The client has provided an informal brief for promotional posters for a Halloween event. The brief requires 3 A4 posters with information about the event such as date, time, location and activities. The posters must have an autumn/Halloween theme and be eye-catching to attract people to the event. There are no strict deadlines or demands from the client given the informal nature of the brief.

1. WORKING TO A BRIEF
LO1
Name

2. CONTRACTUAL BRIEF
Definition
A contractual brief is the contract that shows the rules between the client
and the worker, these tell the worker what the client want from them.
The worker must make sure that they have read and agreed to
everything that the client has put into the brief, as if they do not do what
they agreed then they could face legal action from the client. Most
companies typically use this type of brief, this is because it is the easiest
and is most likely to be hassle free for the client. Also it is the easiest for
both the client and production company as the contract is usually quite
specific.
Advantages
An advantage of a contractual brief is that it means that there are set
rules to what has to be created, so there can be no confusion on what
needs to be made or done. Another advantage is that the worker is
going to be paid, so they have assurance in that, also they will have a
clear outline to what their budget is so they can make sure that they stay
within the budget.
Disadvantages
A disadvantage of a contractual brief is that the client might not agree to
what is stated in the brief, and try to change it. This would create a
hassle with the client and could take a long time to work out the

3. FORMAL BRIEF
Definition
A formal brief is contact that says all the rules and regulations for the worker
to follow. Typically these are the from the client telling the workers what
they want you to do, however it normally only tells you information on the
project nothing else. Similarly to the contractual brief the contract has to be
negotiated between the client and worker, however it is not always a legal
document. These briefs can be given to large groups of people, which is
useful for big projects that need more people to work on them. An example
of a business using a formal brief is a charity, this would be because they
would want the project to be done but them not to have much input into it
as they will have other things to focus on.
Advantages
An advantage of a formal brief is that it is usually easier to read and
understand, which means they might be able to get the job done quickly
and sufficiently. Another advantage is that since the contract is fixed the
worker does not have to read the contract again to see any new additions,
which will stop any confusion when working in big groups.
Disadvantages
A disadvantage is that since the contract is so strictly fixed it means that if
you need to buy any new resources it can not be added into the contracts
budget. So the worker will need to buy it themselves, which will work out

4. INFORMAL BRIEFDefinition
An informal brief is conducted between a client and worker, these are usually done
in person but can also be online. There is no fixed contract with this means that the
client must really like or want the task to be completed to take up this offer as
there is no guarantee that it will definitely be done. Since there is no fixed contract
it means that the time schedule can be more free and done when chosen, however
it does look less professional than if they had a fixed contract. An example of a
business using an informal brief is a company using a someone that is close to
them to complete the project, this could be a friend or associate. This is the type of
brief that I was given by my client, this is since I am a friend of the company and
they know that I will do the work.
Advantages
An advantage of having an informal brief is that since it is not a fixed contract they
can change anything that may be needed to, for instance if they need to buy
something they can change the set budget. Another advantage is that it would be a
lot easier to change the ideas throughout the process, which is easier for the client
and company than if they had a formal brief.
Disadvantages
A disadvantage of having an informal brief is that it is usually all done in a meeting
and not on paper, meaning the details are all told verbally. Normally when it is all
written on paper people find it more comfortable to deal with, because they know
the exact brief and details about it, such as how much they will be paid and what
they specifically need to do. Another disadvantage is that it can look quite

5. CO-OPERATIVE BRIEF
Definition
A co-operative brief is when two or more production companies are employed to
work upon a set brief from one client, which they will complete together on a
team basis. If the companies do not complete the project in time the client will
not be happy with the companies, and will not employ the selected companies
again. An example of a co-operative brief is with a magazine, to get the
magazine finished there are multiple people working on it, such as a
photographer, a journalist, someone copy editing it, etc. Working on a magazine
is lots of people that all have certain tasks that go towards the end product.
Advantages
An advantage of using a co-operative brief is that while the companies are
working in a team it helps to build a sense of community within the workplace,
which will ultimately mean that the companies will have good communication
with each other. Another advantage is that having so many companies working
on the project means that there will be lots of different ideas, which means that
they will be able to choose the best idea out of all of them and that is good for
the client.
Disadvantages
A disadvantage of using this type of brief is that since there are so many different
people working on the project, they may find it difficult to all agree on things for
the project, which will inevitably be bad for the project.

