Your press kit would really pack a punch if you sprang for that die-cut folder. That annual report would feel so much swankier with a foil-stamped cover. Beautiful design can
be seductive and has been known to lure many a communications manager off-strategy and into the land of blown budgets. Plus, those pricey little project management snafus add up:
those extra proofs and unanticipated postage costs associated with mailing a 3-D invitation that's shaped like an armadillo. How can you reap the benefits of solid, strategic
design without losing your budget or your head? PR NEWS consulted experts in the field to offer these tips on sucessfully hiring and working with design firms:
Match the Medium. Truly "full service" design firms are hard to come by, so finding the right specialty match is key, according to Helen Vollmer, whose eponymous PR agency in
Houston works with a pool of 100+ design studios and freelancers. A studio specializing in package design, for example, may not be a good choice for your digital kiosk project.
Similarly, a free agent whose portfolio is 95% newsletter work may not be your best bet for a logo redesign.
Don't Go on Looks Alone. The studio's work may be award winning, but
chemistry and strategic acumen also are critical considerations. Before you
hire, look for case studies on the firm's Web site and schedule a portfolio
review to gain deeper insight into the firm's expertise. Use the review as an
opportunity to see end results and to ask the designers questions about the
problem-solving process that led to each creative solution, advises Roz Goldfarb,
a creative recruiter and consultant with Roz Goldfarb Associates in New York.
Were there budget constraints? Condensed timelines? What were the project parameters?
How did the final design concept further the client's strategic goals?
Enter Shallow Water First. If you haven't worked with a design firm
before, start with a small job - not a stress-ridden, five-part press kit/CD-ROM
that has to be delivered to a trade show in three weeks. Consider soliciting
estimates from a firm a couple times before you actually partner with the studio
on a project.
Tap the Grapevine. Check references. Agnes Huff, president of Agnes
Huff Communi-cations Group in Los Angeles, recommends asking other clients how
receptive the firm is to input, how quickly they turn work around and how well
they tend to details. "For example, do you have to give them the same corrections
two or three times?" she asks. Ann Keeling, principal with Cristofoli-Keeling
Marketing Communications Management in Cincinnati says it's also shrewd to ask
printers for referrals. As a client, you could end up paying extra pre-press
charges if a designer unfamiliar with production issues submits messy digital
files to the printer.
Set Clear Parameters. A well-managed design project will live and die
by a "creative brief" that keeps the client team and the design team on the
same page (literally). The creative brief should include information about your
target audience, strategy, goals/objectives, key messages, budget, and, if relevant,
how the design project will fit into a larger campaign or branding program.
And if you have a graphic standards manual governing usage of your corporate
trademark, be sure to fork it over at the project's onset. "For us, the biggest
problem is lack of information," says Maureen Gillespie, president of Gillespie
Design in New York. "We need to know who the client is, their tagline, how they
differentiate themselves from competitors and how they hope to be perceived.
The more information we have up-front, the smarter the end solution."
Budget Early. Establish a project budget before you even start talking
design concepts, Huff advises. This way, you won't waste time presenting your
top brass with beautiful comps that they can't afford. "Ask yourself at the
outset: will you have a budget for original photos or illustration, or will
you have to use royalty-free images and clip art?" Huff suggests. The more specific
you are about budget constraints, the more likely you are to see first-round
concepts hit the mark.
Get What You Pay For. Clients often suffer from the misconception that
"designer" is a generic term, according to Holly Glatzel, marketing specialist
at Vollmer PR. It's important to know the difference between an art director,
designer and production artist - and to know who will be working on your project
in its various phases, she says. You don't need to pay a designer (read: higher
billable rate) to copy-fit text into a pre-existing brochure template. On the
other hand, if you cut corners by hiring a freelance production artist to create
an annual report from scratch, you may garner disappointing results. Glatzel
notes that project fiascos in this category often require attention from more
seasoned designers late in the game - at which point the project becomes a rush
job and the price tag skyrockets.
(Contacts: Agnes Huff, Agnes Huff Communications, 310/641-2525, [email protected]; Roz Goldfarb, Roz Goldfarb Associates, 212/475-
0099, [email protected]; Maureen Gillespie, Gillespie Design, 212/239-1520, [email protected]; Ann Keeling, Cristofoli-Keeling Marketing Communications, 513/233-3248, [email protected]; Helen Vollmer and Holly Glatzel, Vollmer PR, 713/546-2230)
Finding 'Em
Before you send out work, makean effort to understand how production specifications will affect the pricing and time frame of a design project. Bookmark these resource
sites:
American Institute of Graphic Arts
http://www.aiga.org
(Offers a primer online on how to hire a design firm)
Graphic Artists Guild
http://www.gag.org
(Offers the Guide to Pricing and Ethical Guidelines online)
Word-of-mouth is perhaps the best way to find top-notch creative talent. Professional associations, talent brokers and design publications - many of which publish awards
annuals - also are great places to look. Some starting points:
American Advertising Federation
http://www.aaf.org
Association of Professional Design Firms
http://www.apdf.org
Design Management Institute
http://www.dmi.org
American Society of Media Photographers
http://www.asmp.org
Print Magazine
http://www.printmag.com
(Agnes Huff, 310/641-2525, [email protected]; Roz Goldfarb, 212/475-0099, roz@rga-
joblink.com; Maureen Gillespie, 212/239-1520, [email protected]; Ann Keeling, 513/233-3248, [email protected]; Helen Vollmer and Holly Glatzel, 713/546-2230)