How to Get the Most Out of Your Graphic and Website Designers Slides
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Transcript of How to Get the Most Out of Your Graphic and Website Designers Slides
How to Get the Most Out ofYour Graphic and Website
DesignersSuzanne Kart, M.A., CeP
Associate Vice President for Marketing
Some humor to start (2 minutes)
Source: YouTube (magplus)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACRM22wyN2o
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.
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.)
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
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.
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
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.
Example
Clear directionsPage 1Cover) 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
This was the result
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
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.
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.
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
What designers need from us
• They need to know what budget we’re working with.
• Each round of changes costs money.
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
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.
ExampleSenior Citizens Bureau
Only two social media icons
Image
Larger text
ExampleDo 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
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.
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.
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.
What designers want from us
• Callouts in the proofed copy that clearly communicate what the copy is:
• Headlines
• Headers
• Subheads
• Body
• Charts
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.
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.
A few more tips
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
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.
Give constructive feedback
• Giving your designer room to design does not mean they get to do anything they want
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
Trust. Respect. Teamwork.
Let’s put this information all together
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.
Copy – 12 page brochure
Cover art
Inside art and logos
• In this example, she already has the mug shots and the logo so I only need to give instructions.
She sends me a proof and I send back any changes
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.
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