1. Working to a Brief
LO1
Nicola & Courtney

2. Contractual Brief
Definition
A company, such as a media company signs an agreement to complete a specific task
given to them and completes it within a certain time and for a certain fee.
Advantages
You can almost guarantee that it will be done for when you need it.
Disadvantages
If the company do not manage to do as the agreement says, they could be found in
breach and could face legal action. This is why it is important to read what you are
agreeing to do.

3. Formal Brief
Definition
A client provides a company with a brief that simply indicates what they would like the
company to do.
Advantages
The brief only contains the information that the company need.
Disadvantages
Formal briefs are not always legally binding. If there are any additional information or
changes, there will need to be negotiations.

4. Informal Brief
Definition
An informal brief is most likely a verbal agreement. No contract or written document is
needed.
Advantages
As there is no guideline to follow, this allows people to be more creative and create
what they like. It will also be a lot more stress free.
Disadvantages
This can be risky as there is no document stating anyone agreed to do anything, the
the outcome could be nothing.

5. Co-Operative Brief
Definition
A Co-Operative brief is where two or more companies are hired to complete the task.
Advantages
The companies work together to do the brief, adding more creativeness to it and more
ideas. This may also take a considerably shorter time to complete rather than just
one small company doing it themselves.
Disadvantages
Disagreements can occur, a negotiated brief would have to be sent to and appeal to
both companies.

6. Negotiated Brief
Definition
When two or more media companies are both working together on a brief, they can
have conflicting ideas and when this happened they have to have a negotiating
brief.
Advantages
More ideas and creativeness can be added. Including changing the visual style or
changing the content, regarding the product still stays within the boundaries of the
legal or ethical obligation.
Disadvantages
Both companies and the client have to agree to the negotiated brief to allow them to
continue completing it

7. Commission Brief
Definition
• A Commission brief is when a large media company hires an independent media
company to work and create the product for them
Advantages
• The independent company will be paid for doing this, and could even get part of
the company's profit every time it is sold or broadcasted. For example, it if was to
write the credits for a film, every time the film is shown so are the credits, so they
will get money for he credits being broadcasted on television.
Disadvantages
• The brief has to be negotiated between two media companies rather than just one
client, this can cause different ideas and conflict between both companies.

8. Tender Brief
Definition
• A tender brief is where a client publishes that they need a brief to be made. When
it is noticed, production companies then produce a brief, proposal and budget and
it is then pitched to the client.
Advantages
• For the company needing the brief, an advantage is that if a lot of production
companies decide to make a brief for them, they have lots of option to choose
from.
Disadvantages
• The production companies disadvantage is that they could use a lot of time doing
and making it, and then not get chosen by the client.

9. Competition Brief
Definition
A competition brief is where it is open to all of the production companies, who then, if
they want, complete the brief, hoping their completed work will get chosen by the
client.
Advantages
Only the winning company get paid.
Disadvantages
You may have used up the companies money, time and not get chosen.

10. My Brief
Which structure/structures will the Vegetarian Recipe Cards brief use?
Reference your reasons for choice/choices
Our brief will be the informal brief, this is because we have only been told we have to
make vegetarian recipe cards, we have no guidelines to follow, no certain type.

11. Reading the Brief
Why is important to thoroughly read your brief?
If you don’t read the brief through properly, it is east to make mistakes or miss anything details
the client wants including. It is important to get the nature of the project, by reading the brief
thoroughly. You need to read the brief to understand the demand.

12. Reading the Brief
What is the nature and demand of the Vegetarian Recipe Cards brief?
The nature is a set of 8 cards, suitable for vegetarians and vegans. They have to have a clear
theme through out all of them with the clients logo and banner across the bottom.
The demand is if we could help them with the lamination of the cards at all.

13. Negotiating a Brief
Why is it important to discuss the brief with your client prior to production?
It’s important to discuss the brief before the complete project because if there is any detail that
wants to be added, there is time and if anyone has any questions before it needs to be
handed over, there is time to adjust anything.
You can look over what the company has produces for you, to see if they have not met the brief.
You can tell them if they need to change anything at all.
They are also important as if it doesn’t match the brief, you don’t get paid.

14. Negotiating a Brief
What are the advantages and disadvantages of employing discretion with a brief?
The advantages of this are the company has the chance to use their own ideas more wisely, and
be more lenient on what they want to put on the project, they can be more creative with
what they can do.
A disadvantage is the client may not like it and it might not properly meet the brief. It could
possibly conflict with the brief.

15. Negotiating a Brief
Are there any potential legal/ethical/regulatory issues with the brief’s proposed product?
We have regulatory rules to follow, found on the website
http://www.cap.org.uk/Advertising-Codes/Non-broadcast-HTML.aspx

16. Negotiating a Brief
Amendments you have considered to;
The Product
After reading through the ASA, we may need to change a few ideas as it might not be allowed.
The Budget
The adjustments to the budget is that we will do our own photography, to save money, as use
food that we already have in rather going and buying more.
The Conditions
As we are doing it voluntarily for the client, we haven’t changed any of the conditions.

17. Opportunities
What opportunities could this brief allow you to explore?
Self Development
Learning individually about the aspects of how media companies work
Learning new skills
Learning more graphic design skills, working as a team
Multi-skilling
Doing photography, graphic design and completing written work
Contributing to a brief
Working on a brief and working around it