C l i e n t    s u p p o r t

c u r i o u s ?

What is the difference between PMS (spot) colours and CMYK?
http://boomerangzone.wordpress.com/2009/12/15/whats-the-difference-cmyk-vs-pms/
http://www.dontdrinkthekoolaidblog.com/whats-the-difference-between-pms-and-process-colors/

What is bleed?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bleed_(printing)
http://www.print100.com/global/cgi/bleed.aspx

How to create a comprehensive design brief (size does matter!):
You should thoroughly communicate your needs to the designer at the briefing stage. 
It is recommended as a new client that you provide information about:
  • Your organization’s practices and values.
  • Corporate identity requirements.
  • Existing communication material which you think reflects your organization’s practices and values.
As well as the following to be provided by new and existing clients:
  • Objectives of communication material.
  • Words to describe the desired look and feel such as: sophisticated, fun, serious, modern, fresh or minimal.
  • Emotional response you would like to achieve from the audience such as: elated, relaxed, nostalgic, happy or concerned.
  • Target audience. 
Most importantly you need to include specific information about your design project including:
  • Size (Hight mm x Width mm) - without this simple little bit of information, the job can not begin.
  • Production specifications (eg. number of pages, quantity, paper quality/stock, preferred binding)
  • How is the design being produced (eg. email, printed cmyk, printed spot, web graphic, screenprinted)
  • Any special finishes (embossing, foiling, die-cuts).
  • Supply of any logos, symbols, trademarks to be used in design
  • Supply of any text and photographs, if needed.
  • Supply of any graphs and any other mandatory graphical elements.
  • Are there any product shots to be used.
  • Are any stock images to be used, do you have and existing stock library account? What is your budget for images?
  • Proposed production schedule.
  • Do you have a total spend estimate outlined for this job?
  • Delivery requirements including contact/s and address/es, electronic file formatting (if relevant).
  • Timeframes for concept presentation and approvals.
  • Delivery deadline.
Try to allow enough time for the design process. I know it is not always possible, often you may even be tempted to reduce the time allowed for graphic design, keep in mind that a rushed job will never look as good as one that has had adequate time for consideration and resolution. To maximize your design investment, it is suggested that you allow a fair and reasonable time frame for the designer to come up with the quality design you deserve.  If you face strict time constraints, please discuss appropriate solutions with the designer. 

Edits should be specified as clearly as possible preferably in an email or word document, or annotated on a pdf where Acrobat pro is available. The focus should be on ensuring the text, spelling, contact details, design and artwork is correct. It is recommended to provide edits in as few sessions as possible, as lots of small edits can result in a higher margin for error. 

Last of all relax, you're in good hands! Remember this should be an exciting process. 
Enjoy seeing your brand/document/product come to life!

SkinnyStudios would like to thank: http://www.waynefarley.com/resources.html for sections of the above content.