A brief is made to all participating production companies. It can be It can sometimes been 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. The client has to pay for the winning company.
Advantages:
• The client only has to pay the one winning production company, but sometimes will not have to pay them at all.
• They have multiple companies producing a product meaning that they have a larger choice of products and can choose the
one that they believe will be the most successful.
• There is a lot more talent going into one product.
• The winning company could be a small company which then gets work from winning and this puts them on the map. They
then may expand into a bigger company
• It is a good opportunity for small starting companies to get their foot in the door.
• The client has again a lot of choice to choose from. They can support starting up companies and gain a company which is
always happy to do win.
• Cheaper for the client. They may not need to pay a smaller company as much as a big company would want.
Disadvantages:
• The companies that are turned down by the client may become disheartened as they have missed out on potential work and
money.
• The company that has been turned down. May loose money this may be a bad thing because they could have turned down
work to work on the projects.
• Clients could give companies a bad name if it is not what they wanted.
• The client may attract not very good companies that are wanting to enter for free and there not a professional as a alreadu
up and running successful company would be.

10. My Brief
Which type of brief is being used in the recipe card project? Explain your response.
The brief we will be using is a formal brief. This is when a client provides a media
company with a brief that simply establishes the product. It contains the necessary
information needed for the project. We are using this brief because it is very relaxed
and easy to understand. If we need additional information we will be able to gain this
with negotiating with the client. Because it is a creative project this brief means that
the client is open to ideas and if there is any issues they can be raised by the media
company.
The things that show that the brief is a formal brief is the way it formally tells you in the
written document a simple outline of what the company wants from you in the final
product, for example it tells us how many cards need to be printed and a set of 8
different recipes on the cards need to be printed. The material needed to be used has
also been informed. The brief tells us exactly what needs to be done and we have to
follow and make sure we add each part in our product. We are working in a more
relaxed environment which this brief is a lot more suited for because it is not that strict
and a lot more relaxed than a brief such as a contractual brief.

11. Reading the Brief
Why is important to thoroughly read your brief?
Ensuring you read the brief thoroughly will allow you to completely understand
what you have been asked. This allows you to understand the nature and the
demand too. The nature is what has been asked of you, what the final product is
to be expected etc. and the demand is the time schedule and man power needed.
Hypothetically if we did not read the brief we would not know the details in which
the client wanted their product produced to and if a time schedule was not
possible but you signed the brief you would be breeching the contract and could
face legal actions or not get paid for your work. It could be a disaster if we did not
read through the brief properly. Because we need to know what the client wants.
If we do not do what the client wants this could give us a bad name for our
company and not get us any more work. It could give us an after effect. When we
read the brief thoroughly we know everything that we need to put in to the
product. We know all the tiny details and if we are unsure about anything we
should double check with the client.

12. Reading the Brief
What is the nature of the Vegetarian Recipe Cards brief?
The nature of this brief is to provide some creative designs for a set of vegetarian recipe
cards that will include a recipe that is suitable for vegetarians and a photograph of the food.
Eight cards have been asked to be produced and they have to be recognised as a set, they
could be connected by a theme based on certain country/culture or an specific age range.
The client has asked for there to be a design on both the front and back of the recipe card.
What is the demand of the Vegetarian Recipe Cards brief?
The demands that has been given through the brief is to use 100% recycled paper and
vegetable inks when producing the product. The client usually uses 350gsm paper stock so
we will be sure to provide them with this as it keeps in theme with their other products. The
client has also stated that they would like 3,500 copies of the product.

13. Negotiating a Brief
Why is it important to discuss the brief with your client prior to production?
It is important to discuss the brief when you meet your client so you are able to discuss
changes and things you are not happy with. It is also a good opportunity for any issues to be
raised, it also offer any ideas that you have to maybe added to the project. You can then
begin to ‘green light’ any ideas that you think can work with in the future. If you complete
the product with your own ideas that you have not negotiated with the client you may not
get paid if you have not spoken to them about it first and if you have not worked to the
guidelines within the brief that your client has provided.
For example a company wants to place their logo on hoodies but in summer so hoodies wont
be sold as much. The company could consider putting them on t-shirts so they would sell
more in the season. This will be negotiated with the client and employer.

14. Negotiating a Brief
What are the advantages and disadvantages of employing discretion with a brief?
When negotiating a brief the advantages of this are a positive digression within a brief
would make the brief more flexible between you and the client. This would mean
that you would be able to discuss freely different ideas that you have for the client
and they will be able to accept or decline them without any hostility. The product
could be better if you could give some more professional advice on the ideas. You
can change an idea if it does not work out.
The disadvantages would be that the brief could be seen as being quite flakey with the
respect that certain aspects may not be set in stone. The client may think that we
don’t like the brief that they have set us and we are trying to change it all. This
could cause an argument/conflict between the company and the client in which
then the production could be slowed down and loose the company and client
money.

15. Negotiating a Brief
Are there any potential legal/ethical/regulatory issues with the Vegetarian Society brief’s
proposed product?
There are not any legal problems within this brief, however there may be some
issues with keeping within the ecological theme of the product if it comes to
laminating the product. Because the recipe cards will be used in a kitchen by the
customers, it would be good for the cards to be laminated, however this would
then make the product non biodegradable and it will not fit the brief and product
asked for and it is not 100% recycled material like the client has asked for. This is
an issue that will need to be discussed when designing the product.
The Vegetarian Society has taken into consideration the Copyright law and has told
us to create something that is different from what we have seen in previous
existing products. We ourselves need to think about the regulatory body of the
ASA when advertising to make sure that we do not insult vegetarians and do not
single them out as individuals and them in a bad lime light.

16. Negotiating a Brief
Amendments you have considered to;
The Product
After reading the brief there may be some things that will need to be changed such as any
overly ambitious deadlines, time schedules and scopes to make the product the best it can
be. The material used needs to be thought of because of the 100% recycled material, the cost
could be a problem.
The Budget
Always make sure there is enough finance supplied to the project in order to complete it.
Amendments to the project may need to be considered if there isn't. if this was the case the
budget of the project would need to be increased or the scope of the project will need to be
decreased.
The Conditions
If the project took longer than what was produced in the contract you may need to discuss
this with the client to the prospects to having to increase your pay. After the contract is
signed, this might be difficult. Make sure negotiation takes place with your client before your
project starts.

17. Opportunities
What opportunities could this brief allow you to explore? Be specific with your responses.
Self Development
The brief will be a good opportunity to find tasks that particularly good at, there may be
certain aspects that may include us learning new skills. This will build our self development as
we will be practicing ones we already know and learning new important and helpful skills.
Learning New Skills
There could be such things as designing cards, this may mean we need to use new equipment
and strategies. This will teach use new skills and strengthen our abilities.
Multi-Skilling
We will not have a large production team we will need to allocate ourselves between the
both of us. We will have to multi-skill to complete parts of the project and complete it by the
deadline.
Contributing to a brief
Going through the brief we have come to the conclusion that mind maps and mood boards
will help generate ideas that we can put towards the product but we need to stick to the
brief set by the client.