No matter what you are designing, from the smallest widget to the most complex circuit, and it is most definitely true for printing, one must always start with the end in mind. If you don’t know where you are going, you will never get there! If you have no specification of what it is you are hoping to achieve with your design, how will you know if your design is appropriate and how will you measure the success of what you have designed?
An excellent web designer I know always starts with “What budget do you have in mind?”. We are taught that going straight to the money question is rude and very transactional, but he is right. Before even we talk about what we are designing or delving into colours, there are a few fundamentals to put on the table:
- What is it you hope to achieve? [brand awareness, establish credibility, improve sales, etc.]
- What are your time scales? [conceptualisation time, design time, production time, distribution date]
- What budget did you have in mind? [quick fix, design & print, just print]
Only once these have been answered, do we know what the client’s expectations are, we know what is realistically achievable and we can begin to advise the client. This can save both parties time and money.
A design should also reflect the client’s style, be true to the client’s industry in look and feel. You may be the design expert, but they know their industry.
- What is their target audience? [age, comprehension level, gender, income level, etc]
- What impression are they hoping to leave the client with? [style, look & feel, invoke either desire or fear of missing out]
- What do you want them to do after seeing the printed item? [ask for a quote, visit your website, visit your facilities, spread your message]
Only now, are we ready to tackle the questions most designers start with, the actual physical attributes of the product to be designed. While we must listen carefully to the client on questions relating to their taste, preferred style, and preferences, we must remember to advise them on the practicalities of colour choices, font choices and font sizes, media choices, print processes, finishes, the use of design elements such as space and flow to direct a reader to a call-to-action.
These aspects of design are well covered in training courses and driven by the tools available in design packages. At RevPrint, we are sure that both our clients and any designers out there, will achieve better results by asking the above questions first and by starting with the end in mind.
“Leave it with us, you’re in good hands”.
