Tip #5 to Help You Hire the Right Design Agency: Make a Schedule

I’m now going to share with you one of the most important things you need to know about working with graphic designers. They must have deadlines. Over the years, I have worked with many designers and every single one them can only produce on deadline.

If you have specific goals for your piece, then there is probably something specific you need it for, and that thing probably has a date on the calendar. Use that to determine a project schedule and stick to it. If something changes, let your designer know so they can adjust their schedules accordingly.

Remember that if you’re hiring an outside agency, you are probably not the only client they’re working with. Most designers we know have three to ten active projects at any given time. They will always work on the piece with the most immediate deadline.

A detailed project schedule will help ensure you get your piece done when you need it. It will also help you keep your internal colleagues in the loop and accountable for their reviews and sign offs. Overall, a project schedule is a valuable tool for all.

Tip #4 to Help You Hire the Right Design Agency: Get a proposal

The project proposal is where you’re going to see the designer’s process—how many meetings will you have, how many design comps are they going to show you, how many revisions do you get? The project proposal (or the creative brief) is a great tool for making sure you and the designer are on the same page.

In our proposals, we outline the above as well as discuss the project schedule—both our deliverables and the clients’. We include the cost as well as any situation that would incur additional charges for the client. Finally, we list all of our terms regarding payment, ownership and rights, and so on. It’s a lot of information, but it ensures we start off with the same understanding of the project as our clients have. And, if something happens, we have a reference.

Often clients who haven’t worked with an outside agency before will have questions about the process and terms. This is great—it means they’ve read the proposal! Your agency will be happy to explain everything to you, so ask if you’re curious. You can also ask me by posting a comment on this blog.

Clear Communications Tip: Write in English

Here’s a fact: Technical experts tend to think that what they do is too complicated to explain in sixth-grade level English.

Here’s another fact: If you can’t explain what your product or service does in plain English, then you don’t actually know what it does.

I probably made some people mad with that statement, but I stand behind it. I’ve been a writer and editor for more than twenty years, with of much of that time spent working on technical information. Without exception, when the technical people I work with really understand how their product will meet their audience’s needs, they are able to explain it in non-technical terms.

So pull out that 6th grade grammar book and see if you can explain your product or service. It’s a great exercise.

IAEE DC Chapter Show Buzz Newsletter

If you've ever spent time with anyone in the expositions and events industry, then you know that they are seriously fun people. They take their work seriously, but the take their fun seriously too.

So, when the DC chapter of International Association of Expositions and Events (IAEE DC) asked us to redesign their bi-monthly chapter newsletter and take over production, we jumped at the chance to work with this crowd.

We started with the newsletter template. The chapter had two goals: they wanted it to look professional, and they wanted a structure that was flexible enough to allow for their varied content. Some issues are full of deep content, while other issues are mostly photos of events.

We created a 4-color template that reflects the sense of fun, but that is also polished and clean. We also provide editorial support, which includes managing the editorial calendar, writing articles, and interviewing members. This new newsletter has been well received, and the National organization has used it as an example of great member outreach.

Tip #3 to Help You Hire the Right Design Agency: Review the portfolio

There are a lot of fantastic graphic designers out there, and many that aren’t very good. And to complicate things a little more, there are designers who do beautiful logo work and designers who can make any big publication look great. How do you know you’re getting the right designer for your job?

The easiest way to assess the designer’s ability to do what you need is to look at their portfolio. If you have a 100-page catalog with more than 300 products, someone who specializes in logos is not the right person for the job (and vice versa). While large design agencies can do everything, boutique agencies usually have an area where they excel and their portfolio will reflect this.

What should you look for when you’re reviewing the portfolio?
1. Make sure the samples are similar in scope to what you need. If you’re bidding out a suite of trade show collateral, you should see some postcards, catalog/registration brochures, and other things you might need.
2. Make sure you like the designer’s style. Independent of talent and skill, every designer has their own style. While they will give you a unique product, their portfolio will give you a feel for what to expect. If you love every sample you see, you’ll love what they do for you.
3. Look for creativity. How is the designer talking about the sample and that project? Did they come up with an interesting way to meet the goals of the project? Are you impressed with their process? If so, then you’ll most likely have a good working relationship.

The portfolio review is a great way to assess the fit with your designer, and its fun to see what your peers have done with their projects. So have a good time with this step…and don’t skip it!

Make Your Communications Clear

ABC’s GADGET is an agentless monitoring solution designed to ensure the availability and performance of distributed Web and VoIP IT infrastructures. This proactive, Web-based infrastructure monitoring solution is lightweight, highly customizable, and doesn't require high overhead agents on your production systems.

XYZ is a leading, full-service provider of information technology solutions based on the rapidly growing Linux computer operating system. Linux is the leading alternative operating system produced by “open source” computer technology and is widely recognized for its reliability, scalability, and cost-effectiveness, especially in the areas of high-performance, internet and e-business solutions.

What?

Those two paragraphs are real examples from real companies explaining their product and value proposition (the names have been changed to protect the guilty).

Do you honestly have any clue what these companies do and what problems their products will help you solve? Where is a statement about you: what kind of problems you face, and how what they provide can help?

Poor marketing copy is epidemic. We are so accustomed to seeing it we barely register how bad it is. What can you do to make sure your copy is good?

1. Know what matters to your clients and focus on that. Your copy should be about them and their needs, not you.
2. Tell the audience what they need to know to make the decision to get more information from you.
3. Be consistent in your message.
4. Give your audience credit for being smart.
5. Hire an experienced marketing copy writer to develop your content.

Amphora Catering Menu

We love a challenge, so when the Amphora Restaurant Group asked us to design a menu for their high-end catering service without using pictures of food, we said "no problem."

Why not use images of food? Because they provide custom events and knew from experience that if they showed pictures of specific food items or past events, then that's what people would want.

The solution? We helped Amphora set a mood for their different menus with beautiful pictures from the regions each of their menus represents. Then we had the menu printed on gorgeous paper, giving the whole brochure a very rich feel.

The result? The clients loved it...the menu reflected the high-quality service they provide and let the clients know they should expect a creative solution for their event.

The Amphora Catering Menu placed in the Art Directors Club of Metro Washington Annual Show in the menu category.