Client requirements and audience
Interpreting and Using a Client Brief
Interpreting a client brief or specification means reading it closely and separating the explicit requirements — what the finished product must be, include or do — from background information that describes the client but does not change what you make. Words such as must, needs to, by and for, plus names, numbers or fixed phrases, often signal a requirement.
Spotting requirements
A brief from Riverbank Arts Centre asks for a trailer for its youth theatre festival. Read it once for the general picture, then mark only statements that tell you what to produce.
| Line from the brief | What it is | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| “Riverbank has run youth theatre classes since 2003.” | Background | Describes the client; it does not change the trailer. |
| “A 90-second audio trailer.” | Requirement: product type and length | Sets the format and limits the script. |
| “Must include the box office number and the phrase ‘book early’.” | Requirement: content | Tells you what the audience must hear. |
Check each key piece of information: client, product type, purpose, audience, content, genre, style, theme, ethos and timescale. A brief or specification is likely to state the purpose, target audience, type of product, content outline and deadline, plus any brand image, house style or theme. If something is missing or unclear, ask rather than invent it.
From requirements to plans
Requirements inform planning because they set what must be produced, for whom, why, in what style and by when. They also constrain it: in the Riverbank example, 90 seconds limits the script to roughly 200 words, and a deadline of 12 May may leave time for only one recording session rather than several. A longer timescale could allow interviews with performers.
Checking your interpretation
A designer or art director should confirm that their interpretation is correct and suits the target audience before production. A product can follow every instruction yet still feel wrong for the people it is aimed at. Briefs are clarified and refined through meetings or discussion and by reviewing draft ideas. If a requirement is unrealistic, you negotiate — perhaps three social media graphics instead of six — and agree the change with the client. Settling this early is cheaper than rebuilding a finished product.
Practise this
OCR Creative iMedia · Client requirements and audience