Working to a brief
These are extracts from briefs set as part of a student competition. Your task is to read and analyse them. Ask yourself:
• What are you being asked to do?
• How will the client will judge a successful outcome to the brief?
• What are the keywords?
In addition log any other questions you would want to ask the client.
Brief 1: Create packaging for Quaker’s new ‘Chilled Creamy Oats’ product for young women looking for a truly delicious healthy snack. The target audience is young women juggling many jobs and priorities everyday. They like to eat well but also love treats and hate feeling hungry. They like the idea of oats for their natural goodness but find the idea of eating them bland and unappealing.
Brief 2: Most of us have experienced a long rail journey – we witness the dramatic contrasts of the changing landscape, the inter-connections at various points along the way; various people embark and disembark; the dynamic is ever- changing… finally we reach our destination. This brief challenges you to take a metaphorical journey on the theme of connections. Explore the theme as broadly as possible and take us on a journey that might link, amongst other things – people, events, philosophies, theories, objects, movements, inventions, history, literature, etc. Your journey is only limited by your own imagination and the quality of your research – surprise us with the juxtaposition of your selected themes but be sure to communicate to the viewer the ‘connectedness’ of the thinking within your design. Define your market, and how you will target it.
Brief 3: To raise awareness of the risks of underage drinking and contribute towards a cultural change in society’s attitude towards alcohol. The purpose of the Department for Children, Schools and Families is to make this the best place in the world for children and young people to grow up… to make children and young people happy and healthy and help them stay on track. With a core proposition of ‘Alcohol leaves you (or your children) vulnerable’, the campaign will urge parents to talk to their children before they consider drinking, to help avoid vulnerable situations. The messages to young people will get them to think about the effects of drinking. Creative ideas should use the campaign identity ‘Why let drink decide?’ to extend the campaign’s reach and specifically target young people aged between 13 and 16. We are open to ideas about the media or format you think is most appropriate to reach the target audience.
Having analysed the briefs which one do you think you would most like to tackle? Is it the one with the most restrictions or the one that is most open to interpretation? What do you think your chosen brief would offer you? In what way do you think it would stretch your skills and abilities?
Brief 1
What?: Create packaging for a new snack
How?: It’s appeal to the target audience
Keywords: Chilled; Creamy; Young Women; Delicious; Healthy; Juggling priorities; Treat; Hate feeling hungry; Natural Goodness; Bland and unappealing.
Other questions: What company branding needs to be included?; POS?; Materials to be used for packaging; Colour palette?; Sizes and dimensions; What nutritional info needs to be displayed?
Brief 2
What?: Communicate a journey to a defined audience. The journey doesn’t have to be a physical journey, it may be theoretical.
How?: It will be judged by the varied and diverse subjects covered and explored during the ‘journey’ and how they relate to their defined audience.
Keywords: Journey; Landscape; Witness; Dramatic; Connections; Ever-changing; Destination; People; Events; Philosophy; Theories; Objects; Movements; Inventions; History; Literature; Contrasts; Imagination; Quality; Connectedness.
Other questions: Where/What is the start/endpoint?; What is the conclusion?
Brief 3
What?: Create a campaign aimed at parents and 13 to 16 year olds highlighting how vulnerable alcohol makes you. It will also urge parents to talk to their children about the dangers of drinking.
How?: It will be judged on how effectively it reaches its target audience and whether it changes attitudes towards alcohol. The use of relevant media will also determine its success.
Keywords: Underage drinking; Society’s attitude; Happy; Healthy; Stay on track; Vulnerable; Effects of drinking; ‘Why let drink decide?’.
Other questions: What social media platforms?; Where will it be used(Schools etc.)?; Equality and diversity; Any particular imagery?; Colour palette?; DCSF logo on there?
Having looked at all 3 briefs, I think that I would choose either Brief 1 or Brief 3 as these both have a defined end product.
Brief 1 would give me the opportunity produce a product design that would be recognised everywhere and also give the opportunity to work with a multi-national company. Working with a multi-national company could also face some challenges regarding restrictions imposed by the client and their current marketing strategy, colour palettes, type etc..
Brief 3 would be interesting in that it would offer the challenge of bridging the gap between parents and children and finding a solution that appeals to both age groups. It would also have quite strict guidelines if this is a government agency and would have to appeal to various social and ethical groups, so equality and diversity would play a large part in the campaign.
Brief 2 doesn’t appeal to me at all. It is too vague and undefined for my liking. It doesn’t have an end product that needs producing and I feel that I would be totally lost and out of my depth with this one.
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