OUGD503 - Studio Brief 01 - Responding to a Brief

There are many different ways of researching when it comes to responding to a brief. As an example, below are some pathways that could be chosen if faced with designing a book cover for a Penguin book:

◦ Look at the history of Penguin, their book covers and which ones were more effective than others.
◦ Compare their recent covers to other existing publishers - what is a current theme? What makes the book stand out?
◦ Look into previous winners and see how they worked towards a final outcome. Also, look at previous entries that didn’t win - try to understand why they didn’t in comparison to the winners.
◦ Research into the judges and their respective backgrounds.
◦ Read the book - This way, a unique concept could be created that is relative to the book and characters. This could be much more successful and appropriate than someone’s response who have not read the book.
◦ Try and find out about what the author’s intentions were then they wrote the book. What are the main themes and their influences?
◦ Consider the target audience of the book and who the design should appeal to.
◦ Consider the tone of voice of the book. This can inform the aesthetic taken.

To try and consider how YCN winners reacted and researched after receiving a brief, I have considered the points mentioned above.

Brief - Design a marketing tool to promote the new Fedrigoni range of uncoated black papers and boards: Sirio Ultra Black - one of the darkest papers on the market.

Concept - A direct mail piece showcasing the first manned descent into the Marianas Trench - the deepest point in the world’s oceans, and the darkest place on Earth. The package includes a laser cut representation of the Trench, a poster and a book. The piece allows links to be made between the historical event and the paper’s qualities. Not only does it demonstrate the potential of what can be done with the paper, with techniques such as embossing and foiling, but also inspires the designer, encouraging a sense of curiosity and discovery.

Evidently, their main response came from the fact that Fedrigoni say they have the blackest paper out there. For the research stages, they clearly looked into aspects that relate entirely to the darkness and richness of paper. The main idea that came from this was to make a package based on an expedition that goes down to the deepest point on Earth below the sea (the Mariana Trench). The package includes a laser cut representation of the Trench, a poster and a book, which all ties in to the original starting point that the paper is the blackest out there.

The concept directly informed the content in the publication; an illustrator collaborated with two graphic designers to put together a publication about the Mariana Trench and fish that live in it. This concept has clearly won because of the pure creativity put into the response; going from a fairly vague brief to creating something so conceptual and well-related is tough, but very rewarding. When facing briefs of my own, I will have to consider the importance of the concept and to think outside the box. Some of the main consistencies of winning work are the following:

◦ Nothing is open to interpretation.
◦ Campaigns - outcomes are very concept driven and innovative.
◦ The work is placed in context and is very simple/clear (KISS).
◦ The finishing and presentation of the work is to a very high standard.
◦ D&AD winning entries feel more like commercial responses, whilst YCN winners are more hypothetical.