Working to a brief (pp34-35)
These are extracts from briefs set as part of a student competition. Read and analyse each brief.
Ask yourself:
- What are you being asked to do?
- How will the client judge a successful outcome to the brief?
- What are the keywords?
Log any other questions you would wish to ask the client.
Brief 1
The brief is to design product packaging to appeal to a particular market segment.
The client will judge success by sales of ‘Chilled Creamy Oats’ to young women.
The keywords/phrases I identified are:
- Packaging
- Product name
- Young women
- Truly delicious snack
- Juggling jobs & priorities
- Love treats
- Hate feeling hungry
- Natural goodness
- Bland and unappealing
In terms of additional information I would like to know if the client has sold to this target market before, what their other packaging was like (did they want something to match or very different from previous packaging), if they had views on size and shape, what compliance information was needed if any (nutritional information etc.), logo and company information, and what lifestyle data they have for the demographic they are targeting.
Brief 2
Design a metaphorical journey on the theme of connectedness. Define the market and how it will be targeted.
The client will judge success on an imaginative and surprising response to the brief and it’s clarity in communicating ‘connectedness’ to the viewer.
Keywords/phrases:
- Long rail journey
- Dramatic contrasts
- Changing landscape
- Interconnections
- Embark & disembark
- Dynamic is ever changing
- Metaphorical journey
- Theme of connections
- Take us on a journey (list of connections)
- Imagination
- Quality of research
- Connectedness
Other information I would like would be what the client has done before in this area, whether the design is part of a series, the brand identity of the client, existing colour palettes and media. I would probably want to test whether the brief is really as open as it seems.
Brief 3
Awareness raising and attitude change towards the risks of underage drinking.
Success would be based on young people’s awareness of the effects of drinking and making safe choices about drink.
Keywords/phrases:
- Awareness
- Risks
- Underage drinking
- Cultural change
- Attitude towards alcohol
- Best place to grow up
- Children and young people happy & healthy
- Core proposition
- Parents to talk to their children
- Avoid
- Vulnerable situations
- Think
- Effects of drinking
- Creative
- Ideas
- Why let drink decide?
- Aged 13 – 16
I would ask the client what other awareness raising campaigns they have run, how connected they are with the target audiences (parents & young people), what mandatory information is needed (logo etc.), data they have on children/young people and alcohol, colour palette, and the range of media they already use.
In terms of the brief I would be most likely to tackle it would probably be the ‘connectedness’ brief. I like how open it is and can already picture in my mind the sort of approach I might take. I think I would be least likely to attempt the packaging probably because it feels furthest from my experience, but also because I imagine it is the one with the most constraints.
I think the connectedness brief would give more scope for experimentation, playfulness and new ideas. I think it would stretch me because I would have to determine my own parameters and it could take me into a variety of formats. It would also require some creative research, which is very appealing and has the potential for me learn something new in undertaking the brief.
