Print Design: Achieving The Best Results
I recently came across a brief and informative article by the Cambridge University Press on how to acheive the best results in print and web design from the perspective of a client. They offered a 6 point plan for getting the results you desire and layed the onus as much at the door of the client as they did on the team executing the project.
Here I summarise the brief for you and provide you with soemthing to think about when contemplating your own design project.
Choose the Right Designer
Not all designers specialise in the same kinds of services. The notions, concepts and requirements in developing business cards, web sites, brochures and brand identity are very different from the development of exhibition materials and annual reports. Be clear about your needs and ask the designer for a detailed review of the exct services they offer and samples of the work they have completed for previous clients. It is of course not enough for the designer to claim they provide services, but to be able to show a proven track record.
Your Budget & Vision
Know your own limits in terms of the budget and make the team of designers fully aware of this. It is definitely worth reconsidering the budgetary restrictions if the designer offers value and brings something to the project that helps enhance your product and brand. At the end of the day you are paying the designer as much for their vision and experience as you are for the actual work. Being reliastically flexible makes most sense.
Offer the Right Service
It is good to understand the scope of your project and the service the designer is offering to cover it and what exactly you are paying for. Does the project include, for example:
- All meetings
- Concept
- Visuals
- Design copyright
- photography
- editorial, proof reading
- production and the management thereof
These are all good qestions ot ask early on in the project, if not in fact the outset!
Defining the Brief
During the first meetings be preapred to define the objectives of the project, layout a scope and set boundaries within whic the designer will work. it is good to know who the audience is, what the message is, what the best way to achieve this in terms of production, and the exact requirements of the project to achieve this.
Quotation
As a client you may want to ask for a quote. The better the understanding of the brief and the project scope the better the estimate/quotation can be. Be prepared for the designer to update and change the quote as required throughout the project based on amended needs, requirements and projections. As with all projects the goalposts can easily, and frequently do change during the course of the working of the project.
Good Design
As far as Cambridge University Press are concerned, good design is good value for money, and that in order to acheive this, a good relationship between client and designer is essential. The better they nderstand your business and the message you are trying to convey to your target audience the more the designer can actually do to help you. Sure the client is right and knows their business but remember you are paying a designer for their experience also, and the relationships is as much about listening as it is about telling.
Conclusion
Well planned, clear and concise, easy to acheive goals with reasonable demands on time and price, as well as a good working relationship are all elements to making a success of your project and acheiving the results you are looking for.
