The open-ended briefing
In the briefing/debriefing process that precedes the execution of an assignment, a lot of information is exchanged. But when it comes to an original creation, it is practically impossible to define in advance exactly what the end result should look like. Creativity is a process, which starts with factual information, but is fed by new insights. To give that process a chance, the client must be willing to let go and trust the contractor's interpretation of the briefing. The question is: does that work? What is our experience with this and how do our clients respond?
Words like "letting go," "willingness" and "trust," by the way, we prefer not to use. We prefer to speak of courage and curiosity. Because our clients are all professionals who know very well what they want, but at the same time realize that thoughts expressed in words do not necessarily mean that they can be transformed into images. That translation actually takes place in the "black box of the brain" of our designer, the creative. And even though the black box is literally an impenetrable black box, one wants to be able to control the thoughts and processes that take place in it as much as possible. After all, much depends on the assignment, and who knows the company or organization better than the client himself? Moreover, he or she must also be able to answer to his or her management and other direct stakeholders within and outside the organization. In short, a diabolical dilemma. And completely contrary to the actual intent of a well thought out briefing. But how should it be done? What does the uncertain outcome mean for the briefing and how can the client best position himself during the creative process? Below we would like to give you some tips on that.
The briefing: the relevance of information
Everyone knows what a briefing and its antithesis the debriefing is: the giving and asking for information with which to carry out the task at hand. The assignment can be anything, and the briefing can be given in many ways. The usual sequence is briefing, debriefing: "did we understand the briefing? Does the briefing match the client's intentions? " If yes, then the quotation and official order follow. (The debriefing at the end of a mission is another debriefing and we leave it out of consideration here). In the briefing, we like to distinguish between need-to-know and nice-to-know information. The need-to-know information is information that is really needed to accomplish the mission. The nice-to-know information is information that is not determined in advance whether it is necessary or useful, but on the other hand 'you never know'. From the client's point of view, however, this can also involve 'need-to-tell' information: information that is not requested, but that the client thinks is important. Of course, he or she then has a reason for this. If it concerns information about our own organization or about our 'alleged' way of working, it usually becomes clear during the process whether that information is useful. But it is something else when it concerns information related to the house style that has yet to be designed. When it comes to retaining elements from the existing corporate identity, this is usually 'solvable'. But when it comes to the client's own ideas or preferences about what the new or modified corporate identity should look like, that touches the core of our work, and the question arises as to how much freedom is left for the designer's necessary independent view? Both with respect to the need-to-know and the "I-need-to-tell-you" or "you-should-know" information, at least it is not the information 'an sich' but its relevance to the desired end result (and its intended effect) that is decisive, and not the personal preferences of the client (for that matter, neither are those of the designer! See our explanation below). When in doubt, our advice is: trust the agency. After all, later in the process there are plenty of feedback and evaluation moments built in to compare, modify and, in the extreme case, reject concepts and designs and start over. After all, this is inherent in any creative process.
Anyone who has read our story on identity knows by now that the information in the box below is the minimum information we need to establish corporate identity, and then move on to actual design.
Need-to-know information
About the organization
(or company)
- Brief genesis
- Mission and vision (core values, motivations, ambitions)
- Organizational structure and culture (behaviors and norms)
- Position in the industry/market relative to competitors
- Marketing and communication strategy
- Products, services, or offerings; additional services
- Market/customer/target groups
- What stands in the way of further growth, and what must and can also change.
About the assignment
- What does the assignment involve: a whole new corporate identity or adaptation or expansion of an existing corporate identity; or the design of a (new) corporate identity carrier or corporate communication tool (in the latter case, we need much less information about your company or organization than requested above under must-know).
- Objective, target audience, stakeholders
- Place in the marketing. communications, media mix; previous publications or experiences with them;
- Application of existing house style, room for innovation and/or own style-within-the-vigil style
- Own input, input from others; who decides, what and when; role of management; who are contacts and who else are contactable for TD Cascade?
- Time frame, deadlines, budget (alternative: ask for a cost estimate first)
- Absolute restrictions, no-no's.
The creative process: the interpretation of information
The main phases in the creative process for designing a corporate identity, corporate identity carrier or communication tool are the research phase and the design phase. Once the design is approved, elaboration, transfer and implementation phase follow. The research phase is intended to establish the identity of the organization. To do this, we need the information listed in the box under Organization. Once that is agreed upon, the designing can begin. The information we then need is in the box under Assignment. In both cases, this is factual information, which gives us insight into the organization and helps us form an image. What is missing are the client's ideas, wishes and expectations about the design. The question is not so much whether the client should not express these, but rather, as indicated above, are they relevant and should they be mentioned at the debriefing stage? If this information involves preserving elements of the old house style, the answer is yes. In all other cases, we prefer that they are discussed at this stage, but that the information is "non-binding," that is, whether and what is done with it is left to the agency. During the first draft presentation(s), arguments can then be made as to why this input was or was not used.
A broader perspective
By definition, a creative process is a subjective process, of which the designer himself/herself also does not know in advance what his/her talent, skills and experience combined with the knowledge and insights gained during his/her search about the client and his/her organization will lead to. Mind you, subjective is something quite different from personal. Subjective means from the designer's perspective based on the client's information and his/her own objective knowledge and experience in the profession. Personal means that the designer works only from his own beliefs and opinions, as is usually the case with an artist (or someone who adheres to his own theories). In a commercial assignment, this is obviously not the case. Hence, we also dare to state that TD Cascade does not have one style, but that style and similarly tone of voice are determined by our interpretation of the information given. That interpretation is a collective idea about the desired look of the house style that has been established through consultation and collaboration. As an agency, we can generally adopt a more independent position than the people representing the client. After all, they do have to deal with the often personal wishes and preferences of owners, management, (other) department heads, and all other employees and interested parties directly or indirectly involved in the corporate identity project.
A measured judgment
In our experience, this is all perfectly manageable, provided one is willing to let go of the personal and trust the independent and objective advice of the contractor. As mentioned, it cannot be avoided that the designers and other "creators" of the requested also have their own opinions, preferences and "tastes. But one must also be able to trust that a professional has in some way also 'tested' these against a larger reality (e.g. his colleagues) and also knows very well when he/she may or may not use and apply them. This is why we also require clients to always be critical in their assessment and feedback and not refrain from asking us anything that feels uncertain or uncomfortable. And should our answer not be immediately convincing, try to still exercise some restraint and patience, because insight also takes time and intuition turns out to come from experience. And there always comes another moment to judge again, and the final choice remains with the client.
In conclusion:
In summary, it may not even be the need-to-know or need-to-tell information that ensures successful execution of the assignment, but the client's explore-to-learn and dare-to-choose attitude that contributes positively to the creative process. Not only does this attitude enthuse and inspire our designer(s), but it can also ensure that the final result is more easily "carried" in one's own organization. An excellent tool for this is the corporate story. That is the subject of the next blog.