25K pageweight PagePipe.com -- it can be done!
Sunday, July 21, 2013
#70 Solving a color match problem
I and the client company's marketing manager had
to solve a color problem. The company logo was two colors: red and an
orangish-yellow with black type set in Franklin Gothic Extrabold.
The company built industrial aluminum molds for casting and forming products or packaging from foam, plastic, and other materials.
1. The company logo was originally designed by the owner's now ex-wife. No records existed of what colors were used.
2. After that time, the logo was printed on letterhead by a subcontract designer, Melisa. She was available by phone. She had no written record of what the colors were but had a good guess.
3. A third designer (an IT guy) put together the website and used what he thought were the right colors in hex code. They didn't match the print version.
So we had three sets of colors. In addition to this, when I pointed out the inconsistencies, The marketing manager said,
4. "All I really want is the color to match our business card." That introduced a fourth color combination.
So I dove into analyzing the colors and comparing them. I then made three visual charts to demonstrate to them the results. In the end, I made recommendation of what we should specify for print and web media. I thought I'd share how that "looked" and also a couple of pages of the resulting website style guide.
It was necessary to coach the client and his boss about the differences in RGB, CMYK, and Pantone color gamuts. They actually enjoyed learning this stuff.
Doing this analysis and presentation earned me some extra money and brought in not only the website rework but also a print presentation portfolio for tradeshows. Around $4,900 in time. The moral of this story: Presentation makes a difference. Don't just tell them. Show them and document your work. It makes you more professional.
Websafe colors were specified but not necessary. I chose those to keep things simple and memorable when designing. Websafe is not a necessary feature.
The story doesn't have a happy ending. In recent years, after over 25 years in business, the company was forced to close it's doors permanently because of offshore competition. Sad day in Mudville to see a company die. I still wear my D8 T-shirt they gave me --in their memory.
The company built industrial aluminum molds for casting and forming products or packaging from foam, plastic, and other materials.
1. The company logo was originally designed by the owner's now ex-wife. No records existed of what colors were used.
2. After that time, the logo was printed on letterhead by a subcontract designer, Melisa. She was available by phone. She had no written record of what the colors were but had a good guess.
3. A third designer (an IT guy) put together the website and used what he thought were the right colors in hex code. They didn't match the print version.
So we had three sets of colors. In addition to this, when I pointed out the inconsistencies, The marketing manager said,
4. "All I really want is the color to match our business card." That introduced a fourth color combination.
So I dove into analyzing the colors and comparing them. I then made three visual charts to demonstrate to them the results. In the end, I made recommendation of what we should specify for print and web media. I thought I'd share how that "looked" and also a couple of pages of the resulting website style guide.
It was necessary to coach the client and his boss about the differences in RGB, CMYK, and Pantone color gamuts. They actually enjoyed learning this stuff.
Doing this analysis and presentation earned me some extra money and brought in not only the website rework but also a print presentation portfolio for tradeshows. Around $4,900 in time. The moral of this story: Presentation makes a difference. Don't just tell them. Show them and document your work. It makes you more professional.
Websafe colors were specified but not necessary. I chose those to keep things simple and memorable when designing. Websafe is not a necessary feature.
The story doesn't have a happy ending. In recent years, after over 25 years in business, the company was forced to close it's doors permanently because of offshore competition. Sad day in Mudville to see a company die. I still wear my D8 T-shirt they gave me --in their memory.
Those
RGB references were either supplied by the previous designer's
"guesses" or from flatbed scans. Neither were super reliable but it was
all we had. They were inconsistent. The client was paranoid about
color consistency being fixed. But they never realized how all of their
colors really were all over the map. This was mainly a method of
"opening their eyes". They thought they had a standard. They didn't.
Like most machine shops, they were very big into standards. So I was helping them develop those for each medium-- web and print. They saw how they couldn't get exactly the same rendering in each environment but they could get things a lot closer with some adjustment and coaching.
Mainly, this diminished their anxiety of appearing foolish (the owner actually had a 4-year degree in graphic design!). To me, all I wanted was a decision. This presentation made that decision easier for them.
Grayscale differential (contrast) was important in making things work online. It also helped them see why yellow type on white wouldn't work. :)
All that mattered was the client get over their stress so we could move on and finish projects.
