WHAT IS A BRIEF?
A brief is a problem that needs answering. An issue that needs a creative solution.
Briefs are set by professionals, often people who do not work within the creative industry but require creative expertise. Briefs are set by companies and clients, but often written by individuals in the marketing sector, whose job it is to distribute the brief.
WHY DO WE NEED THEM?
We need briefs to establish what the problem is. Clients require briefs to set the task and outline the job they need doing. Creatives require briefs so that they know what is expected of them.
Briefs are sometimes used as a contract, a hard copy of the agreement between the client and creative for the specific task.
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(Tove reading a brief)
- To what extent the briefs will allow you to meet your criteria for success within the module.
Entering competitions would meet my ambition to submit my work to real-life clients and answer a live brief, so completing any of the briefs would meet this criteria.
Striving for success can be damaging and especially dangerous with my ongoing anxiety disorder, but I do like to have a goal to work towards. I prefer the idea of a criteria for doing well, rather than succeeding, because the concept of success suggests that not meeting it is failing.
My definition of success/doing well for Responsive is about conducting myself professionally and making a name for myself in the creative industry: the degree to which I meet this criteria depends on how well I do in competing (e.g. winning a competition would mean I have succeeded in getting noticed and recognised for my work), but ultimately by engaging in the briefs and tackling the challenges set, I will be aiming towards this idea of 'success' and I should be doing well.
I intend to make exciting work in response to live briefs. I want my solutions to be creative and innovative, to stand out from other entries and to be remembered. I think I need to pick briefs that inspire me in order to spark these outcomes. In this regard, the briefs for WRAP and FEDRIGONI are more exciting to me than MSC because I am more passionate about their brands/subjects. I would achieve more in terms of making exciting work by choosing a brief that I find exciting, so WRAP or FEDRIGONI would allow me to meet this criteria for success.
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(Henson networking)
- To what extent the briefs will benefit you with regards to the value of entering competition briefs.
It's important to consider whether the time and effort I will be investing in participating will be worthwhile. Will my practice be extended through this process? Will my portfolio be enriched by this brief? What would I get if I won?
Entering any competition would give me experience and some degree of networking, since I would be responding a brief set by individuals and the entries are judged by experts.
All of these briefs are published and awarded by YCN, a renowned establishment whose name would be great to have on my CV.
The prize for winning a YCN brief is:
'winning entrants are published and awarded at a splendid Ceremony each year. All winning work is showcased in the pages of the YCN Student Annual. 15,000 copies of the Annual are distributed across education, and across the creative industries internationally.'
Winning a YCN brief would considerably increase the degree of exposure and networking I might achieve.
Winning a YCN brief would considerably increase the degree of exposure and networking I might achieve.
Associating my name with the clients and brands: WRAP and FEDRIGONI are both companies that I admire, so it would be brilliant to work for them as clients. Winning a competition with FEDRIGONI or WRAP may lead to further work with them or with other companies who see it.
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/39627000/jpg/_39627149_bagpuss_300.jpg
(Bagpuss winning)
- Identify any technical or skills challenges that may need addressing.
Don't get involved with things you don't know about/have the skills to conduct. We are often encouraged to break out of our comfort zones on this course and create work that isn't familiar territory to us, but it is always a risk to embark on a brief that requires work beyond your own skillset. I do want to challenge myself because it pushes me to make something different and be surprised by my outcomes, but I will be aware of not biting off more than I can chew.
These briefs are open to professionals and students across different specialisms, each with their own strengths, so I think that playing to my own strengths is vital in submitting my best work.
These briefs are open to professionals and students across different specialisms, each with their own strengths, so I think that playing to my own strengths is vital in submitting my best work.
MSC's brief asks for a resolved video/moving image - COLLABORATING may be the best solution for this brief, since I will require external knowledge beyond my current skills. We have been advised to collaborate in this module, so there is definite potential to work with animation students for this brief, who would be able to provide technical expertise.
http://www.chrisbeetles.com/sites/default/files/stock-images/IN-THE-VINEYARD-1-k3968.jpg
(Wain's Cats Collaborating)
I have chosen to explore the Fedrigoni Brief further: http://www.ycn.org/awards/ycn-student-awards/2015-16-ycn-student-awards/briefs/fedrigoni
This is the brief that excites me most, due to its subject (papers, being a product I purchase and sell in my retail job, so I already have existing knowledge on the subject) and because the 'Imaginative Paper Shop' itself sounds like somewhere I would like to visit/work. I believe in the product and want to learn more about it. I feel the most inspired by this brief, so I think it has the most potential to produce exciting outcomes.
