Structure of BRIEFS
Briefs are very important in everyday lives. There are many different types of briefs and I will go through them below. I will cover Contractual, formal, negotiated, commission and various other methods that are used in a project environment based on my conducted research.
Contractual brief
A contractual brief is a legal document which is strictly between an employee and a client. The contractual brief outlines the duties and requirements expected to be followed and how a company schemes and organises its work. The document explains the expectations of the client, how much the employee will receive for the stated objective, and what legal actions will be taken in place if either the employee or other party was to break any of the agreements in the breech of contract.
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 the employer will agree on a set income with the employer through the contractual brief.
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.
Example: An example of a contractual brief is when a client wanted to sell something on the television as an advertisement, and the employee would be the production crew willing to create the advertisement.
Formal brief
A formal brief is a written document which includes specific detailed information about the goals the client wants the company to achieve. This type of brief usually is straightforward to the point as it refrains from containing any type of unnecessary detail or unwanted information. The target for this brief is generally aimed at a group of people, or a business company however, it is not always classified as a legal document.
Advantages: An advantage is that as the document itself is clear, as well as concise, as it lacks in any form of complexity, refraining from including extended legal terms within its theses. Also, as it is not always a legal-binding document, the company can express their opinions, as well as having the ability to work around the contract.
Disadvantages: A disadvantage is that the contract is very general, as opposed to the haphazard structure of a regular contract, which is explained in |
a lot more detail. The employer as well as the client, may disagree on the terms of each others decisions, and opinions which are listed in the contract.
Example: An example of a formal brief is a college tutor assigning a task for his or her students for them to complete.
Informal brief
An informal brief is known to be a more verbal agreement which happens to be less professional that of the traditional brief as nothing is official or in writing. If there was ever once side of the party who would try to include the court, their chance of successfully winning would be low as it has not been officially signed for and there may be no actual recording of whats been agreed on.
Advantages: A advantage is that there is no real guideline to the brief, it is very free, and the employer will be allowed to manoeuvre and influence their own opinions into the document, before the client finalises it.
Disadvantages: A disadvantage would be that the expectations proclaimed by the client may interfere with the ethos of the employer, who may not want to perform a task that involves a heavy workload, which may disinterest the client into giving them |
work, and they may look elsewhere for an individual to complete their project.
Example: For example, you asked your colleague at your workplace to design a banner to hang outside a local library to advertise a school play
Co-Operative Brief
This type of brief contains two or more production companies who are hired by clients to operate upon a set brief which should be completed in unison on a team basis. Once the brief has been received, they can proceed to work together to produce the product however, if there is a disagreement or conflict in ideas, there has to be some type of negotiated brief in order to resolve the issues. The project also has to be completed before a specific deadline else the client may be dissatisfied meaning no future employement.
Advantages: An advantage of working as a team is that it helps to build a sense of community within the workplace, whilst adding a social side to it as well, which inevitably means that a good form of communication will be featured between the team members. Also, having several people work on a project means that a variety of different ideas will be circulated, which will be beneficial in completing the project.
Disadvantages: A disadvantage could be that the individuals who are working in the team may disagree with other which will inevitably cause the |
downfall of the project, whilst hindering the growth of it significantly, due to the conflicting views of the individuals involved over the brief.
Example: This is used famously in film production, for example. A producer may hire Lionsgate to produce the film and hire Technicolor professionals to digitally grade the film. Both parties will have to work together in order to achieve the producer/director's vision.
Negotiated Brief
This is when the client and the employer find a compromise upon the brief of the project which usually includes the final ideas of both the employer and the client. The key point to remember is how important it is that the client and employer or company both agrees on the brief else it may create inevitable problems.
Advantages: An advantage to this type of brief is that it brings the ideas of the client and employer together, and merges them into one, creating a brief that is suitable for both the employer, as well as the client, which means that they are less likely to quarrel in the future over the terms of the legal agreement.
Disadvantages: A disadvantage is that when the client and the employer ‘negotiate’ their brief, they |
may come to a disagreement, that may result in the employer losing the potential work, as they may deny the requirements stated by the client, which means that the client may siphon their project out to another employer or company.
Example: An example of this is a marketing company having multiple cunning ideas, both with pros and cons. They may merge their ideas which can result to both parties to agree on it.
Commission Brief
This brief is where a large media company will employ an other independent media company to create and produce the product for them. After the product has been made the larger company may go on to be use the product for an external client who will pay the independent media company for making the product which can result to getting 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: An advantage is that the independent production company will be paid for creating the specific product, and may receive a fraction of the profit that is generated by the product once it has been distributed to the intended consumer, also known as the target audience of the product.
Disadvantages: A disadvantage for this might be that when the product has been launched, the large company may develop a sense of corporate greed, |
not giving the independent institution enough credit for their contribution, or paying them a sufficient amount of money for their hard work. This creates an unfair advantage, which may lead the independent business to complain to the large company, and will prevent them from working for the giant corporation in the future.
