Types of briefs

A brief can come under different types of classifications/types. For example;

A contractual brief. This is a type of brief or a contract where a company is employed by a client to complete a project within the specifics of a given brief, which the company must follow.  If the company fails to follow the guidelines of the brief then that could be counted as breaching the contract and can face possible legal action.

The advantages of this type of brief is that having a contractual brief is good as the company involved will know exactly what the project is and what they’re being asked to do in detail.

The disadvantages of this type of brief is that if the company produces the product to their own standards however this would not be to the standards set by the client and so they could choose to take legal action which could lead to the company gaining a bad reputation for not completely projects set to a brief.

A cooperative brief. This is a brief that will be used in a situation where if the brief given to two or more companies and they have any issues with the brief, negotiates can be made in order to suite the needs of all parties involved. This can be changing the appearance of the product while remaining within the guidelines set in the brief.

The advantages of this type of brief are that the fact that certain things can be negotiated and means that the project is open to multiple suggestions which may in the end improve the project overall.

The disadvantages of this type of brief could be that negotiating can sometimes waste time and can delay the production time. 

A formal brief. This type of brief is where a media company is given a brief, which outlines the product they want to be made. This type of brief is very open and only gives the minimal information to be able to produce the product. Any issues or concerns can be discussed during negotiations with the client. Both the client and the company must formally agree on the project and brief but these are not always legally binding in tis situation.

The advantages of this type of brief are that the parameters of the brief mean that the client is open to any ideas or issues that may be raised by the company that has been employed. This makes the work open to creativity and negotiations.

The disadvantages of this type of brief are that the employed company may feel that the client hasn’t offered them enough information in order to complete the project. Also the fact that the brief is not always legally binding can bring up issues with things such as financial issues or a breech of contracts.

Informal brief. An informal brief is a brief that is not actually documented and is usually a verbal brief. The requirements of the brief are discussed by the client and the company and is ultimately agreed upon.

The advantages to this type of brief are that there is more verbal communication between the client and company and so the company has a better understanding of what the client wants from them in regards to the product.

The disadvantages of this time of brief are that the fact that there is no written documentation or contract to prove the employment of the company and this could mean that the client could easily not pay the employees and could also mean that deadlines are not clear and can cause confusion for both parties.