Sunday, 12 November 2017

Professional Design Practice : The Brief - Part 1

A Creative Brief 


The Brief 

All design jobs usually start with a briefing from the client normally in written form as this is the preferred option, though can also be done verbally. Without a brief there is no project. 


Quality 

As mentioned above there are different forms a briefing can take from verbally to a detailed written document. Although how a client chooses to communicate may also vary including telephone calls or emails it is unlikely all contact will be face to face. Although a written brief adds clarity giving designers a document to refer to if unsure of client intentions. Quality is also important a good example of this is in the form of a detailed structured rationale document which meets client expectations and can be supported by feedback from client meetings. A better briefing the more intuitive a designers understanding will be and the greater the chance of delivering a design solution loved by the client. 

A Good Brief 

A good brief includes the client being as helpful as possible to provide the designer with all the information he or she may need before even starting the project. This can include business history and values, objectives, the tone of voice and visual language they want to project and informal likes and dislikes from the client. A brief that outlines exactly what the client wants or doesn't gives any designer a positive and a great start to a project.


Tips 

- If your client is reluctant to provide a written brief, as a designer you can offer to yourself and supply it to the client. If this idea does not seem good to the client that is a warning sign.
- Examine the brief until you know it inside and out 
- If unsure of anything, ask the client 
- Develop a sense of recognising a bad brief

Receiving the brief 

The first responsibility of the designer is understanding the brief as it is important to fully understand your client aims, objectives, needs and desires. If a designer is unsure it is important to ask the client for further clarification. Take what you know about a project but also try to read between the lines. To summarise understand the brief to the best and highest ability of your standards. 

Re-briefing 

After the briefing document an initial conversation will take place to discuss and commission will be offered. Face to face this conversation can enable you to take note of your client thoughts share any concerns and gauge client intentions. Re-briefing allows a designer to go over any corrections and seek further clarification. This process is valuable enabling time for discussion and the designer to present the basic idea of the concept to the client before time and money are even invested into implementation.

Summary 

It is essential to understand the brief, this holds key information enabling your creative response to succeed.  

(Blog : The Graphic Design School : www.thegraphicdesignschool.com)

THE GRAPHIC DESIGN SCHOOL'S BLOG


In-text: (Thegraphicdesignschool.com, 2017)
Bibliography: Thegraphicdesignschool.com. (2017). The Graphic Design School's Blog. [online] 
Available at: https://www.thegraphicdesignschool.com/blog

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