Working to a Brief LO1

Aby Jones and Shania Carter

Contractual BriefDefinitionA media company signs an agreement to complete a set task from the client, the media company is

given a set time and a set fee. The brief would explain either in exact detail what the client wishes to include in the product or minimal detail that could be expanded on by the client – thoroughly reading the brief gives the media company an idea of what they are able to do and what they can’t do. An example of a contractual brief is: if a client wanted a design created for a products packaging, they would employ a media company and use a contractual brief to tell them exactly what they need.

Advantages• The product is guaranteed to be completed by a certain time and date• Legally binding – contract, the client and the company both have to stick to the brief

Disadvantages• Breach of contract – if the company are unable to produce the product on time, this would be

the end result.• The company may not be able to show their full expertise due to the client being demanding

Formal BriefDefinitionThis is a written document – an agreement on paper. The client provides a brief that

explains exactly what they want for the product, the brief contains only the necessary, simple information that the media company needs to complete the product – all of the parties involved, the client and the company, formally agree by signing a written document that legally binds them to the project with the briefs limitations.

Advantages• All of the necessary information, no random add-ons• Can be written on paper and used for future reference i.e. a court case

Disadvantages• Not always legally binding• Media company cant express their capabilities – to possibly appeal to other clients

Informal BriefDefinitionThis can be risky, it’s a verbal agreement, there is no written documents. What

happens is, the company and the client discuss the project and what it’s going to involve, then agree on it, because it’s an informal agreement, there may not be a set deadline.

Advantages• There is sometimes no set deadline – it doesn’t matter when they complete the

product as long as it gets completed.• The client could discuss with the media company exactly what they are wanting

Disadvantage• There is sometimes no set deadline – the media company could drag out the

production process for a long time – could cost the client.• The client could pay the company more than it needs to

Co-Operative BriefDefinitionThis is where two or more companies are hired by a client to work to one specific brief,

the companies are expected to work together, to the brief, to get the product completed and created, if during the production there is a disagreement, both companies would have to compromise by using a negotiated brief.

Advantages• If there is a disagreement, it’s easily resolved• The product could be created quicker by putting the two companies together

Disadvantages• Disagreements as a whole – the idea that they can change some aspects simply

because they don’t agree – doesn’t seem very professional.

Negotiated BriefDefinitionThis is very similar to the co-operative brief, it’s definitely linked to it, when the two or

more companies disagree with something on the brief, this is what they have to agree on. Through this brief certain aspects – i.e. visual style, content etc. - would be changed in order to make each company happy and also the client as long as these changed aspects are within legal and ethical boundaries.

Advantages• Disputes between the companies is settled quickly, effectively and easily• The client is involved – as long as they are happy with the companies ideas, it’s

easily settled.

Disadvantages• There may be further ruckus between the two companies • The companies just don’t get along – could be rivals

Commission BriefDefinitionThis is where a large media group hire a smaller or independent company to help create the

product. The smaller company may not benefit as much as the larger one as the larger company has more ownership over the product that is created. the smaller company is paid and does benefit from the product, for example: with film, the company that is hired to create the effects or even the actors are not paid as much as the actual production company is, however, they still benefit once the product is aired/broadcasted/published etc.

Advantages• The smaller company still benefits from the product – once sales begin• The larger company benefits heavily from the product once sales begin

Disadvantages• If the product doesn’t sell, both companies will be affected, the larger company even more

so• The commissioners i.e. producers get most of the trouble – have to pay out the money, take

the blame for the failure.

Tender BriefDefinitionThe client publishes the brief with the desired product so that various media companies

will see it and will pitch for it – they do this by creating an estimated budget and a proposal that they will give to the client. The client then decides on which production companies proposal was the best and offers the project to whichever company that they find more appealing.

Advantages• They make sure they get the best production/media company• Gets the client attention from various media companies that may come back and

attempt to pitch for the idea again.

Disadvantages• The client could end up getting a production company that lied to them – offering

them this great success when in fact they could be, for example, terrible at meeting deadlines.

Competition BriefDefinitionThe brief is published and made available to various kinds of production companies –i.e.

magazines, internet pages etc. – each company completes the brief and send the end product off to be judged by the client. The best completed project is awarded and the product is then published – these are often free to enter competitions that anyone, even the general public, can submit to.

Advantages• The client pays the winning company• It’s free to enter – doesn’t cost the client anything until one company wins

Disadvantages• The client doesn’t have to pay the winning company – depending on the quality of the

product.• Sometimes the judging is flawed as – if for example it’s by the general public – people can

get their peers to vote for their product to win, even if the product isn’t actually that good.

My BriefWhich type of brief is being used in the recipe card project? Explain your response.

The brief that we, as a company, have been given is definitely a formal brief - it has very specific demands on how they want the cards to be presented and what to include on them, the only leniency we have is: finding our own vegetarian recipe, designing our own theme and taking our own pictures. Another thing that makes it seem like a formal brief is the fact that it’s written on paper, it’s a written agreement signed to our company and it only includes the necessary information on what needs to be included in the project.

It could also be seen as a commission brief as it’s a larger company, The Vegetarian

Society hiring us, a smaller media company to design a product for them – however it does seem more like a formal brief.

Reading the BriefWhy is important to thoroughly read your brief?

Its important to thoroughly read any brief because a company needs to make sure they fully understand the terms and conditions, this means knowing the nature (what is being asked, what is expected, the deadline, what ingredients/equipment etc.) and demands (time constraints/personnel/equipment etc.) of the product.

It is also important because if there is any problems with the brief, any alterations to make or discuss it can be addressed and sorted whereas if it was an informal brief, it’s just discussed rather than written down, so anything that can be disagreed with could be forgotten during the progression of the conversation.

