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6 creative ways to stay on budget for creative

March 9, 2010

Association Media and Publishing and ASAE & The Center co-hosted a lunch and learn session titled “Design on a Dime” last week, including a panel of association professionals moderated by Network Creative Director Jen Smith.

The session covered a number of ideas and insights as to controlling time and money when it comes to design work. A few take-aways:

1. Plan, plan, plan. Use a creative brief or request form to gather all the information you need to begin a project, including budget, business objectives, target audience, schedule and deadlines, design medium, quantity, format.

2. Talk it out. Involve all “stakeholders” from the beginning of a job, including the designer. By bringing the designer into the loop early, she or he will have the right sense for the piece they are creating. Understanding the purpose and goals of the piece is crucial to designing it.

3. Strategize. Try to foresee all uses of a brand’s look and feel, or just know that there may be uses you haven’t thought of yet. A designer needs to know that while they may be starting with a single element, it needs to develop into a larger strategy.

4. Customize artwork. Consider creative ways to make custom artwork: Photograph members or stage props that are specific to your field or industry. When using stock imagery, find ways to personalize the artwork for your audience. This will help you avoid cliche or overdone imagery.

5. Workflow. How ‘final’ is your final copy? Unexpected and multiple rounds of proofing add up. Make sure your copy is as complete and as fully edited as possible before it goes to the design department.

6. Get buy-in early. Don’t wait until the final proof to seek approval from the boss or any other decision-maker. You may end up redoing the piece (and paying for it twice in the process.)

Special thanks to the session panelists: Wendy Bogart, Director of Graphic Design at CASE, Amy Miedema, Senior Director of Communications at American Academy of Audiology, and Rita Zimmerman, Communications Coordinator at American Inns of Court.

Standing: Wendy Bogart, Jen Smith. Seated: Rita Zimmerman, Amy Miedema.

Find more Lunch and Learn sessions from Association Media and Publishing.

Filed under: design

Tags: association workplace, design, efficiency, network media partners, publication design