6. NEGOTIATED BRIEF
Definition
A negotiated brief is when two or more companies meet together to come up
with ideas for a projects. They usually negotiate the contract until they have all
come to an agreement on it. While negotiating the contract they have to make
sure that all the ideas are within the legal guidelines, otherwise they might get
sued. An example of this would be the makeup company Mac, every year they
team up with a celebrity to create a line of makeup designed by this person.
For instance the singer Ariana Grande worked with them to create a line of
lipsticks.
Advantages
Having a brief like this helps you to know what the client wants you to do, e.g.
it helps you know what you might need to finish the project, this means that
both the client and company have a good grasp on what they are going to be
doing. Another advantage of a negotiated brief is that while you are going
though the negotiating process there will be less conflict, as it is more
thorough than some of the other types of briefs.
Disadvantages
A disadvantage of a negotiated brief is that it could take a long time to
complete the negotiating process, as they have to be very thorough with
checking the contract. This also means that the companies might have to
compromise to get the contract done quicker, which may mean that they make

7. COMMISSION BRIEF
Definition
A commission brief is where the company hire a separate independent media
company to do the project for them. They will create the product, conduct the
research, proposal and other ideas, these will all be watched over by the
commissioner. An example of a commission brief is if a designer or artist is
commissioned to create something for someone. For instance the artist Jyoti
Mckie has a section of her website dedicated to the work she has made on
commission.
Advantages
This works well for both the independent media company and the commissioner.
It works for the independent media company because they know that they will
be getting paid and may have a chance to get some profits made by the
company, which means they will het well paid for this project. Also it works well
for the company as they will not be too worried about this particular project,
and since they will not have to be so involved in it they will have time to work
on other projects.
Disadvantages
A disadvantage of commissioned briefs is that since the company does not have
such an active role in the project on a whole they will not get to impute on the
decision making process, this means that the final product may not be what
they expected it to be like. Another disadvantage is that the company may have

8. TENDER BRIEF
Definition
A tender brief is similar to when somebody advertises a job, this is because the
client publishes an advert about the media product needing to be made, then
some production companies may pitch or send a brief in to them. These
companies will adapt the brief to fit what the client wants, this is because they
want to get the project. Once the client has enough bids they then have to
decide on which proposal they think fits their needs for the project. An
example of a tender brief is if a company wanted a photographer to take
images for them, they would put out a brief on it to some professionals. The
photographers would then all compete to get the project.
Advantages
An advantage of a tender brief is that the client has access to many different
types of companies and ideas, meaning that they can choose which one they
think is the best. Having all of these different ideas from different companies
means that the client might find ones that they had not thought of before.
Disadvantages
A disadvantage of using this type of brief is for the companies that applied to
the project, as they might not get chosen to do it, this is especially bad if this
company spent lots of time preparing for this brief and they could have used

9. COMPETITION BRIEF
Definition
A competition brief is a brief that is left open by the client so that any production
company that wants to can try to complete the project. Once each company that takes
the opportunity to complete the brief the client will then judge and assess the different
final products. This type of brief is quite similar to the tender brief as it gives lots of
different companies an opportunity to try and do the project.
An example of a company using a competitional brief is with the TV channel E4. They
had a competition where people had to make a 15 second video that showed their logo,
the prize was that the winners video would be shown on their channel and they would
win £3000 as well. Since E4 is quite a big TV channel in the UK I assume that lots of
people will have entered, however there was only one winner chosen.
Advantages
An advantage for the client is that they will have lots of different ideas given to them
ready made and they can then chose the best one. Another advantage is that since
these briefs are usually advertised as a competition the client will give the winner a
prize or pay them in cash, this would make it a lot cheaper for the client. Also the client
has time to work on other projects since they are not going to be involved in any of the
projects being made by the companies.
Disadvantages
A disadvantage for the production companies is that they will spend a lot of time making
the project and if they do not win then it was a waste of their time that they could have

10. MY BRIEF
Which structure/structures will your client brief use?
My clients brief was a mixture of formal and informal, this is
since we spoke over email and in person which were both in
quite an informal manner. Also none of the project had
anything specifically needed for it, this is because the event
that it was meant to be for is being held in October and this
project is being completed in May/June. Another reason that
there were no specific asks from the client was because they
were not hiring me for the project, it was more that I was going
to make them some posters that they could use if they wanted
to, and it was more them doing me a favour. The only reason
that I said that it is a semi formal brief is because they wrote
my brief out, however this is only because I needed it for my
college work, and they did not feel the need to have done that
if I had not have needed it for my project.

11. READING THE BRIEF
Why is important to thoroughly read your brief?
When starting a project it is important to read through the brief that you
have been set as it expresses everything that the client wants from you,
and you will need this information to be able to complete the project as
the client wants you to. From the brief you are going to get information
on many different things for the project, such as the deadline of when
the project has to be handed in by, what the product should be, etc. If
you do not read it thoroughly then you might miss something
important to the project which would be bad for you as the client will
see that you did not finish the project fully meaning they may not hire
you again. Another thing is that if you see the missing part that you did
not see when you first read the brief it may be too late to change it or
make it, meaning that the project could be unfinished or rushed, which
means it will not be the best that it could be.
One important reason to read the brief is to make sure that you agree
with everything said in the brief, as many briefs need to be approved of
all people involved in it and doing this will allow you to change the
brief if needed.
Another important reason to read the brief is to make sure that you
understand everything that you will need to do for this project so that

