Level 5- Report Structure

Report- Successful Branding

Introduction- explain what I'm going to research, how, and why;

-what a brand is, if it’s important and what makes it successful;

-primary research in the form of a survey, secondary from artist websites and/or books

-because as an illustrator myself i have interests in furthering the possibility of my own success; therefore it’s a good topic to research to determine if i will need branding myself

Main body- present the information, analyse it and determine any correlating factors 

Conclusion- round up the research and information and draw a conclusion from it- i.e., wether i really will need a brand for myself and what would help make this successful as shown from the data. 

Level 5- Report Statement

In my report I will be focusing on branding within the creative industry. More specifically, I will be concentrating on finding out what is considered a 'good' brand, and what qualities may affect this.

Branding is especially important for unestablished artists because YOU are your own brand; you represent yourself and your work and so you need a consistent platform on which to do this. As I also have some interests in Graphic Design, and will soon be developing a brand for myself, I thought this would be a really useful topic to write a report on as I will be able to use the findings and conclusion to help me further my own personal branding.

First I will collect primary research in the form of a survey to determine what people recognise, like and dislike about brands, focusing mainly on artist branding rather than brands in other industries. This is because the survey will be shared through social media sites such as Facebook and Linkedin where the people who will be accessing the survey are likely to be in the same profession I am; my friends lists consist mainly of other students and artists and so these opinions are the ones I will be collecting.

Secondary research will be performed using books and websites, and the findings will be used to conclude what exactly does make a brand good.

Level 5- Master of Trade- Chiara Bautista

During the course of our studies we were required to research and hold a presentation about an artist we regarded as a Master of their Trade. This could mean a couple of things, such as:

• Do they have a postgraduate (Master) degree? (This would make them a 'qualified' Master)
• Are they a Master of their trade through commercial and market success?
• Is it the masterful technique in each of their illustrations that makes them a Master of that particular Trade? (This could be in reference to working in a certain style or media consistently, honing that particular skill until a 'Masterful' level of proficiency is acquired) 

I think to be able to judge an artist as being in just one of these categories would be limiting; not every successful artist has a Bachelors degree, and some don't even have basic secondary school qualifications. However this doesn't mean that their hands are any less skilled than those who do have the opportunity to study formally within the arts- at the end of the day an image will always speak volumes about an artist's skills and credentials in their own right. 

Just because an artist is good at what they do isn't the only factor for success though. A good rapport with their fans is essential, as the fans are the ones who buy merchandise such as prints and stickers, helping expand the artists reach through their admiration and loyalty. Often this can help encourage exhibition opportunities and other commissioned work through the increased social media presence large fanbases bring to a page. Social media sites such as Facebook are particularly good for this as artists can interact with their fans through their pages, via comment and message. 

The artist I have selected as a Master of Trade is the illustrator Chiara Bautista. Chiara is a Mexican artist and is known for her editorial illustrations and personal work, consisting of comics, portraits and storyboards. 

She is popular on Facebook, with her page garnering over 300,000 'likes'.

She updates her page regularly with sketches and works-in-progress, sharing her updates with her fans and answering questions they ask through the comments.

A lot of her fans pay homage to her designs, mainly through cosplay (dressing and roleplaying as a character for an event or photoshoot) or by getting their favourite illustration tattooed upon them.

Chiara almost encourages this and often features the fan's photos on her page. Fans whose photos were uploaded would be excited about this and be happy that their idol had taken notice of what they had done, and others who would see this would feel good that their artist had taken the time to respond and communicate with them, as an equal.

Level 5- Professional Delivery

Level 5- Writing a Brief or Commission- Pt2. The Brief

Together, me and Callum wrote a brief based on a make-believe alcohol company commissioning a logo.

Level 5- Writing a Brief or Commission- Pt1. What a Brief Needs

To help understand a commission more we should know how one is put together. Working in groups we were given the task to write for the other people in our group, either in pairs or threes. I worked with Callum and we wanted to create a graphic design oriented brief for Robin, Danielle and Liam.