Reading the BriefWhat is the nature of the Vegetarian Recipe Cards brief?

The Vegetarian Society has asked for: high quality images of food on the front of the card along with the title, methods and ingredients to go on the back of the card, our company needs to use recycled paper and vegetable inks, we need to use a fully biodegradable laminate or something cheaper yet sturdy to cover the cards, the card needs to be interesting and creative, the designs go on the front and back of the card and need to be similar and easily distinguishable throughout the collection, this can be based on a certain ingredient in the chosen dishes or the famous cultural food of a certain country.

The cards should be aimed at either: people wanting to become vegetarian (easy recipes, easy step by step guide) or people who have been a vegetarian for a long time who are wanting new and exciting recipes to add to their diet (complex recipes and step by step guide) it should also include at least once recipe for vegans.

What is the demand of the Vegetarian Recipe Cards brief?

The demands are very similar to the nature of the brief, it’s the things that we definitely need to make this project work, this includes: the deadline, the personnel (crew members, specialists, experts, photographers, models etc.), a schedule, the photographs and equipment (tripod, camera, props, makeup, costumes etc.). The demands tell us exactly what we need, it lets us get things prepared so that the project runs smoothly, quickly and effectively so that we definitely hit the deadline.

Negotiating a BriefWhy is it important to discuss the brief with your client prior to production?

It’s important to meet the client and discuss the brief, this means that we can get a full understanding of the specific needs/demands, raise concerns and offer ideas to make the brief needs better for everyone. It also gives us the opportunity to show our expertise, for example: the client might not know exactly what they’re wanting, design wise and they might not have made it clear enough in the brief, meeting up and negotiating the brief with them means that we completely understand anything that we found slightly strange or not clear – this could include problems to do with audio, for example, there may be copyright issues and we may have to make the client aware of how much they need to pay, what they need to do to be able to use that particular audio track or give them an alternative.

Another important fact about negotiating a brief is, if we don’t understand a particular part of the brief and we decide to go off on a tangent and improvise, then the client isn’t happy with it – then we won’t end up getting paid for our efforts. It’s very, very important that everything on the brief is clear and that we completely, one hundred and ten per cent understand.

Negotiating a BriefWhat are the advantages and disadvantages of employing discretion with a brief?

Some of the advantages of employing discretion within a brief are:• It encourages creativity from our company• It gives our company a chance to show our expertise – possibly entice other companies to

hire us• There is a certain amount of freedom• Good communication between company and client

Some of the disadvantages of employing discretion within a brief are:• Could encourage the employee to become a little too creative• They could go off on a tangent – not follow the brief• They could get carried away and include meat or non-vegetarian substances when dealing

with ingredients

Negotiating a BriefAre there any potential legal/ethical/regulatory issues with the Vegetarian Society brief’s

proposed product?

There are no legal/ethical/regulatory issues as such within the brief, however there are certain ethical issues that I would need to be aware of: making sure that I do not add any meat products or none vegetarian/vegan ingredients in to my final products to ensure that the Vegetarian Society are pleased with my end result. This is to conform to the Vegetarian Society’s regulations and the ideals of vegetarians and vegans alike.

“In many societies, controversy and debate have arisen over the ethics of eating animals. The fundamental ethical objection to meat eating is that for most people living in the developed world it is not necessary for their survival or health; hence, it is concluded, slaying animals just because people like the taste of meat is wrong and morally unjustifiable.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethics_of_eating_meat

Negotiating a BriefAmendments you have considered to;The ProductI’d have to take in to consideration the aspects of the project that might have to change during the

production process, depending on how the cooked product turns out – we may have to switch to using professional sourced images from the internet, we may have to change the time scale on some parts of the project, this could mean slightly altering the schedule in order to effectively fit things in, this could also mean making a contingency plan or an extra schedule altogether.

The BudgetHypothetically speaking, the only few changes that could be made here is the client putting money towards

the project if we begin to struggle with self-financing, especially if the product is going well, we might also have to change the project locations which could alter our set budget, depending on where the change could be quite dramatic, making us then turn to our client for help – also if the client demands something more i.e. ingredients, there would have to be a compromise about how much money the client and the company should contribute to the project.

The Conditionsthe terms and conditions are important within a brief. The conditions of the brief can be changed payment

wise. The client maybe unhappy with the standard of the work produced by the company, so the payment agreed within the brief at the start of the project could increase or decrease. If the contract has been signed and changes are wanting to be made, it may be difficult for the company to ask for an increase in payment.

OpportunitiesWhat opportunities could this brief allow you to explore? Be specific with your responses. Thisbrief is quite different to others you have come across and offers lots of new experiences. Checkthe unit overview to help you with this. Self DevelopmentThis brief allows me to explore my creativity skills, looking back on previous work and comments such as my

Graphic Narrative, it’s been brought up a few times about my creativity within units – this will allow me to use this skill effectively within the brief’s guidelines and help to improve it. I will also be able to learn new skills and tools during post production in Photoshop when editing the pictures of the food, the whole vegetarian side of the project will help me have a more open mind when it comes to generating food based ideas and in the future I can use my new abilities as reference to this project.

Learning new skillsI will learn how to effectively create and advertise food based products, learn more tools and improve my

skills with Photoshopping images, I will also be improving my contribution to the task as I will be cooking and photographing the recipes that I have chosen which in turn, will also improve my cooking and photography skills.

Multi-skillingOver the progress of the project, I will learn to complete more than one task over the course of one day

rather than one task per-day which will make the progression of the project a lot quicker.