Lofty Designs
11220 Hillwood Dr.
Huntsville, AL 35803-1510

Ph: 256-882-1918
Fx: 256-883-2244

Our Affirmations

Open Letter to Client in Search of Catalog Designers

The Designer Says This, You Think That.

1. General Information to give your designer

Even the Most Boring Research

A Sample Product or the Way to Experience Your Service

Examples of all prior advertising and promotional pieces.

Competitive Information.

How you like to work.

2. Business Objectives

What do you want to achieve? If it’s a sales brochure, what points are you pushing? If it’s an annual report, what are the key messages for the year? If it’s a catalog design, what attributes do you want to convey? Define your objectives. Think of your catalog as a store. Ask yourself these questions…

What would you put upfront to get people to come in?

What kinds of service to offer your customers as they looked around?

How much help would your customers need?

How easy is it for them to make a purchase?

3. Target Audience

Who are you trying to reach? Are you reaching them now? If not, what do you feel is missing? For multiple audiences, rank them in terms of importance. Provide demographic information, if relevant. Explain any unusual or unique attributes about your audience.

4. Corporate / Brand Personality

What is your image in the marketplace? How do you want to be perceived? Cutting edge? Relaxed and friendly? Trendy and elegant? Inexpensive and approachable? What subliminal messages do you want to convey? Jot down a list of adjectives describing the image you want to project and another describing messages you want to avoid.

5. Budget

Until you know what form the solution will take, it’s hard to define a budget. However, it usually helps to state a ballpark figure for the total project, so that the designer knows whether you are thinking about a three-panel brochure or a 48-page full-color book. Some companies undertake design projects so infrequently, they have no idea how much things cost. They come in with lavish samples of what they want, only to discover that something comparable would wildly exceed their budget. In fairness to the design process, it is important to provide a budget range, so that the designer can develop a concept with that in mind – or advise you early-on that the ideas you want to execute will cost more than is currently budgeted. Don’t try to breakout the budget by line items -i.e., design, photography, printing, paper, etc.; let the designer do that once the solution is defined. When it come to budgeting at this early stage, it’s important to build in flexibility, so that you don’t miss an opportunity to get the perfect solution, which may happen to cost just a few dollars more.

6. Schedule and Deadline

What absolute targets must be met? A product launch at a conference that happens once a year? A Board of Directors’ presentation? If this is a program with many elements, is there a rollout sequence? Does the print advertising have to coincide with the catalog distribution, for instance? State any interim targets that must be met during production–such as showing mockups to the brass hats in week five. And most importantly, when the project must be completed.

7. Design Medium

What medium do you have in mind for the design? A print piece, advertising, packaging, Web site, poster, exterior signage, CD-ROM, video, multimedia interactive kiosk - or all of the above? Do you have a particular size in mind - e.g., a 24-page self-cover brochure, a direct mail piece that fits a No. 10 envelop? In some cases, the situation will dictate the medium; in others, the best medium may emerge through an audit and analysis of your needs. State your preference, but keep an open mind.

8. Technical and Practical Constraints

Does the designer have to stay within certain parameters? Is it a point-of-purchase catalog that has to meet specific supermarket or instore guidelines? A brochure that has to be translated into three languages? Packaging that must include recycled materials? If there are inflexible constraints, state them up front. Don’t base your parameters simply on the fact that “it’s always been done that way,” because you may prevent your designer from coming up with a solution that no one has ever considered before.

9. To sum it all up

Typically the client provides a brief at the start of a project. But most of the time the design firm will prepare its own brief to ensure what it heard in the initial meeting, especially if it differs from what the client said in writing. Both designers and clients should prepare and read briefs very carefully. Designers are likely to find clues to the graphic tone and concept direction that the client seeks, and clients may discover that the designers construed information differently than intended. Be sure to clarify any points of confusion now. It will save time and heartaches later on.

Copyright 2008 Lofty Designs, Inc. All Company names and product names are properties of their respective owners.