From understanding the briefs we regularly get for our modules I can state briefs should usually have these things:

• A 'title' relating to the project
• A specific and realistic deadline
• Image specifications-
• Size
• Format
• Method of Delivery
• Any research/inspiration/influential work that should be referenced
• A specific purpose
• Possibly a budget (if working with installation art, exhibitions etc)
• Material specifications (if needed, i.e. must be digital, pencil)
• Project 'checkpoints' to see progress and to be signed off by client 
• Any other important information as deemed by the client

Using this list we will compile a realistic brief for their group, tailored to their talents for the purpose of this task.

Level 5- Communicating and Understanding Briefs- Pt2. Understanding and Organising Briefs

At university we currently receive our module assignments in the form of a brief, in hopefully the same format we would receive in the working world.

In these briefs we receive the details and specifications of the work needed, as well as learning outcomes and assessment criteria, which would probably not be included in a commission. However, what our module briefs don't come with is a binding contract of work.

Contract:
Noun

A written or spoken agreement, especially one concerning employment, sales, or tenancy, that is intended to be enforceable by law.

"he has just signed a contract keeping him with the club"

Most clients will include a written contract with their provided brief which ensures the artist will be paid in full according to the work required. A contract is a powerful thing in the world of business which is not easily broken without serious legal repercussions. A minor breach is not usually a huge problem as a material breach is, explained here:

"A minor, or nonmaterial, breach of contract entitles the non-breaching party to actual damages suffered.  Therefore, if your mechanic used a different brand of oil that was of at least the same quality as that named in your contract, then you likely would not have a material breach of contract.  You did not suffer any damages and may have, in fact, received a better product." [1]

A material breach is usually much more serious than a minor breach:

"A material breach is a breach that reaches to the heart of the contract’s subject matter and negatively affects the outcome of the agreement. The essential requirement for a material breach is that the non-breaching party did not receive the “substantial benefit” of the bargain.

A material or “major” breach usually has the effect of defeating the parties’ intentions in the contract. If the breach seems unfair or has gone beyond the terms of the contract, it is usually a material breach." [2]

An example of these breaches would be if a plumber was employed to install some copper pipe inside the walls in a bathroom. If he used silver pipe, which was actually of a higher or equal quality, this would be considered a breach of contract but a minor breach because there are no adverse effects on the quality of the work commissioned by the homeowner.

However if that same plumber used a very poor quality of plastic pipe which was prone to failure and could jeopardize the integrity of the wall structure and function of the plumbing, then this would be a material breach because there is a defect in the performance, safety and durabilty of the plumbing, which is the 'heart of the matter' so to speak. 

So if I received a contract in which I was to use acrylic paints but instead used gouaché with an acrylic medium to thicken it, and the result was better or the same than the envisioned outome, that would be a minor breach of contract and should be okay. If I took that same contract and used digital medias to produce the work, that would be a material breach because the 'performance' of the work would be affected and the client would not receive the 'substantial benefit' they wanted from the work.


Clearly, then, it is important to be able to comprehensively read and understand a given brief, and to uphold any contracts as needed. A brief can help an artist massively in that there is always a clear direction in which the work should be heading and the brief should always be kept near to be able to reference it. Unfortunately a brief can also be a hindrance in that your opinion may differ to the client's about some colour, composition or content within the work. In this case communication is an integral part of the commission as it may be possible to use your own personal experience and artistic eye to show the client possible variations of what they wanted.

Different people have different ways of organising themselves in regards to a brief. Some people highlight important parts or stick the brief where they can constantly see it, i.e. at the beginning of their working sketchbook or at the wall of their workstation. 

Personally I remember vital information from briefs easily such as deadlines and specifications, but I always write the deadline in my work diary and 'checkpoints' at which I should have 'chapters' of the commission finished. I also write at the deadline date the work required and the formats they should be in.

[1] http://resources.lawinfo.com/business-law/what-happens-when-a-contract-is-broken.html accessed 23/10/2014
[2] http://www.legalmatch.com/law-library/article/material-breach-of-contract.html accessed 23/10/2014