- What problem(s) are identified by the brief?
Meeting their customers' demands, Fedrigoni have decided to open a new retail outlet in which to sell their papers in single sheets, rather than bulk supplies like that of their bigger warehouse. They are launching a new shop in the London Graphic Centre.
- What is the brief asking you to do about it/them?
The Fedrigoni brief asks for competition entries to promote the shop. They are looking for submissions that promote the new retail unit (advertising/marketing).
The brief also asks that the entries involve using paper 'Think about how you can use graphic design and paper to introduce customers to our new retail space.', tying in their product and identity through this media choice.
The brief also asks that the entries involve using paper 'Think about how you can use graphic design and paper to introduce customers to our new retail space.', tying in their product and identity through this media choice.
- What is the brief trying to achieve?
Fedrigoni ultimately want to promote their new shop and are attempting to do so by asking the submissions to 'put paper to great use to engage with people'. They are trying to achieve an advertisement that engages/inspires customers using paper.
- Who will benefit?
Fedrigoni would benefit from this brief, hopefully gaining more customers, more clients and more profit. In the grand scheme of things, it will the be owner of the company who gets more money in their pocket, but if the promotion is a success and their is an influx in trade, this will also bring money to the paper/arts industry, to the London Graphic Centre and to the London economy. Fedrigoni are benefiting just by having their brief on the YCN website; accessing lots of young artists and getting their brand recognised by potential customers.
- What is the message?
The brief suggests that the message is to encourage people to go and visit their store/buy their products - we have a new store, go and have a look/buy our paper. Looking at the Fedrigoni website for further information on what the brand/product stands for, Fedrigoni Paper is affordable luxury. Fedrigoni sell fancy, professional products but their main selling point is that they are worth the money, that their products are great quality.
I also discovered that Fedrigoni support the environment and endeavour to balance the amount of carbon they use in producing paper by giving back to the land (planting trees). This is not stated on the brief as something they want to be communicated, but I do think that it's something that would encourage lots of modern consumers (especially art students/artists) with pscyhographic traits in environmentalism/conservation.
I also discovered that Fedrigoni support the environment and endeavour to balance the amount of carbon they use in producing paper by giving back to the land (planting trees). This is not stated on the brief as something they want to be communicated, but I do think that it's something that would encourage lots of modern consumers (especially art students/artists) with pscyhographic traits in environmentalism/conservation.
- Who is the audience?
- How will the message be delivered?
prints, booklets, direct mailers'. They do ask, though that the outcome uses paper and uses it creatively. They don't want just a leaflet! My passion for 3-Dimensional work would pull me to develop paper sculptures, possibly paper dolls - this could also be an engaging and exciting element to my outcome as the promotional material could also be interacted with. The posters/mailers that contains details about the new shop could double up as a toy/game, but I would need to make this appealing to my professional, adult audience.
- Can you foresee any problems in responding to the brief?
Using papers other than theirs - Fedrigoni supply samples of their papers for use in the submissions, but if I ran out I would have to use alternative stock - they have stated that it is acceptable to use other papers in the submission but I would be wary of this being false advertising!
Materials/expenses - if I did have to purchase extra materials, it may end up costing me more than the brief is worth.
I don't know much about photography - potential to collaborate with Photography students.
I don't know much about design/typeface - potential to collaborate with Graphic Design students.
By submitting my work, I run the risk of my work being copied/stolen. Once it is on the internet, uncopyrighted, it could be taken and used by anyone. I need to keep hold of/provide evidence that it belongs to me.
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I really love these winning posters! I was searching the internet to see if I could find any of the winners and there are some very clever paper-cut works, but this series in particular made me smile. It looks REAL, it's not trying to look like a drawing or a photograph but PAPER. The artist has achieved a luxurious feel through the connotations of the foods they've chosen, but also through the use of graphic design: black backgrounds suggest sophistication and the composition of the 'foods' is neatly arranged, gourmet paper!
It is successful because it is engaging, it makes you look twice, a double-take. It shows off the products because it uses the Fedrigoni papers and it is creative because it is well-crafted and an unusual approach to selling/promoting paper.
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