Let's start by defining what a brief is so that we can better understand how the animation briefing process works.
A brief is a document that includes a comprehensive list of questions and answers intended to direct the project's progress (in this case, animation production).
The primary objective of the brief is to pose questions to the client in the hope that it will encourage them to investigate their project’s objectives from various vantage points. This is also why, in well-written briefs, questions frequently overlap and emphasize the same problem from several viewpoints; this is done to assist customers in better shaping their ideas.
A successful animation brief will provide an overview and scope of the project, as well as visuals, a style, goals and objectives, a target audience, important dates, deliverables, budget, examples of current designs, and, lastly, recommendations on what to avoid doing.
It is incredibly time-consuming to not define timelines, responsibilities, and animation directly from the very beginning of the project. Not only does it result in an increase in the number of unneeded meetings and emails going back and forth between parties, but it also results in an increase in the number of feedback loops, and in the worst-case situation, you and your team will need to reset everything and start over.
The solution to this issue is to build motion graphic creative briefs. These documents assist your client and team in being on the same page from the beginning, saving labor hours and decreasing the amount of time it takes to finish projects.
Creating an animation brief that outlines who is in control of the project on both the agency and the client side, as well as crucial milestones, final deliverables, and when they should be turned over, will help bring accountability to your team and provide the customer peace of mind about the project. The incorporation of these aspects into the animation project might not be mandatory; yet, including them is essential if you wish to create an open and positive atmosphere inside the workplace.
It is helpful to bring everyone on the same page by using animation briefs. This ensures that your client is aware of what they should receive and when they should receive it. On the other side, your team is in possession of an adequate amount of knowledge to produce high-quality work and is aware of when they should provide it.
As a client, it is reassuring to know everything there is to know about the project and doing so creates an exceptional experience. When working with animation, having predetermined deadlines and deliverables helps create order and responsibility. Because of this, animation briefs are an excellent tool for improving both the satisfaction of the client and the overall quality of the work.
This section will go through a step-by-step guide that will help you go from having nothing to having a comprehensive creative brief, kickstarting your projects the right way. Writing an animation brief might feel intimidating if you have to do it from scratch, but don't worry about it.
Begin with the fundamentals. Exploring these aspects will not only assist you in concentrating on the task at hand, but it will also make briefing the creative team more efficient by providing further clarity for them.
The other option is to use our proven template and save yourself hours of time! Try HolaBrief for free here!
When people open the animation brief, they should first read an overview of the entire project. This part aims to act as an introduction to the entire undertaking and respond to one of the most crucial questions: why are we designing this? The response, even though it can appear to be unimportant at first, acts as a compass throughout the entire process.
It is evident that the efforts will not be in vain, and there is someone who will profit from the finished product. Knowing this helps fuel. In addition to this, it helps decide whether the project will be valuable and viable.
Does the animation serve an educational or promotional purpose? Is it going to be used as an example to illustrate and explain a detailed process? It could be to increase the visibility of an organization or be a component of a larger marketing campaign; alternatively, it could be to provide additional information for an evaluation or an annual report. Consider what you want viewers to go away with after watching, how you want them to feel, and whether or if there are specific actions you want them to take as a result of what they saw.
There is a purpose behind everything that is done. Because of this, the third stage in developing an efficient animation brief is to describe the problem that your customer (internal or external) is attempting to solve and the project's goal.
Simply said, this is the part of the process in which you communicate your vision for the plot of your animation to its creators. Because the producers will almost certainly desire at least a little creative license to think of something new and interesting, this does not need to be overly complicated. Just give them a general concept of what you want your animation to be about, and they will take it from there.
Consider it an opportunity to provide the producers with a structure within which they may operate. When it comes to your client's specifications, you need to get as specific as possible. If you make a mistake in this part, it will be responsible for at least fifty percent of the difficulties that the creatives and agencies will face later.
It is necessary to give the motion graphic project a visual direction once the overview has been completed, the duties have been assigned, milestones have been established, the pertinent strategic information has been collected, and the requirements have been defined.
Moodboards are an excellent tool to use while tackling this phase since they allow you and your client to communicate and collaborate on ideas while also providing the project with a clear path to follow. Try our interactive moodboards for free!
While the milestones and deliverables are not entirely required, we cannot encourage using them highly enough. The customer will have the opportunity to examine the design throughout the early phases of the process, as well as potentially during the creative hours of work if feedback sessions are scheduled in advance, and the creative activity is divided into stages.
Creating an animation that runs for three minutes can take anywhere from four to six weeks, depending on the scope of the project. When you share your brief with potential collaborators, be sure to indicate the timeframe by which you require the project to be completed.
The production of a high-quality animation brief requires a significant investment of time, effort, and teamwork. You now have access to tried and true brief templates as a result of the years of research we conducted with thousands of different organizations. Using HolaBrief to construct your animation brief within a dynamic document will make this stage significantly more time-efficient.
Before the brief is utilized as a template or provided to the customer for evaluation, each department can simultaneously add to, comment on, and amend various sections of the document. Because it is not even necessary for them to register an account on HolaBrief, gathering feedback from your customers has never been simpler than it is now.
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