2. Contractual Brief
Definition
The definition of a contractual belief is, that it is a type of contract or brief where a media
based company is employed by a client in order to complete a project within a brief, which is set to
very specific guidelines which the media based company must follow in order to finish the project.
It is extremely important for the company to follow these instructions and do exactly what the
client asks them to do within the brief, if they fail to do so this could result in a breech of contract
and the company would probably face legal actions.
Advantages
One advantage of having a contractual brief, is that, it is good for the media based
company involved in the project, as they will know exactly what the project is and what exactly this
entails as the brief will be highly detailed and go into what the client specifically needs, and they’re
not to be negotiated.
Disadvantages
One of the disadvantages of this type of this contract would be that, if the media company
think there may be issues with the plan and they produce the product to their own liking this would
not be considered as producing the product to the standards set by the client and then the client
could take further action by suing the company, and even possibly give them a bad reputation
within the media business, leaving them with no clients.
3. Formal Brief
Definition
A formal brief is where a media company will be given a brief by their client which
outlines the product which they are wanting to be manufactured. This particular brief is very
open and gives enough information only to produce the product, any issues or information
that the media company would like to go over can be talked about during the negotiations
with the client. Both the client and the company employed by them will formally agree on
the project and the final brief but it can’t always be legally binding.
Advantages
The advantage of having this type of brief means that the client is pen to any ideas
or ideas or issues if there are any that could be brought up by the media company that has
been employed, this makes the work very creative for the media company and there is
room for negotiation.
Disadvantages
The disadvantage of this particular contract is that the media company could
possibly feel that their client has not given them enough detail in the brief for them to
complete the product to the clients desired standard. It is also a disadvantage that the brief
is not always legally binding, this could raise problems within the project with things such
as, financial issues or a breech of contract.
4. Informal Brief
Definition
The definition of an informal brief is that, it is usually a brief of the verbal kind, rather
than it being documented. An informal brief is where the client and the media company the
client has employed quite simply discuss the requirements for the desired product they will
be manufacturing and come up with an agreement considering the project.
Advantages
The advantage of this type of contract is that there is more verbal communication
between the client and media company the client is employing, as apposed to everything
being written down, which could mean that the media company will understand fully exactly
what the client is is asking them to do and they should be able to complete the project to
the clients standards with ease.
Disadvantages
The disadvantage of this is that there is no written content to prove the employment
of the company. The fact that there is no written documentation or contract to prove the
employment of the company could mean that at the end of the project the client could
easily fail to pay their employees. Also this could mean that certain things like deadlines
are not completely clear and this can cause confusion for both parties.
5. Co-Operative Brief
Definition
With this type of brief there are usually two or more companies that are hired by the
client to work to their specific brief they have written for their project that they’re wanting to
be completed. Once both of the companies have received and read the brief they can then
proceed to work with each other on the project. If there is confrontation or a disagreement
about the project they can negotiate with the brief in order to resolve any of the issues.
Advantages
Using this type of brief means that there could be more perspectives to creating the
product needed by the client and therefore means that the brief can be better understood
than if there were only one company working one the project.
Disadvantages
It is more than likely with this brief that there could be disagreements with both
companies than there would with any other brief. The companies are most likely to have
disagreements about each other’s different ideas.
6. Negotiated Brief
Definition
A negotiated brief will usually only be brought up if the co-operative, that is given to
two or more media based companies that would be completing the project, have issues
with each others different ideas for the project or if there is anything they would like to clear
up with the client. Through the negotiations the brief can be altered in order to suite every
group taking part in the project. These alterations could be anything from changing the
appearance of the product, to changing the products content as well as keeping it to the
guidelines set in the brief.
Advantages
The advantages with this brief are that certain points can be negotiated between the
media companies, meaning that the project is more open to suggestions from different
points of view, which could possibly make an overall more successful product.
Disadvantages
The disadvantages are that negotiating the brief can often lead to time wasting and
unnecessary issues are brought up that the client believes do not need to be tackled and
this can set back the production time of the product.
7. Commission Brief
Definition
A commission brief is when a somewhat large media group will employ another
independent media group to create and produce the product for them, and once the
product has been produced the larger company may proceed to use the product for an
external client who pays the independent group for manufacturing the product and often
the independent group may get a cut of the royalties too. The brief is not negotiated
between the company and the client, however, it can be negotiated between the two media
groups.
Advantages
The advantage of having this type of brief is that the larger company 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 to
the making of the product.
Disadvantages
The disadvantage of this type of brief is that is could mean that, because there are
two different media groups working together on the same project, there could be some
disagreements, but because the brief is not negotiated with the client, the product that has
been made may not be up to the clients standards.
8. Tender Brief
Definition
A tender brief is where a client will promote their brief and a media group
will put together a proposal that they will pitch to the client, there could be a
series of pitches to the client from different companies, so the client will then get
the chance to choose the proposal that they assume best suits their brief and
offer the to that production company.
Advantages
The advantage of this brief is that the client will be able to look at a
selection of different ideas for their product from different media groups points of
views, and in effect will be able to produce their product to a professional
standard if one of the pitched ideas stands out above the rest.
Disadvantages
The disadvantage of this brief is that if a certain group’s pitched idea is
turned down by the client, it can set their business back, as in this day and age
it is getting increasingly harder to find work. The company may have been very
optimistic about this project, thinking that the client would have approved their
proposal and could have gone as far to decline any work that they were offered
in that time they would have been working on the project.
9. Competition Brief
Definition
A competition brief is where the client can put their brief out so it can be
accessed by a range of different media groups that would be participating. This
brief can also be seen as a free competition as each media group will complete
the brief and the client can then judge which media group has produced the best
quality product and as an award they will then have it published.
