Images & Illuminations Design for the World of Art & Literature
Recipe for Design Success
You Are Part of the Solution At Images & Illuminations, we believe that the client is a vital part of the equation that leads to design success. Accordingly we offer a few simple guidelines that will help us to help you to bring all your design projects to a successful conclusion.
Stay in Touch It seems simple and obvious, but it's really important for client and designer to stay in touch. Designate one person and one backup to be on point for projects and to communicate quickly with design and editorial. Return calls and e-mails promptly, answer questions quickly, and prepare yourself to spend uninterrupted time with your design team when necessary.
Communicate with Care The old saying goes, "garbage in, garbage out." Carefully review materials that you send your designer to make sure they are accurate and current. Pay particular attention to the spelling of names and places, designers often have no way to check those references. Prices, catalog numbers, phone and fax numbers should be also carefully checked. Reviewing your materials with care before sending them to design will save you time and money. And of course, make sure all your text is carefully typed and submitted on disk or via e-mail. Re-typing is expensive and time consuming.
Plan Ahead So often, designers don't hear from clients until the project is already critically late. Not only is this an expensive way to proceed, and an open invitation to mistakes, it also guarantees that you won't get the very best effort from your design team. Keep your rush jobs to the unavoidable minimum and allow your other projects to blossom within a reasonable time frame. At Images & Illuminations, we are always happy to help you plan ahead and provide you with practical schedules.
Don't Rush Through the Concept Phase Share your feelings, ideas and tastes with your design team and don't rush through the concept phase. This is the most important part of any design project and the phase in which client contributions are most critical.
Have Confidence in Your Own Judgment Last minute changes based on uninformed comment and criticism have spelled doom for many a nearly-completely project. Have confidence in the work you and your design team have done together and don't allow those last minute criticisms to derail the project.
Build a Relationship Don't hop from designer to designer looking for the best price. The intuitive relationship between designer and client can't be built in one project.
Work Within a Reasonable Budget Price isn't everything, because there's nothing more expensive than a completed project that doesn't work for you. Consider carefully before you allow pricing paramount consideration in choosing your designer, printer, photographer or illustrator. At Images & Illuminations we are happy to assist you in planning your production budget and in trimming costs effectively.
Don't Skimp on Support Design needs support to work effectively and efficiently. Don't deny your design team or yourself the professional support you'll need to look your best and compete in a tough market. Your editor, your photographer and other professionals provide critical services. At Images & Illuminations, we have a network of associates who will make all the difference in your final product, while staying within budget and delivering on time.
Be an Informed Client
Check out your competition. Build a file of good ideas and take the time to look at current trends in your industry.
Great Clients Make Great Designers
Contribute, engage, commit, inform and then don't settle for less than the best. You deserve it.
And give us a call if we can help. We're looking forward to meeting you.
—Cheryl Hanna, Design Director
Images & Illuminations
