1. GRAPHICS- research Brief > After the success of films such as Shrek, Monsters inc and Finding Nemo, you have been employed by a leading animator to develop a new animation. The animation will need to have a main character that is the star of the cartoon. This must be an original character created by you.

2. Cartoons What are the main cartoon styles? What age group is the animation aimed at? Teenagers/adults/children Which styles are trendy now? What is the focus/function of the animation story? Research – plan What are the needs of the target group? Which type of cartoons are liked by the target group? Any other research area? Who are the leading animation designers? Entertainment, informative e.g. information/teaching, political, social statement

3. Possible questions: How old are they? What gender am I aiming my cartoon at? What are their interests? What do they like doing in their free time? How much do they spend on DVD’s/Cinema? When designing your animation what questions do you need to ask yourself about the target group? Target group: who are you designing for?

4. Research – focus/function What is the focus of the animation story? Is it for entertainment or informative e.g. information giving, teaching, political, social statement, expression of an opinion? Will the focus of the animation influence its style? Once you have decided on the function and target group you can then think about which style will be most suitable. The above graphic style was selected to be a little bit humorous – making characters of the teachers who wrote the units but to be informative at the same time.

5. You can check up on new trends in a number of different ways such as looking in: books/comics/magazines : on the internet : www.empireonline.com, www.aardman.com www.dreamworksanimation.cowww.pixar.comwww.empireonline.com Research - trends/styles What is meant by the term ‘graphic trends’? The term trends is often referred to as the ‘latest styles’. Trends in animation can relate to : drawing styles colour trends colouring techniques latest animation techniques

6. Specification – writing a design specification Some of the following questions will help you write your design specification: What is the purpose/function of your animation? Who it is going to be used by (target group) What style e.g. 50’s comic book style, graffiti, black/white etc. What graphics trends are going to influence your designs ? What graphics/animation techniques are you going to use? Before beginning to design you will need to write down the decisions you made during your research to form a design specification.

7. Specification – writing a design specification From the previous questions you will be able to write a design specification that should make sure that the animation will be successfully designed to the needs identified.. 3. Appearance/style. Design Specification:- 5. Other considerations. 4. Graphic techniques 2. Target group. 1.Function/purpose