Advantages
The advantage of a competition brief is that the client only has to pay the
one winning media group, but sometimes will not have to pay them at all. Also
the point that they have multiple companies producing a product means they
have a large choice of products and can choose the one that they believe to be
the most successful.
Disadvantages
A disadvantage of this brief is the same as that of the tender brief; the
companies that are turned down by the client may become disheartened as they
have missed out of potential work and money.
10. My Brief
Which structure/structures will the Vegetarian Recipe Cards brief use?
Reference your reasons for choice/choices
I would choose a tender brief in order to complete my project, as I think it is
the best structure I could use, because of the advantages of the brief
significantly outweigh the disadvantages. Using a tender brief in my project
will mean that I will advertise the fact that I am needing a media product to
be made, if quite a few production companies show their interest in
producing my product, meaning that I would have several different ideas as
to how I will go about producing my product. I will also have the advantage
of being able to choose which brief will suit my product the best. Once I
have chosen which media company I would like to complete the job I can
then go about negotiating the contract, then go on to production.
11. Reading the Brief
Why is important to thoroughly read your brief?
When reading a brief, it is vital that you thoroughly read through it. You must
ensure that you have fully understood what you have been asked to do
within the brief, because if you do not meet the briefs instructions, and to a
specific standard set by the client, they may decide not to pay you for your
work as you have not followed their instructions, and they could also tell
other potential clients not to use you.
12. Reading the Brief
What is the nature and demand of the Vegetarian Recipe Cards brief?
The nature of this brief is to create attractive designs for a new set of vegetarian
recipe cards, these recipe cards will include, a method, a list of ingredients needed to
make the product and an image of the product. I have been asked to produce eight
recipe cards in total and for them to be recognised as a set, they could all contain one
similar ingredient or have a specific theme, such as, Chinese. The client has insisted
that there must be a design on the front and the back of the recipe card. The
instructions that have been given within this brief are such things as using 100%
recycled paper and vegetable based inks when producing the product. The client
usually uses 350gsm paper stock so I will be sure to provide them with this as it
keeps in theme with their previous products. The client has also asked that they
usually print 3,500 of each product, so I shall do the same.
13. Negotiating a Brief
Why is it important to discuss the brief with your client prior to production?
When meeting with the client you will be able to discuss and go through the brief with
them, this is the perfect opportunity for you to be able to raise any concerns about the
project and also offer alternative ideas that you could add to the project. Once this is
done, you can then begin to ‘green light’ any ideas that you believe will improve the
product further with your client, your client may take your ideas into consideration or
they may refuse them if they are not appropriate to the brief. If you complete a project
with any ideas that you have come up with but have not negotiated with the client you
may not get paid for your work if you have not spoken to them first and if you have
not worked to the guidelines within the brief that your client has provided.
14. Negotiating a Brief
What are the advantages and disadvantages of employing discretion with a brief?
An advantage in employing discretion within the brief is that makes it possible for the
employer to carry on with the project, completing it in the most efficient way, without
any interruptions from the client, who could possibly need a few drafts of the work to
be sent to them. It is clear that using discretion in work, it will make it possible for you
to complete the work to your best ability, without being pressurised by the client.
A disadvantage of using discretion is that the client will know little about about the
progress of their project, which could leave the client feeling uneasy, who would quite
obviously prefer to know what is going on, and whether the person that they have
employed is making any errors. Also, the lack of communication between the client
and the employer.
15. Negotiating a Brief
Are there any potential legal/ethical/regulatory issues with the brief’s proposed product?
There are no legal implications within this brief, although there are some issues with
keeping within the ecological theme of the product when it comes to laminating the
product. Because the recipe cards will be used in the kitchen by the customers, it
would be ideal for the cards to be able to wipe clean, the initial response to dealing
with this problem would be to have the product laminated, however this would then
make the product non biodegradable and therefore may make the product less
desirable to the target audience and could possibly be seen as hypocritical of the
business as they will have put a lot of effort into making the out 100% recycled
materials. This is an issue that we will have to think about when designing the
product.
16. Negotiating a Brief
Amendments you have considered to;
The Product
Once you have read the brief it will be important to be completely aware that there
may be some things that will need to be changed within the brief. Things such as
overly ambitious deadlines, time scales and scopes with need to be taken into
consideration.
The Budget
If there isn’t enough finance supplied in the order to complete the product and
amendment to the budget may need to be taken into consideration. If this is the
case, either the budget of the project will need to be increased or the scope will need
to be decreased.
The Conditions
If the project was to run overtime you may need to discuss with the client the
prospect of your pay being increased, this may be difficult to do after the contract is
signed , so it is best to make sure to negotiate this consideration with your client
before the project starts.
17. Opportunities
What opportunities could this brief allow you to explore?
Self Development
The brief will allow me to explore what tasks I am particularly skilled at and there could be certain
aspects that will mean that I will need to learn new skills in order to complete the production of my
product which will add to my self development.
Learning new skills
Within the brief there could be opportunities to learn new skills, such as, designing the recipe
cards, which will allow me to use new equipment and strategies in order to complete the brief to
the best of my ability, therefore, learning a new skill.
Multi-skilling
Because I will not be able to use a large production team to help me produce my product, this will
mean that I will have to complete all of the production myself. This will mean I will have to multi-
skill, for example, I will have to keep up to date with all my work, to ensure I meet the deadline.
Contributing to a brief
Once I had read through the brief I may decide to create brainstorms and mood boards to help
myself to generate ideas that could potentially add to the product so long as it sticks within the
brief instructed by the client.