12. READING THE BRIEF
What is the nature and demand of your client brief?
The nature of my client brief is that I need to make 3 promotional posters
for one of their events. These posters must match the theme of the event,
which is Halloween, and they must display information about the event to
the viewers of them. These posters must be sized A4, and include
information on them such as the time of the event, the location, date, and
some events that are being held there.
The posters are meant to be used to get people to attend the event and
inform them of what is going to happen at this event. I am meant to make
the posters eye catching so that people will pay attention to them, as this
will make them know about the event if they previously did not. I will also
have to make them easy to read as they are meant to show people
information on the event.
There is not many demands from the client as it is an informal brief, this
means that I have more freedom to do what I want to within their set
boundaries. One demand that they made is that it has to be themed
around Halloween, which is what the event is themed around. They also
demanded that the colour scheme should be autumnal themed, as the
event is held around this time. There is no specific deadline for the
project as the event is held in October and the company did not

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 with the client before you start
production because it gives you time to talk to the client if you have
any problems or questions about the project so that you can clear them
up before starting production. If you start the project and you have not
understood the brief correctly then you may create the wrong product,
and if it does not fit the brief the client would not be happy.
Another reason is that you can discuss your ideas with the client to
make sure that they match up with what they would want you to create.
Doing this ensures that the product is exactly what the client wanted,
and makes sure that they will be happy with the final product.
I made sure that I met up with my clients before I started my project as I
wanted to ensure that they would be happy with my ideas, this helped
me as they told me what they were expecting exactly. In the end they
liked my idea, and after that assurance I started production for the
project.

14. NEGOTIATING A BRIEF
What are the advantages and disadvantages of employing
discretion with a brief?
An advantage of having a brief employed with discretion is that you
have more freedom over the creative aspects of the project, as the brief
is usually quite vague and it is your own interpretation of what the
client is asking of you. Another advantage is that the client does not
have much impute into the project which is good for both the client
and the production company. This is good for the client as they do not
have to focus on this project and can spend their time on other
projects. Also it is good for the production company as they are not
going to be getting lots of distractions from the client and they will be
left to their own devices, which means that they may be able to finish
the project quicker than if the client was more involved.
A disadvantage of employing discretion with a brief is that the client
may interpret the brief differently from you, and there would not have
been any opportunity to discuss the ideas to make sure they match,
and if the client does not think that the product matches the brief given
then they can refuse to pay you since you did not meet the brief
properly. Another disadvantage is that since the client will not be
involved very much if you are struggling or having problems with the
project you can not go to them to ask for any help, this means that you

15. NEGOTIATING A BRIEF
Are there any potential legal/ethical/regulatory issues with the
brief’s proposed product?
There are some potential issues that I have to think about before going
into production. One of these is that many fonts that are downloadable
online, such as off the website DaFont, they sometimes can be for
personal use but are not allowed for business use, to make sure that I do
not use any fonts that are only for personal use I am going to research the
font before I use it in production.
Another example is that I might use some copy righted things, these could
be images, graphics, etc. To make sure that I do not use anything that is
copyrighted I am going to make all my own graphics using photoshop,
and will take any photos myself if necessary. If I were to use something
that is copyrighted my client may be fined between $200 and $150,000
depending on how much profit the company that possesses that thing
would have been making.
One more issue that I may face is that I need to make sure that everything
that I put onto the posters is true and not fake, this is because my client
could get into trouble if I were to put fake information onto the posters.

16. NEGOTIATING A BRIEF
Amendments you have considered to:
The Product
We did not have to make any amendments to the product, this was
because I thought the brief I was given was okay and that I would easily
be able to complete it in the time slot I was given.
The Budget
We did not have to do any amendments to the budget for the project
because I did not have to pay for anything specifically for it. This is
because the only resource I really needed to be able to complete the
project was Photoshop, which can get for free from college. So we had
no budget for the project.
The Conditions
The conditions for my project were not changed, this is because I was
not given a specific deadline as the event that they were meant for is
being held in October. So I instead had the deadline for when the
college project was due, which I could had to be finished for.

17. OPPORTUNITIES
What opportunities could this brief allow you to explore?
Self Development
This brief allows me to develop some skills. One of these being that I
am going to be able to develop my communication skills with clients,
which will be useful to me in the future when I have to work with other
clients. I developed this skill through communicating with my client
either through emails or meetings, this helped me gain experience.
Communicating with my client also helped me to develop my design
skills as I could get feedback on my work that can help me to make my
next project better.
Learning new skills
Through doing this brief I am learning new skills that will help me in the
future. An example of a new skill that I learnt while completing this
brief is how to create realistic looking graphic food items, for my
posters this was pumpkins and apples, I learnt this by looking at
images of the items and copied the shading and colour changes in the
fruits. Having this skill will now help me in future projects because I

18. OPPORTUNITIES
Multi-skilling
Through the brief I am going to be using many different skills to create
the project. I am going to use my photography skills to take any
images needed to create any of the graphics for the posters, for
instance I took a photo of a cat for one of my posters. I then used my
Photoshop skills to create the elements for the posters, an example of
this is that I made the background for the posters by making pumpkins
and apples out of shapes. I also used my InDesign skills to put the
posters together and lay them out well. Since I can use all these skills
to create the posters the client will be happy, as they do not have to
hire lots of people to do all the things that I did.
Contributing to a project
As stated in the brief I have to make 3 poster for the project, this is for
the charity Brunswick organic nursery. The posters are going to
contribute to the charity as they will be used to promote one of their
events that is used to raise money for the company.