Content supply and managing revisions for annual reports
This post aims to help clients get the best value, speed and accurate proofs when they commission a designer.
Following this guide will save you money and deliver your project sooner.
Supplying content in the right way, will save you money and give you the best result.
Text
Text should be supplied in Word (or similar)
Style the copy as you want it to appear in the final document, typically where applicable:
Headlines
Standfirsts (intro paragraphs that are bigger than the copy but smaller than the headline)
Subheads
Sub-subheads
Body copy
Pull-out quotations
Footers and references
All text should be supplied in one final document, preferably final, proof read and signed-off by line managers
Ensure the text is in the order you want the final document to be in
Mark any instructions using the ‘comments’ function in Word
Avoid sending text in emails
Don’t send draft text to layed out and then send an updated version later. This will mean doing all of the design and layout again and will prove costly
Do not place images or charts into the Word file. Indicate where they go using ‘comments’ and supply them separately
Logos
Supplying logos in vector formats, EPS of AI
Avoid Jpegs where possible we really need a vector EPS file
If you supply a JPEG it must be high-resolution. A file size of 500k or more. A JPEG will not allow us to use the logo on images r coloured backgrounds
Do not supply logos as PNG of GIFs
Small files taken from the internet are not usable
Photographs
Photographic content should be supplied as JPEG or TIFF files. They must be high-resolution. When sending images in JPEG format this is a guide for their minimum file size:
Full page images: 2mb
Half page images: 1.5mb
Small images: 500k anything smaller may not be usable.
Images taken from the internet are generally not sufficient for print
Ensure you have the right to use the image for its purpose. Using images that you do not have the right to use is unlawful
Provide a photographer’s credit where applicable
Poor quality photographs will result in a poor quality publication
Think about your audience. It is better to choose a quality image that may not necessarily portray the exact scenario
Data, charts and tables
Supply data for charts in an Excel file, not as graphics, although it can be handy to have both, like this:
Title: What are the benefits of supply data correctly
Saving on cost: 40%
Eliminating errors: 30%
Reducing client workload: 20%
Avoiding confusion: 10%
This will give you a pie (or any type of chart) like this:
Make sure the data is final and signed off. When we design a chart we ‘separate the data from the design’. If that data changes, we have to recreate the chart again, it will not update automatically
Reference where the charts go in the text using ‘comments’
Ensure any references and sources are included
Financial and accounts data should be supplied in Excel, with content in individual cells
Tables can be supplied in Word or Excel
Do not supply and data that need typing in, this will undoubtedly lead to errors
Do not ‘link’ or embed data in Word
Emails
Avoid sending multiple emails, it slows things down and creates confusion. Gather your content together and use wetransfer.com to send it in one go
Designers often work on multiple projects and can easily lose track, consolidate revisions, comments into one email at milestone stages
Revisions
Typically your estimate will include a set amount of revisions. Anything outside of that is additional work, so it important to be as comprehensive as you can
Gather up all of the amends from all of the stakeholders and mark them on a PDF using the ‘stickies’ functionality and send them in one iteration. Sending revisions piecemeal can cause them to be overlooked or misunderstood