Photo by River North Photography
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 does bleed mean?
A: When content such as color, photos or text touches the edge of the page, it must extend 1/8” past the edge to compensate for cutting tolerances. It is said the content “bleeds” off the page.
Q: If our client plans to print the collateral on their own copier, can it bleed?
A: No. The copier can’t print edge-to-edge, so you will have a white border around everything. If we lay it out without bleed, the white border will be even and no info will be cut off.
Left: Printer-ready! Right: Copier-ready!
Q: My ad is going in a magazine– should it have crop marks?
A: Maybe. If the ad is full-page and bleeds, it should have crop marks. If the ad is smaller than a full page, it should not have crop marks. Crop marks tell the printer something needs to be cut to size.
Left: Nice ad! Right: What the?!
Q: What do you mean by legit?
A: Don’t use photos that could get us booed or sued. Just because you found a photo online doesn’t mean we are allowed to use it without permission or that the quality is useable.
Q: Can we use a stock photo site such as Shutterstock?
A: Mostly. Photos fall into two categories: royalty-free (RF)and editorial use only (EO). Use RF as you like, but EO images cannot be used to sell or promote anything, as they often depict a brand or celebrity (e.g., Ford or Beyoncé).
Top: Images are often cropped to avoid giving away brand identity. Bottom: Editors are in luck—news articles get all the good photos.
Q: Can I use a photo I took myself?
A: Maybe. As long as the person in the photo signed a photo release form (available on KWeb) we are good to go. Incoming freshmen are opted in by default, though they may refuse use of their likeness at any later date.
Q: What resolution (rez) should our photos be?
A: 72 dpi (dots per inch) is ideal for web use, while 300 dpi is needed for quality print reproduction.
Left: 72 dpi. Right: 300 dpi.
Q: Am I going to get flak if I take a shortcut when submitting a job? Sometimes it’s easier.
A: Yes, you will. Often, what seems like an easy way to check something off a to-do list is likely to cause a backup in production. Here are some examples.
PARK
If a job sits too long, people want to tow it away.
If a job is awaiting content or on hold for an extended time, it’s ideal for the designer to mark the status as complete so it falls off their PMT list. The good news is, it will remain on the manager’s list for future submission.
REVERSE
Starting a project with a designer or editor instead of the project manager is kinda backwards.
When new projects or edits are submitted to a designer or editor before they are assigned by the project manager, it is actually counterproductive. Proper submission ensures that the job number is assigned, the designer or editor has room on their plate to complete the task on time, and any project-related conversations take place with the correct person.
NEUTRAL
A great discussion with a designer who doesn’t have your project on their list yet is a perfect way for nothing to happen.
Each designer has an average of 22 projects on their plate on any given day. A short hallway discussion or formal sit-down is only helpful when they already have the job on their list and aren’t in the middle of another project that splits their attention.
DRIVE
A project that is submitted to the project manager, has an editor or designer assigned to it and is discussed once those steps are completed is definitely headed in the right direction.
Properly submitting a project will ensure the best possible outcome.
Eric Wheeler is the Director of Creative Services, Cuyahoga Community College.
Tips sheets are made available as PDFs to clients.