Intelectual Property; Requirements of a Graphic Design Brief

Question 1

1) What is IP?
2) Why is IP protection important?

Answer 1

1) Intellectual property (IP) is a legal concept whereby exclusive rights are recognised.
2) • IP is what allows you to have exclusivity over what it is you have created for a period of time.
• You are allowed to be the sole person to market a particular design, invention, etc. This means that if someone else markets the same or a similar product, you have the right to stop them.
• IP allows people to get a financial benefit or earn recognition for the products they create.
• Protects your brand identity/reputation from being smeared if inferior products are created. This is particularly important with issues associated with product manufacturing quality and health & safety

Question 2

1) What is a patent?
2) What is copyright?
3) What is registered design?
4) What is a trademark?

Answer 2

1) A patent is a legal protection that a designer has for their invention which prevents it from being copied.
2) A copyright is used to protect text, music, computer generated works or drawings from being copied. The copyright symbol indicated that the author has the right to be recognised for their work and no one can copy the contents without the author’s permission.
3) A registered design protects the design’s shape, pattern or colour - the aesthetics of the design.
4) Trademarks are distinctive symbols or logos that contain the company name or slogan and cannot be copied. A ‘TM’ mark is normally placed along side the symbol to show that it has been registered.

Question 3

What are the different types of graphic design briefs?

Answer 3

There are 5 main types of graphic design briefs:
1. Commercial
2. Competition
3. Collaborative
4. Open call
5. Online only

Question 4

1) What is a commercial design brief?
2) What is a competition design brief?
3) What is a collaborative design brief?

Answer 4

1) A design brief is created for a design project which is developed by a the designer or design team in consultation with the client/customer. They outline the deliverables and scope of the project including any products or works. The designer takes the lead in developing the brief for the client and their requirements.
2) A competition brief is a document that includes all instructions to competitors for participating in a competition.
3) The design brief is a collaborative document set up by the customer and the design team as an agreement on the scope and expected deliverables of a design project. The designer/team work closely together with the client deciding on the requirements and outcomes of the brief.

Question 5

1) What is an open call design brief?
2) What is an online only design brief?

Answer 5

1) Allows the designer to have a large degree of freedom to experiment with a range of design proposals (ideas). An open brief does not tell you what the solution is going to be and will be useful if at this stage you do not know exactly what it is you are going to produce. The client may have some specific needs at the beginning but will not be clear on what they want.
2) Clients will post on-line their design brief requirements including their budget for designers to undertake should they wish to. They do not initially work with one designer/team as interested designers can submit their proposals. The client will then choose the most suitable.