A New Documentary on Design Starts and Ends with the Brief

In design, a project will always start with the brief and this is what a new documentary aims to explore. “Briefly” is a new and free online short documentary which takes a look at the the question of “why”. The video focuses on the brief and how it becomes the creative starting point which evolves within the design process. Through the entire film, the brief becomes the central character as it reveals its nature through the interview of some of the world’s most influential designers including Frank Gehry, David Rockwell, John Boiler of 72andSunny, John C. Jay of Wieden+Kennedy, Yves Behar, and Maira Kalman.

“Briefly” is created by producer and director Tom Bassett and reveals Bassett’s fascination with the role of the brief in its effectivity and failure of shaping creative ideas. The film shares the luminaries’ struggles including Gehry’s challenging work with the Eisenhower Memorial or the limitations that Rockwell had to face in designing the Cosmopolitan Hotel, with the goal to inspire the viewers to think differently in order to produce a better design.

Bassett cited that even in most abstract form, the brief is the backbone of every design project which can be transformed into different mediums. The documentary starts by asking each of the visionary on how they define a creative brief.

For Rockwell, the brief is a communication tool set out by the client or the designer and the client in order to define the mission of the project.

As for Gehry, a brief is “a clarity of purpose.”The responses on what a brief is from the six designers are all varied. After that question, they were asked to shared the most important briefs which they were able to shape into one of their most significant project. The film ends with an advice from each of the design luminaires on what a brief should be.

The documentary opens to the public today, September 30 2014.