The Animation Brief Process

The Animation Brief Process - An incredible amount of thought and effort goes into an animation studio creating content for their clients. Animation has—both literally and figuratively—quite a lot of moving parts, often involving creative or abstract ideas. At Pushed, clients often come to us with a broad or general idea of what they want and require our help in order to turn these ideas into an engaging product that appeals to the appropriate audience while also incorporating the main idea in a meaningful and entertaining manner. But how does this conversation happen? How does the team at Pushed ensure that the finished product is relevant and produced according to the client’s wishes and vision? The answer lies in the animation brief.

When a client commissions a project from an animation studio, the brief is one of the most important documents that lays out professional and creative expectations while setting both parties up for success. Briefs allow the client to establish deadlines, outline expected deliverables and create a document that can act as a reference point for initial vision and key ideas. Most importantly, it acts as an in-depth communication tool between the client and the animation studio and is a pivotal aspect of beginning the creative process. Animators are not experts on the vision and inner workings of the companies that they design for.  The brief is necessary to allow the design team to confidently move forward with a thorough  understanding of the client’s key messages and goal and develop animated content that achieves the desired results. 

How does a brief come to life?

No matter what type of animated content you are looking for or which animation studio you are approaching to commission , drafting up a comprehensive brief is going to be the first step in a successful partnership. However, the way that each animation studio handles the process of creating the brief might vary slightly between each studio. Some clients prepare detailed briefs outlining their ideas and expectations even before seeking out an animation studio. Some studios provide comprehensive lists of questions for clients to fill out, allowing the animators to create the brief from the detailed questions included. And still others prefer to have face-to-face meetings to determine the vision of the client and develop a brief through thorough conversations outlining expectations and specifics. No matter how the brief is generated, as a client it is incredibly important to provide the animation studio with as much information as possible, as this will help the creative team to deliver a product that goes above and beyond your initial wishes.  

What information is contained in the animation brief process?

Although the specific formatting of briefs can vary widely, the format is less important than the information contained within, which is typically consistent across animation studios.

• Client information: Provide detailed information about your company, product, or main idea.
• Audience: Explain the target audience of the animation, including relevant demographics and hallmarks.  What is the one thing you want them to do after watching, what is the call to action?
• Key message: Emphasise the “why” behind the video—what goals do you hope the content will achieve and why are they important? This section includes key objectives of the content.
• Deliverables and deadlines: Include a broad timeline for the project and what you hope that each deliverable will entail.
• Aesthetics and feel: Explain what overall look and feel you are trying to achieve, including visuals, audio, and storyline if you have considered these elements already.
• Budget: What is the budget range for this project? This is helpful when determining the approach.
• Content: Are we using new or existing images?  Is this part of an existing campaign?
• Media:  What media is being used to promote the content; Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TV, internal promo etc.

How will you measure success?  Views? Shares, Use specific metrics?

Who will approve our work? 

If you are interested in working with the expert creative team at Pushed in order to develop elevated, engaging animated content for your brand or company, reach out to us today.

We would be happy to help you work through the brief process as well as provide expectations and timelines for the remainder of the projects that you envision. Our passion is utilising our talents to make your creative ideas come to life on the screen, and we cannot wait to make magic through collaborating with you!