Example: When a client pitches their idea including their regulations and needs in a business meeting.
Tender Brief
A client would state that they require a specific media product to be created. After this has been sent to a potential employer or company, they would initiate a brief, a budge as well as a proposal which is then pitched to the client in order to securing their chance of obtaining the work. The client would then take a look at all the different tenders they have received and choose the one they prefer.
Advantages: An advantage could be that as there is a lot of competition, the employer will be more determined and motivated to produce a high-quality proposal, that will secure them the work from the client, therefore, making them more productive as a company, as they will be thinking of the income in which they will receive upon the completion of the project/product.
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Disadvantages: A disadvantage for this type of brief is that because of the competition, an employer is likely to be disheartened over losing the work set by the client, to another company. It can be difficult for an employer to gain work, due to the other employers, who also want to get the job. A company has to expect failure, so that they can then look for temporary employment elsewhere.
Example: An example of this is a person is looking for a music video that has a horror-type feel to it. Production companies will contact that person with reasons why that company should shoot it (and also offering other things, such as: providing horror-type costumes for free).
Competition Brief
This is a brief which is created in order to be accessible to all of the production companies which are participating in creating a project/product. It is notable that each corporation completes their own brief, outlining their ethos. All of the finished projects created by these companies are judged and the most impressive one is crowned winner, and is taken into publication by the client.
Advantages: An advantage may be that because of the heavy competition, the employer will strive to pitch themselves to the client in the most sufficient way, behaving in a professional manner, which is likely to impress the client, and may, in turn, provide the employer with work.
Disadvantages: Even though this type of brief is generally free to join, the winner of the competition may have to pay a fee for being crowned victorious, as opposed to the runner-up. There is a slight |
possibility that the winner may be unhappy with siphoning out some of their income to the client. However, this is a part of the job, and they will have to learn to accept it if they want to pursue a career within this specific field of work.
Example: A great example of this is Virgin Media Shorts. They create a brief based on a feature of choice (such as love) and people will have to create a short movie that is related or containing the feature.
Reading a brief
Importance of reading the brief, nature & demand implicit
When starting any project it is important to read through the brief that you have been set because it will express what the client wants, and so with this information you are more likely to create something that is appropriate for its purpose. There are two main elements that can be split up to make the brief easier to understand and break down which are: the nature; that is based on what had been asked for you and what the final product expected. As well as the demand; that cover the details involved including the time constraints and man power needed to get the project finished in time.
When reading through a specific brief it is very important to find out the demands of the client and what is included in the brief. It is very important to know the demands of the client and this is because they are the main focus of the project and without knowing the demands of the client then the product could be made wrong and as a result the client would not be happy as a result of the demands not being met. When I am reading through the brief I will want to know straight away what the demands of the client are when designing and thinking about a specific product. This will give me a chance to speak to the client to see if the demands can be met or to see if they are any problems with some of the demands which the client has asked for. For example some of the demands which the client might have asked for could be specific house styles which have to be asked for or for the product to be completed by a specific timescale for example. This is why knowing the demands first is very important when reading through the brief and this will also give you a basic outline of what the finished product could look like.
When reading through a specific brief it is very important to find out the demands of the client and what is included in the brief. It is very important to know the demands of the client and this is because they are the main focus of the project and without knowing the demands of the client then the product could be made wrong and as a result the client would not be happy as a result of the demands not being met. When I am reading through the brief I will want to know straight away what the demands of the client are when designing and thinking about a specific product. This will give me a chance to speak to the client to see if the demands can be met or to see if they are any problems with some of the demands which the client has asked for. For example some of the demands which the client might have asked for could be specific house styles which have to be asked for or for the product to be completed by a specific timescale for example. This is why knowing the demands first is very important when reading through the brief and this will also give you a basic outline of what the finished product could look like.
How to read my chosen brief
It is very important to read the brief correctly as this way, production companies can understand exactly what is required of the client. If it is unclear, not properly read or misunderstood by the company, then the project may not look as good or may be done incorrectly. My chosen brief is the tender brief. This is because I like how my client would state what type of require they require which means, They say and I decide how to conduct it and send a response to them. I will need to make sure to correctly read and analyse by:
- Better understanding of what is important to the tendering company
- Develops good understanding of key information
- Generates insights useful in compiling response
- Reveals how much work is involved in completing response
- Helps you decide whether you need a professional tender writer
- Helps in setting work schedule to get response completed to deadline
- Identifies evidence to be gathered or developed
- Identifies any missing documents
- Makes sure pricing is looked at early
- Identifies any contract issues
- Identifies issues where questions may need to be asked
Negotiating the brief
This is the part where a meeting between the client and production company comes into place. This way, the production company has the ability to understand exactly what the client would want to see. To add onto this, the client is able to be both informed and understand more about the practical side of the project. This can range as far as seeing if there is anything that can not be physically made due to it being impossible to film or restrictions. It is also important when negotiating the brief to include the product, budget, terms and considerations, fees and deadlines for example, so everything is in order. It is just crucial to keep in touch with your employee throughout the brief. Before the product is also finished, there is also a meeting where both companies could access the nearly finished project.
