How Titman Firth can work with you

Once you have decided to develop your corporate identity be it a complete overhaul or simple literature update, it is crucial that you plan and implement each graphic design stage of the project in a logical way. Careful planning will help you keep to budget and avoid creating design confusion among your customers, employees and the other people you want to reach.

The Titman Firth process described here could form the heart of your project programme, helping you complete on time, on budget and to the highest standards.

1. Getting to know you

The initial meeting is where you tell us about yourself and what you want to achieve. For example, we will ask about your customers, competitors, target audience, key messages, brand personality, and of course your business, marketing and communication objectives.

We will also ask about the logistics of the project itself including your budget. It is important to tell us about this so we can make sure the best results are produced from your available funds. Details of your key deadlines, preferred methodology and any restrictions in the project are also needed. Examples of past projects in our portfolio will be useful when we discuss your options, including the likely timescales and costs.

Our recommendation is that a number of people from your organisation are involved at the briefing stage and remain on the project throughout.

2. The creative brief

The initial meeting helps us prepare the creative brief, a document that contains our proposal for the project. We will often have developed some new ideas since the initial meeting, so the creative brief might propose new ways to achieve the objectives agreed at the meeting. For example, a folder with a range of inserts may have been discussed at the meeting but after careful consideration we might suggest an alternative, such as a range of separate brochures. This is because we spend time after the meeting examining your needs and exploring how your budget might be put to the best use.

Our estimate, broken down to show how the budget will be allocated to each part of the project often includes creative brief details but where necessary we produce a creative brief as a separate document.

3. Your approval

You then have the opportunity to check that we understand your brief and that we have accounted for all requirements within our estimates. Every extra piece of information given to us at this time will pay dividends later on. Once both parties have given approval we then proceed with the project, leaving you in confidence that we understand your objectives completely.

4. The project plan

We want to make sure you meet your marketing deadlines, so where necessary we produce detailed project plans that list all the key stages of the project, explain inter-dependencies and show when each concept and proof will be delivered. The plan covers every stage right through to printing and delivery of the finished item. Should anything change then we will endeavour to move the project dates around to keep us all on track.

5. Concepts

Design is always a subjective art, and so what we believe is right for your target audience might not actually be to your personal taste. That's why we believe in the value of producing more than one concept for each new project. If we produce a number of concepts then we are likely to find a solution you can support. We recommend producing four to six concepts for logo designs and two concepts for literature in an established style.

As an extra check to make sure we are heading in the right direction, you are encouraged where possible to test the concepts with members of your target audience or focus groups. This will give you the confidence that the concept you choose will meet your communication objectives.

6. Proofs

Once a concept has been chosen we take your feedback and produce the first proof. We also produce working examples where necessary so you can see how any folds or inserts actually work. After receiving your comments on the first proof, we develop a second one.

Our estimates usually budget for two proofs, enough for most projects as we generally find that clients are happy with the second proof. You can of course make further changes at this stage and we would charge a simple hourly rate for the extra work. Even so, we would naturally gain your approval before proceeding.

7. Your sign-off

A final printer's proof is now supplied and we also present Pantone swatches to let you see the actual colour of the finished material (because the colour on most types of proofs can differ slightly from the finished items).

The printer's proof is then signed off. This is not normally an opportunity to make significant changes but purely a means of checking that all images and text appear correctly. It is an essential step because some changes can occur when the artwork is transferred from system to system.

8. Printing

We can manage the whole print process from selecting the appropriate printer for the job to ensuring the quality of the printing is to the required specification. We maintain a high level of contact with the printer and can preview random copies off the press to ensure that quality consistency is realised.

9. Delivery

We always see the printer's finished product, authorising delivery only if we are happy with what we see. This is another way we give you peace of mind.

10. Aftercare service

Our aftercare service enables you to place your reprint orders direct with us in the knowledge that the same quality control procedures will be adhered to. In addition, we can help if you decide to take things further, for example by making a brochure available as a PDF file, or converting your stationery style into an email-compatible format.

© Titman Firth 2006