Working with design firms

When you work with a design firm, following some simple guidelines will help minimize revisions and keep charges down.

The first meeting

Here are some critical questions to answer and information to share with the design firm

• Who is your audience?
• What are your goals for the piece?
• What is your budget?
• Do you plan to include any photographs or drawings?
• When do you want delivery of the finished product?
• Are you part of a committee?
• What is the approval process?

Be sure to bring with you samples of printed materials you like and ones you don't like even if they seem unrelated to your project.

Text

• Have complete, approved text before the design phase starts. Sending text in pieces can result in mistakes and higher management costs
• Include a hard copy, with special characters or type requirements marked
• Label text items such as sidebars, captions, titles, and subtitles
• Name your files in a logical way and provide a master list
• Don’t overformat the text—spacing and breaks are not preserved and may cause problems when text moves from word-processing software into design programs

Photography

If you need photos for your publication, discuss it with the design firm early in the job. Some organizations, like Creative Services, have an extensive photo library exclusively for client use. Using actual Urbana-campus students and obtaining model releases are two important aspects—concerning truth-in-advertising and legal requirements—that Creative Services can help you with. If you need to shoot new photos, a designer can help you put together a bid, find the right photographer for your subject matter, and then art-direct the photo shoot to bring consistency and vision to your piece.

Be careful if you are planning to use digital images not taken by a professional photographer. The resolution may not be adequate.

It is most efficient to send all the photos with the text when the project begins.

• Label them with a Post-it note on the back (pens, pencils, and paper clips should never touch your photos!) and cross-reference them with the story list
• Include captions in a separate text file
• When sending digital images, name them in a logical way and provide a master list, indicating where they go in the piece

Sample pages

If you’re commissioning a large piece (for example a 32-page brochure), a great way to keep costs down is to ask to see the design of one or two sample spreads and the cover. That way you can ensure that the design is going in a direction you’re comfortable with early in the process.

The first proof

Now’s the time to make changes. If you don’t like the colors, if the type seems too small, or if the pictures don’t seem to match the text, let the designer know. Be sure to get input from all members of your committee. If you don’t understand the reason for a specific design choice, then ask.

Edits

Return a single set of page proofs with changes marked clearly. If you had multiple reviewers, compile a master proof, so that the design firm is working from one copy. If you’re adding more than a sentence or two of text, type it out and send it digitally as a Word document, then indicate its insertion point on the master proof.

Finding a designer

Creative Services can create your publication or website and oversee the printing process. You can also contact them for recommendations for external vendors.

Purchasing's supplier list is also a great resource. You'll need your campus ID number to log in and search their database.

Questions? Please contact Creative Services.

Also see FAQs for hiring designers, writers, photographers, and other creative services.