Opportunities
Self-development
According to the jobs.ac, continuing personal development “Refers to the process of tracking and documenting the skills, knowledge and experience that you gain both formally and informally as you work, beyond any initial training.”
This may be a requirement of membership which comes forma professional body. This may assist you in the way you reflect, review and document your learning. This is very useful as it updates your professional skills and knowledge as well as:
According to the jobs.ac, continuing personal development “Refers to the process of tracking and documenting the skills, knowledge and experience that you gain both formally and informally as you work, beyond any initial training.”
This may be a requirement of membership which comes forma professional body. This may assist you in the way you reflect, review and document your learning. This is very useful as it updates your professional skills and knowledge as well as:
- providing an overview of your professional development to date
- reminding you of your achievements and how far you've progressed
- directing your career and helps you keep your eye on your goals
- uncovering gaps in your skills and capabilities
- opening up further development needs
- providing examples and scenarios for a CV or interview
- demonstrating your professional standing to clients and employers
- helping you with your career development or a possible career change.
Learning new skills
When you are a new employee to the company, they may want you to undertake training on the job to either learn or develop/improve skills they require. This is because they may want new employees to follow the set existing resources to the best of their ability such as a new software on a computer. The benefit of this would be that not only does it take less time for you to figure it out, but there wont be as much questions as they are already learning to cope with their new working environment after such training. Another type of skill set you may want to learn is the art of self-training. Self training is when the individual employee takes control of the training they take part of by developing their own personal learning and development skills. They do this by choosing what they would like to study when and where.
When you are a new employee to the company, they may want you to undertake training on the job to either learn or develop/improve skills they require. This is because they may want new employees to follow the set existing resources to the best of their ability such as a new software on a computer. The benefit of this would be that not only does it take less time for you to figure it out, but there wont be as much questions as they are already learning to cope with their new working environment after such training. Another type of skill set you may want to learn is the art of self-training. Self training is when the individual employee takes control of the training they take part of by developing their own personal learning and development skills. They do this by choosing what they would like to study when and where.
Multi-skilling
According to Businessdictionary.com, this is “The training of a single employee in multiple skill-sets. Another definition regards labor unions and their structure, which promotes workers who have a range of skills or knowledge for working on several different projects, which may or may not be a part of the worker's technical job description. This increases productivity and cuts the bottom line for a company, which does not have to hire additional personnel to do other jobs.”
According to Businessdictionary.com, this is “The training of a single employee in multiple skill-sets. Another definition regards labor unions and their structure, which promotes workers who have a range of skills or knowledge for working on several different projects, which may or may not be a part of the worker's technical job description. This increases productivity and cuts the bottom line for a company, which does not have to hire additional personnel to do other jobs.”
Contributing to a brief
This is when the production company is hired by the client who adds their own views or opinions to the brief. Usually, it tends to be an positive thing to the production company is they are specialised and have professional knowledge about that specific area of expertise. Since both companies may have some form of different views and opinions, a compromise would be created. The compromise would be a mutual understanding about what is required. It would allow both the production company and client to come to a final agreement over the requirements and guidelines of the project.
This is when the production company is hired by the client who adds their own views or opinions to the brief. Usually, it tends to be an positive thing to the production company is they are specialised and have professional knowledge about that specific area of expertise. Since both companies may have some form of different views and opinions, a compromise would be created. The compromise would be a mutual understanding about what is required. It would allow both the production company and client to come to a final agreement over the requirements and guidelines of the project.
Legal, ethical + regulatory constraints
According to wikipedia, “The Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) is the sister organisation of, and is administered by, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). It is the body that created and maintains the UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising, Sales Promotion and Direct Marketing which regulates non-broadcast marketing communications.”
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Links used:
https://www.slideshare.net/Creaper/structure-of-a-brief
https://www.slideshare.net/veggieburgers4lyf/different-types-of-brief-16919081
https://www.slideshare.net/chamahan/working-to-a-brief-16916973
https://www.profwordservices.com.au/tenders-101-how-to-read-tender-documentation/
http://creativemediaatjt.blogspot.com/2013/03/codes-of-practice.html
https://www.asa.org.uk/codes-and-rulings/advertising-codes/non-broadcast-code.html
https://www.slideshare.net/veggieburgers4lyf/different-types-of-brief-16919081
https://www.slideshare.net/chamahan/working-to-a-brief-16916973
https://www.profwordservices.com.au/tenders-101-how-to-read-tender-documentation/
http://creativemediaatjt.blogspot.com/2013/03/codes-of-practice.html
https://www.asa.org.uk/codes-and-rulings/advertising-codes/non-broadcast-code.html