Karen Saunders asked:


When you own your own business, there’s never a dull moment. That’s why I wrote ‘Turn Eye Appeal Into Buy Appeal’. It’s the do-it-yourself graphic design handbook that makes marketing your business as easy as 1-2-3. There are some projects, though, where it pays to hire a graphic designer. When it’s time to hire a graphic designer, these 5 essential tips can save you a lot of time and money:

1) Figure out if you can do it yourself. If you are not a professional graphic designer, you could spend days – even weeks – to make a brochure or flyer that a professional designer could do in a matter of hours. For major projects that will be a big part of your marketing campaign, you’ll want to take advantage of the experience a graphic designer can offer. Once you find the right designer, you will have access to a consistent style of graphics for all your marketing pieces.

2) Check out their samples. Do you like what you see? If their portfolio includes the design elements that you are looking for, then you’ll know if their style is going to mesh with your style. And of course, you’ll want to see how their style will work for your type of product or service.

3) Get references. Your best place to start would be by asking friends and colleagues if they can recommend someone. Also, many graphic designers will include testimonials either on their website or correspondence. Don’t be shy to call… it’s why they’re there! You can also check with local printers. They usually know firsthand what the designers working style is. The website for the American Institute of Graphic Artists (AIGA.com) has a free listing of designers all over the country.

4) Interview your prospective designer. Talk about the size and scope of the project, what your expectations are, and any deadlines you may have. You can get a sense of their work ethic, and see if you will work well together. This gives the designer the chance to ask you questions, too. You’ll know upfront if they have the time and skill to take on your project.

5) Get it in writing. Once you’ve found the right designer, make sure all the details are outlined in the proposal or contract. Get it in writing and make sure you know what it does (and doesn’t) include. Don’t forget to read any terms and conditions (such as a deposit) and make sure you’re comfortable with them before you start the project.

Now you can go out and hire the graphic designer that’s going to make your marketing campaign come to life!

Gotham Graphic Design Sydney asked:


A design brief is something that is vital to any design project, as it will provide the designer(s) with all the information needed to create a great visual design solution.

There is no single, off-the-shelf format for a design brief but there are a number of key points the agency MUST understand. The project team should create the brief focusing on the results and the business objectives of the design project. All stakeholders should unanimously agree on the content prior to starting the design process. This ensures an effective design solution as well as keeps the expected changes to a minimum.

What are the specifications?

What is the finished size of the completed design?

How is it going to be printed or used?

What other information should the designer know in regards to finished specifications?

Company profile

• What your business does

• What is you USP (Unique Selling Proposition)

• How you fit into your industry sector

Project overview and background

• What are you trying to communicate and why?

• What is the ‘call to action’ or business objective

• Who are your competitors and how do you differ from them?

• Does it need to match existing material, conform to Brand guidelines or is it a new direction for your company?

Benchmark

It is just as important to provide us with what you DON’T want to see along with what you DO want to see in the designs. Provide us with some examples of what you consider to be effective or relevant design even if it is from your main competitors. This will set a benchmark for your project.

This will give the designer an idea of what to steer clear of and will avoid disappointment on your behalf.

Target audience

Provide demographic figures about your audience (in order of importance) that may be useful to the designer. These may include: age, gender, income, tastes, views, attitudes, employment, lifestyle.

Business objectives and strategy

• Generate sales?

• Encourage enquiries?

• Gain newsletter subscribers?

• Obtain information from your audience?

• Encourage them to tell a friend?

What is the time scale / deadline?

Provide a ball-park figure, a budget expectation will give the designer a good idea of the type of solution they will realistically be able to provide. Providing a budget prevents designers wasting valuable time and resources when trying to maximise your budget.

Give the designer a detailed schedule of the project and agree on a realistic deadline for the completion of the work. You should take into account the various stages of the design project such as brief, concept approvals, development, production and delivery.

What copy (text) and pictures are needed?

Tip: The copy and pictures used in a design are as crucial as the design itself and you should clearly state who is going to be providing the copy and pictures if needed. You may need to look into getting a professional copywriter / photographer – ask your designer for some recommendations.

• What copy needs to be included in the design? Who is providing the copy?

• What pictures / photographs / diagrams etc need to be used?

• Who is providing these?

John Morris asked:

A successful future in the new media industry (and specifically, graphic design) depends on choosing the right school. As a graduate student in this field myself, I will be able to provide you with the absolute best advice one can get in regards to this topic.

1. Area of Focus

The first thing that you need to know about schools of this nature is that they are designed with everyone in mind, and that means people going into the program may have absolutely no experience. In my case, they asked for a portfolio of work as part of the admission process. So, if you are self-taught and eager to solidify your already existing knowledge, or a total beginner, this is a good choice for you. If, however, you have already completed a similar program, you may wish to take a new program merely to upgrade your skills (because the field of new media is always changing). If you can, it really, really, really helps if you take a freehand drawing course prior to learning how to draw using a computer.

2. Recognition

- Does the school participate in any graphical arts competitions? – Have students accomplished anything of reknown in the industry?

3. Teachers

Trust me, this doesn’t go without saying. The quality of your education will be directly related to the instructors. I have never encountered an instructor that wasn’t immensely knowledgeable about the subject area. Of course, there is a big difference between knowing the subject area and being able to teach (that is, to convey that information, and manage students, answer questions, etc).

4. Job Placement

100% make sure that you get into a program that incorporates on-the-job experience. Or at least a practicum. This usually is 100 hours of real on-the-job experience and it is absolutely invaluable to your career.

5. Curriculum And Tools

You must assess whether the curriculum is relevant to you field of study. You may want to compare the curricula of different schools to see which offers the best form of education. As it so happens in my case, the administration did something they have never done before: changed the curriculum halfway through the program. The reasoning behind this was that the software we were scheduled to be instructed in would soon be discontinued on the Mac. It really pays off if you can see the facilities beforehand so you know what tools they are using. Don’t just oogle at the computers, snoop around and see the programs directory and make note of what programs are installed, and if they are the latest versions.

6. Student to Teacher Ratio

Graphic design is kind of an industry that more or less demands personal contributions on every project. For this reason, you can’t just be known as the photoshop guy, it is your responsibility to be well versed in a lot of different programs and techniques for creating stunning graphics and illustrations. And that means you will definately need one-on-one instruction, or at least the ability to stop the class in case you get lost. These programs are very fast-paced and if you don’t make sure you fully understand concepts in the first semester you will get hopelessly lost – fast.

7. Accreditation

Accreditation means the school has passed a certain standards of educational quality. If you can, ask for literally one minute of the head departments time and find out a listing of companies that students have been hired into.

8. Cost

A full education in graphic design can cost anywhere from 13,000 to 16,000 dollars for an intensive one-year program (120 credits). The goal here is to find a university, college, or technical institute that is recognized internationally for excellence. Let’s face it, Harvard University will look a lot better on your resume than Texas Community College. Three great recognized schools in are BCIT located in Vancouver Canada (Vancouver is the equivalent of Hollywood for graphic designers, web designers, and all new media experts), the Art Institute (with locations worldwide), and the Vancouver Film School (VFS) that has graphic design programs that are very specialized.

9. Scholarships

You might want to consider whether the design school you are looking at offers any scholarships. You also might want to know the terms to them too. Some schools offer scholarships based on academic performance. Some offer them based on art competitions they hold regularly. You should qualify for a national student loan either way, and repayment is extremely affordable.