How to Get the Most Out of Your Graphic and Website Designers Slides
- 1. How to Get the Most Out of Your Graphic and Website Designers Suzanne Kart, M.A., CeP Associate Vice President for Marketing
- 2. Some humor to start (2 minutes) Source: YouTube (magplus) https://www.y outube.com/ watch?v=ACR M22wyN2o
- 3. How this session came to be • A lot of people can’t figure out why they’re not getting the results they want from the designers. • The result is wasted time, wasted money, and not getting the result you want.
- 4. The pitfalls marketing people run into • We give too much direction in the area designers are experts in (i.e. color, design, layout, etc.) • We don’t give enough direction the area we are experts in (i.e. our audience, our content, what we want our marketing to convey.)
- 5. What we’re going to cover today • What designers want us to know • What designers need from us • What designers want from us • What we can do to ensure the best possible outcome of our design projects
- 6. What designers want us to know • The designer is part of the team wants the project to be as successful as the client does. • We need to respect the expertise of the designer – and listen to them when they advise us on design.
- 7. The one on the left was designed by an amateur and the one on the right a professional • 2005 Institutes • 2010 Institutes @suzannekart @lernupdates #lern15 •They have the same components •2010 uses a much bigger photo (and it’s full bleed) •2010 pulls color from the photo into the text •2010 Uses san-serif font, because the cover text is made of mostly headlines •2010 Keeps what’s good about 2005, but takes it up a step
- 8. What designers want us to know • Designers are not experts in our field. • They may not be up to speed on our lingo. • They generally aren’t reading everything they’re laying out – and they’re not our proof readers.
- 9. Example Clear directions Page 1 Cover ) logo ( ) picture ( )Headline( Grow with help from the industry’s top experts )Sub head( Contact Training Conference )Sub head( Chicago, March 8-10, 2016 Unclear directions - Where does this go? Is there art? Grow with help from the industry’s top experts Contact Training Conference Chicago, March 8-10, 2016
- 10. This was the result
- 11. What designers want us to know • Designers want the freedom to design. • We can’t dictate/control every aspect of the design then blame the designer when it doesn’t come out the way we like. • It’s better to talk about what you want the piece to convey • Colorful? • Conceptual? • Technology? • Social? • Where the focus should be
- 12. Example • Sat down with my designer and told her I really wanted to convey the experience of Chicago. • I told her I wanted it to be bold and use multiple pictures. • I asked her to come up with a cover that was what she would do if it was all her decision.
- 13. What designers want us to know • When it comes to design, they’re the experts. • Their goal is to make a product that visually communicates and engages the audience through: • Color • Spacing • Layout • Photos • Fonts • Artwork • Videos • Etc.
- 14. Example – same designer, both pages This is page 2 of a brochure where the graphic designer was told exactly what to do and where to put everything This is page 2 of a brochure where the graphic designer was given the components and we discussed color, etc., then she came back with a layout
- 15. What designers need from us • They need to know what budget we’re working with. • Each round of changes costs money.
- 16. What designers need from us Resources (pictures, logos, artwork, font, color palette) • What resources they already have • What resources are needed • Who is responsible for this? • Will we provide them – or do we expect the designer to provide them
- 17. What designers need from us • To know who is the audience • Something that appeals to a 14-year-old potential Kids College student is going to look very different than something that appeals to a 35-year-old nurse looking for continuing education offerings.
- 18. Example Senior Citizens Bureau Only two social media icons Image Larger text
- 19. Example Do Something These two are actually moving video More social media icons including, of course, Instagram Overall, not a lot of text – mostly visuals, because that’s what teens want/expect
- 20. What designers need from us • To know what is the timeframe for the project • When does this need to go to press (and “tomorrow” is not a good answer) • If you have a designer on staff or on retainer, you may not need as much lead time. • Management by crisis is never a good idea.
- 21. Example • Let’s say you want to mail on Sept. 1 • You’ll want to give your designer 2-3 weeks for a first draft, depending on the size. • You’ll want to give your staff a week to proof the first draft. • You’ll want to give the designer a week to make your edits. • You’ll want to give your printer two weeks to get it printed and labeled. • That means you need to get everything to the printer by July 14 at the latest.
- 22. What designers WANT from us • Copy that’s proofed before layout begins • A design quote usually includes two rounds of edits. After that, you’re paying for each round. • The cleaner your copy is when goes to design, the more cost effective you will be.
- 23. What designers want from us • Callouts in the proofed copy that clearly communicate what the copy is: • Headlines • Headers • Subheads • Body • Charts
- 24. What designers want from us • Changes in a marked-up written format • Pdf or Hard Copy • eMail if not extensive • Not a phone call – designers are visual by nature. They may be in the middle of another project. They may not have time at that exact minute to give you their full attention.
- 25. What designers want from us • To receive the project as a whole – not in pieces • Rounds of changes should also come all at once – each round of changes costs us money.
- 26. A few more tips
- 27. Don’t be afraid to sketch • Designers are visual thinkers, and if you have something in mind, it’s okay to try to sketch it out • But remember – you still need to give your designer the latitude to design
- 28. Ask questions when you’re confused • Just as your designer is not an expert in your field, you don’t have to be an expert in her field.
- 29. Give constructive feedback • Giving your designer room to design does not mean they get to do anything they want
- 30. Let them know if their process is not working for you • Most will be happy to modify their process – such as seeing color earlier or waiting to see more of the full design
- 32. Let’s put this information all together
- 33. Step #1 – Send proofed copy to the designer • The longer you work with a specific designer, the easier it gets, because they understand your preferences, your audience, etc. • I email a Word document with the copy and also attached any art I want to include • I also send any special instructions (i.e. give me two cover options) • I let her know what pages the content should go on, but I give her space to work on the best layout for each page.
- 34. Copy – 12 page brochure
- 35. Cover art
- 36. Inside art and logos • In this example, she already has the mug shots and the logo so I only need to give instructions.
- 37. She sends me a proof and I send back any changes
- 38. She sends me back a final proof and we go to press • Laid out to take advantage the way we skim in the Z formation. • The text color is pulled from the picture. • The arrow in “Learn” is pointing right to what the outcome of the Institutes is.
- 39. Questions? • Thank you! • Kart@lern.org
- 40. Evaluations and CEU Quizzes Evaluate this session on the app • Open the app • Click schedule • Click on the name of this session • Scroll to the bottom • Click on feedback* To receive CEUs for this session • Open the app • Click schedule • Click on the name of the session • Scroll to the bottom • Click on CEU quiz* Room monitors have printed evaluation forms and quizzes, but using the app is encouraged