How to Communicate Design Ideas

Communication is often very difficult, especially when we’re talking about ideas that do not physically exist yet. The following are some tips we have to help you and your team communicate design ideas to a graphic designer to ensure that the end product is exactly what you need.

Explain the end use and trust the design process.

By sharing these details with us, we are better equipped to assist in the design process and ensure that you get the best ROI for your marketing piece.

Clarity is more cost effective.

Vague design descriptions cost time and money because it takes longer to nail down that perfect design.

Understand your file types.

It is best to send us files with linked graphics and fonts for highest quality printing with out any hiccups. For photographs, a file 300 dpi (dots per inch) or larger is usually needed, and vector logo art is necessary for large projects (i.e. banners) will appear crisp. Let us do the math. Whether you use us to design your piece or not, we’ll set up the files to work best on our machines. Even professional graphic designers send us “print ready” artwork files that require significant editing prior to printing. Instead of trying to figure out how to best lay out the page, allow us to do that step.

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• Call ahead. The time to be picky is NOT when there is a tight deadline. Prepress work often takes the longest. Make sure that you allow plenty of time for designing and producing your project.

• Gather your brand elements. If quality matters to you, prepare provide these to control costs:

  1. Logo artwork (vector)

  2. PMS colors

  3. Fonts

  4. Other graphics in the files

•  Proof the artwork carefully. Even for reorder projects, check for typos, and ask questions if you have any. Request a hard copy proof if you’re concerned about color, but be prepared to pay for this and know that it adds time to your project.

• Don’t expect free design work. While we do offer competitive rates, graphic design does take time, significant knowledge and skill. The cost for printing is not the same as the price for creating a file.