Image courtesy of Cuyahoga Community College.
No one likes to be told that they don’t understand—or, worse yet, that they aren’t doing what they’re supposed to. So how do you conduct those potentially uncomfortable conversations without setting fire to the goodwill you’ve cultivated?
As creative professionals in higher education, we often need to translate design-speak into language that is more easily understood. While terms like “RGB,” “PMS” or “white space” may elicit nods of understanding, they’re usually pretty meaningless to those outside our circles.
A further challenge is getting our non-designer colleagues to adopt and consistently use production best practices. Ensuring that every task and assignment goes through the pipeline with the greatest efficiency is a team effort, but some members may need a little coaxing.
No one likes to be told that they don’t understand—or, worse yet, that they aren’t doing what they’re supposed to. So how do you conduct those potentially uncomfortable conversations without setting fire to the goodwill you’ve cultivated?
I believe the answer is a spoonful of sugar. As the Sherman Brothers’ legendary song states, “A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.” In this case, the medicine is the topic you need to address, while the sugar is the means by which it’s communicated.
With this in mind, I created a simple series of flyers titled Tips From the Cranky Creative Director. Each flyer includes a stylized photo of my scowling face followed by a tip geared toward either clarifying or reinforcing creative terminology, best practices or rationale. Occasionally I’ll feature something more lighthearted, such as tip #16, “Creative Juices,” which featured a music playlist curated by Creative department staff.
These are submitted to the entirety of our marketing department. The language is a little snarky, but not too over the top—just enough to elicit a smile and open a dialogue. It’s done wonders for clarification. On the occasion when the message still doesn’t stick, a “Cranky” will be re-sent under the heading “Cranky Greatest Hits.” An especially challenging situation prompted the creation of an Extra Cranky Edition. On that one, I swapped out my face for that of Samuel L. Jackson’s Jules character from the movie Pulp Fiction.
It’s clear from the Cranky flyers that while I don’t take myself too seriously, I do take the topic at hand seriously. It’s that little spoonful of sugar that allows me to right a wrong without singling anyone out. (Although, from time to time, the guilty party will reach out to sheepishly admit they’re the reason for the tip. I typically assure them that they’re not alone, which is usually—but not always!—true.)
If you create your own tip sheet, it should reflect your personality. Be yourself, but play with the volume a little. I would also caution you to avoid sending something out the moment an issue comes up, to avoid singling someone out. Instead, make it second in line.
If your content is specific to your department, give careful consideration before sending to a broader audience. They may miss the point. For example, the frequently referenced Project Management Tool (PMT) holds no meaning outside of our department. Basically, you should never use lingo to explain lingo. More generic messaging may better serve your needs.
While nothing beats a good ol’ fashioned face-to-face, a tip sheet can be an excellent communication tool. Since you’ll mainly send them when something has gone wrong, don’t forget to mix in some off-topic content every so often to keep it light. It just goes to show that even difficult topics can be addressed “in a most delightful way.”
The UCDA Journal will highlight several of these tips each month and the ideas here can help generate discussion in your own offices on how best to handle some of these same issues—if and when they arise.
Q: What envelope sizes do you recommend for our various design projects?
A: A lot depends on what the application is, but here is a quick reference sheet.
Misc:
Use a 10x13 Catalog Envelope when inserting a 9" x 12" pocket folder.
Use a 8.125" x 5.5" A8 Envelope for larger 7.875" x 5.25" invitations.
Q: My copy is clean—someone already looked at it. Can you just look it over for “major” things?
A: The road to inaccuracy is paved with many seemingly “minor” things that can create major issues. An empowered copy editor can keep you on the right path.
Here are a few misconceptions to be aware of when submitting your copy for editing:
| Belief: | It’s just a one-page document, so it shouldn’t take long to finish. |
| Reality: | Even a one-page document could take half an hour or more to complete, depending on the amount of copy. Why? Because copy editors don’t just check for typos—they read for grammar, punctuation and clarity, and they double- check every proper noun, date, number, etc. to ensure accuracy. |
| Belief: | I’ve read my work a hundred times. There’s no way I could have missed anything. |
| Reality: | No matter how meticulous you are, it’s a challenge to copy edit your own work. After a while, you just don’t see your errors. A fresh set of trained eyes can help. |
| Belief: | My coworker is a voracious reader—he’d be perfect to edit this document. |
| Reality: | There’s a science to copy editing that requires extreme attention to detail and a talent for finding things that others don’t. A copy editor not only checks for spelling and punctuation, but they can also rework sentences to make them clearer. |
| Belief: | This is what the client gave me. It’s not our fault if it’s inaccurate or incomplete. |
| Reality: | If the final document is wrong, then no matter how it happened, it’s going to be our fault. A copy editor’s job is challenging enough—don’t make them play detective to hunt down titles, facts and figures. |
| Belief: | Sorry about this copy—editing it must suck for you! |
| Reality: | I don’t know a single copy editor who doesn’t love what they do. They adore making sure your work is stunning. They just need quiet, the time to do it right, and a little clarity. |
*Inspired by “Why you need a copy editor (and why a happy copy editor gives you a better result)” by Karen Sommerfield, July 16, 2019. https://www.paceco.com/insights/copy-editor/
Q: Triceratops, Stomp, Cuyahoga Community College. So many names—when do I use what?
A: With great change comes great responsibility. I’ll try to clarify what is what.
Cuyahoga Community CollegeThe official name of the institution. Use the full name on first reference. “Tri-C” is fine on subsequent references, but “Cuyahoga” or “CCC” should never be used as an abbreviation. |
Tri-C®The abbreviated name of the institution. The registration mark must be used on first reference. “Tri-C” represents the three letter Cs in Cuyahoga Community College. |
TriceratopsThe name of Tri-C’s athletic teams and the overall College mascot. Think of Tri-C Triceratops the same way as Cleveland Cavaliers. |
TopsTops, the abbreviated version of Triceratops, is easy to say and takes up less space. Think of Tri-C Tops the same way as Cleveland Cavs. |
StompStomp is the name of our costumed mascot, but it can also refer to the Triceratops in our logo. Stomp, the costumed mascot, happens to be gender neutral and is referred to as “they/them.” |
Eric Wheeler is the Director of Creative Services, Cuyahoga Community College.
Tips sheets are made available as PDFs to clients.