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Creative iMedia · R093 TA2

R093 TA2: Client Requirements and the Brief

Section A: 10 multiple choice questions, 10 marks. Section B: 4 written questions, 18 marks. Total 28 marks.

Name

Class

Date

Mark  / 28

Section A

Circle the letter of the correct answer. One mark each.

  1. 1Which of these is an implicit requirement?1
    1. AA 14 March deadline
    2. BIncluding the charity number
    3. CThe text being free of spelling errors
    4. DSupplying the logo as an SVG
  2. 2A client invites four agencies to bid for a job. What type of brief is that?1
    1. ACommission
    2. BNegotiated
    3. CCooperative
    4. DTender
  3. 3What is the main risk of an informal brief?1
    1. AIt is legally binding
    2. BIt takes too long to write
    3. CIt cannot include a deadline
    4. DThere is no record of what was agreed
  4. 4What does sign off mean?1
    1. ASigning the contract
    2. BThe client formally approving a stage of the work
    3. CFinishing the project
    4. DSending the invoice
  5. 5A brief says the product must be under 2 MB. What kind of constraint is that?1
    1. ALegal
    2. BTechnical
    3. CHouse style
    4. DBudget
  6. 6What is scope creep?1
    1. ARequirements growing after the brief was agreed
    2. BA brief with too much detail
    3. CMissing the deadline
    4. DRunning out of budget
  7. 7Why is 'aimed at everyone' a weak audience definition?1
    1. AProducts can only have one audience
    2. BIt is too expensive to reach everyone
    3. CIt gives no basis for any design decision
    4. DIt breaks advertising rules
  8. 8Which is a deliverable rather than a requirement?1
    1. AA logo supplied as SVG, PNG and single colour versions
    2. BThe deadline is 14 March
    3. CThe audience is aged 25 to 40
    4. DThe product must look premium
  9. 9A client's existing brand has set fonts and colours that must be used. What is this called?1
    1. AScope creep
    2. BAn implicit requirement
    3. CA tender
    4. DHouse style
  10. 10When is the best time to negotiate an impossible deadline?1
    1. ABefore work starts
    2. BAfter the first draft
    3. COn the delivery date
    4. DIt should never be negotiated

Section B

Answer in the space provided. The number of marks tells you how many separate points to make.

  1. 1StateState two pieces of information that should be included in a client brief.2
  2. 2ExplainExplain the difference between an explicit requirement and an implicit requirement.4
  3. 3ExplainA local bakery has asked a designer for a set of new packaging labels. The bakery has a small budget and needs the labels in three weeks. Explain two ways these constraints will affect the designer's decisions.4
  4. 4DiscussA charity is commissioning a short video to be shown on its website and on social media. Discuss why a written client brief is important for this project, and what problems could arise without one.8

Mark scheme

Section A

1C2D3D4B5B6A7C8A9D10A

Section B

1 State two pieces of information that should be included in a client brief. 2

One mark for each of the following, to a maximum of 2.

  • One valid element of a brief
  • A second, different valid element

Model answer. The target audience, and the deadline for delivery.

2 Explain the difference between an explicit requirement and an implicit requirement. 4

One mark for each of the following, to a maximum of 4.

  • Explicit is defined as stated in the brief
  • An example of an explicit requirement
  • Implicit is defined as expected but not stated
  • An example of an implicit requirement

Model answer. An explicit requirement is one the client has stated in the brief, such as a deadline of 14 March or an instruction that the logo must work in a single colour. An implicit requirement is one the client has not written down but would still expect to be met, such as the text being correctly spelled or the website working properly on a phone. Both have to be satisfied, because a product that meets every explicit requirement but misspells the client's own name has still failed.

3 A local bakery has asked a designer for a set of new packaging labels. The bakery has a small budget and needs the labels in three weeks. Explain two ways these constraints will affect the designer's decisions. 4

One mark for each of the following, to a maximum of 4.

  • The budget constraint is identified
  • A decision that follows from the budget
  • The time constraint is identified
  • A decision that follows from the time

Model answer. The small budget means a photo shoot is not realistic, so the designer will build the labels around typography and illustration, or a single licensed stock image, which keeps the cost to one licence rather than a day's shooting. The three week deadline means fewer concepts can be explored and sign off has to come early, because printing and die cutting need time at the end; the designer will therefore present two or three developed ideas rather than six rough ones, and will confirm the print specification with the printer before any artwork is finished.

4 A charity is commissioning a short video to be shown on its website and on social media. Discuss why a written client brief is important for this project, and what problems could arise without one. 8

One mark for each of the following, to a maximum of 8.

  • The brief records the purpose and message
  • The brief defines the audience
  • The brief fixes deliverables including formats and sizes
  • Without it, assumptions are made and the wrong product is produced
  • Without it, there is no defence against scope creep
  • Without it, disputes about payment or ownership cannot be settled
  • Legal requirements specific to a charity may be missed
  • A judgement about which risk matters most and why

Model answer. A written brief matters here because the video has to do a specific job for a specific audience, and both of those have to be agreed before anything is filmed. It records the purpose and the single message the charity wants viewers to take away, which is what every editing decision will be judged against. It defines the audience, since a video aimed at existing donors is a different film from one aimed at recruiting new ones. It fixes the deliverables precisely: the website needs a 16:9 version, social media needs a square or vertical crop, and the two have to be framed differently at the shoot rather than cropped badly afterwards, so this cannot be decided at the end. It also captures the constraints that a charity in particular carries: consent from anyone appearing on camera, safeguarding if children are involved, and the charity number or regulated wording on any appeal for donations. Without a brief, the most likely outcome is simply the wrong product: the producer builds what they imagined and the charity sees something that does not match what they pictured, with no record to show who was right. Beyond that, there is no defence against scope creep, because each new request looks reasonable in isolation, and no evidence to resolve a dispute over payment or over who owns the footage afterwards. The greatest risk is the legal one, because a missing consent form can mean the finished video cannot be published at all, and unlike a disagreement about style, that cannot be fixed in the edit.