Theme

A theme is a recurring idea or message that runs through a media product or a product line. It is the big idea the audience is meant to notice again and again, such as friendship, adventure or protecting the environment. A theme is not the genre (the category of content) or the style (how the product looks and sounds).

A theme can connect a whole product line, which is a group of related products from the same client. When the same idea appears in a poster, a website and the client's advertising, the audience starts to link those products together and recognise the message, so the theme acts like a thread running through everything the client puts out. For example, a youth theatre group might use a theme of finding your voice across its audition poster, its newsletter and its short promo video. Each product looks different, but the same idea ties them together and makes the group easy to recognise.

Theme is one of the client requirements, so a brief usually states the theme the client wants. It guides the content you choose, the images you use, the language you write and the overall message. If the brief asks for a theme of healthy living, you would choose active imagery and encouraging words rather than, say, pictures of fast food. A theme can appear in several products over time, not just one item, so it is worth identifying it early in planning.