Like most machine shops, they were very big into standards. So I was helping them develop those for each medium-- web and print. They saw how they couldn't get exactly the same rendering in each environment but they could get things a lot closer with some adjustment and coaching.
Mainly, this diminished their anxiety of appearing foolish (the owner actually had a 4-year degree in graphic design!). To me, all I wanted was a decision. This presentation made that decision easier for them.
Grayscale differential (contrast) was important in making things work online. It also helped them see why yellow type on white wouldn't work. :)
All that mattered was the client get over their stress so we could move on and finish projects.
#69 Calibrating color --don't even try
I use 4 LCD screens and none
of them are calibrated. They all render color differently. Two of them I
bought used and bruised --on purpose. The other two on Cyber-Monday
sale. I like it that way because it allows me to see the range of
aberation the client may see --wether it's for print or web projects.
And as you know, I'm a cheapskate. Creativity is the inverse of dollars.
C=1/$
I only have a letter-size b/w laser printer for business correspondence (as I said "invoices"). I don't proof in my studio any more. If I want to see it, for safety sake (rarely), I have it output on a weekly-calibrated digital printer at my favorite shop. I'm comfortable with my methods and know what to expect. Printing is not just an act of faith any more. :)
Most of the color problem is with the client and not your equipment. It's cheaper to "fix" the client. It can be as easy as buying and gifting them a Pantone fan for reference. I've done that. They love it. It works great for communications.
I see all screen calibration gadgetry as preying on the anxieties of designers. It's a human problem not a machine problem.
If you are going to spec Pantone and print it in 4-color CMYK then I recommend buying a conversion-shift swatch book (Pantone process color simulator $239 -color bridge). I bought mine used on Ebay. It was missing a few swatches but it only cost me $20. I then, in advance, show the client how the color will change when printed. They are shown side by side for comparison. see image below.
I only have a letter-size b/w laser printer for business correspondence (as I said "invoices"). I don't proof in my studio any more. If I want to see it, for safety sake (rarely), I have it output on a weekly-calibrated digital printer at my favorite shop. I'm comfortable with my methods and know what to expect. Printing is not just an act of faith any more. :)
Most of the color problem is with the client and not your equipment. It's cheaper to "fix" the client. It can be as easy as buying and gifting them a Pantone fan for reference. I've done that. They love it. It works great for communications.
I see all screen calibration gadgetry as preying on the anxieties of designers. It's a human problem not a machine problem.
If you are going to spec Pantone and print it in 4-color CMYK then I recommend buying a conversion-shift swatch book (Pantone process color simulator $239 -color bridge). I bought mine used on Ebay. It was missing a few swatches but it only cost me $20. I then, in advance, show the client how the color will change when printed. They are shown side by side for comparison. see image below.
#68 Rude client techniques
We
all have different styles. Yesterday, a potential client come over to
discuss what she "needed" for a website. She was very bossy, couldn't
careless about my ideas, and kept steamrollering me when I tried to
speak. Eventually, I recommended using CMS and put her onto a website called Virb.com. She asked me if I'd do the CMS for her
because she didn't have the time. I said, "No." She said, "Why not?" I
replied, "It's against my religion." :)
I recently had another woman come for some business advice. When she heard me talking computerese, she asked if I could fix her computer. I asked, "What operating system are you using?" She said she didn't know. So we checked and it was a bootleg copy of Microsoft Windows. I told her, "I can't help you." She looked at me and asked, "Why?" I told her. "I'm too extremely prejudiced to work with that particular system." She said, "Oh." and didn't ask any more about computer favors.
Now you know I've offered several times to help people. What do you think the difference is between them and these two women? Can you see it? I won't make you wait for the answer.
Some are givers and others are takers. Big difference. If you've willingly helped me, it's easy to be loyal to you.
I recently had another woman come for some business advice. When she heard me talking computerese, she asked if I could fix her computer. I asked, "What operating system are you using?" She said she didn't know. So we checked and it was a bootleg copy of Microsoft Windows. I told her, "I can't help you." She looked at me and asked, "Why?" I told her. "I'm too extremely prejudiced to work with that particular system." She said, "Oh." and didn't ask any more about computer favors.
Now you know I've offered several times to help people. What do you think the difference is between them and these two women? Can you see it? I won't make you wait for the answer.
Some are givers and others are takers. Big difference. If you've willingly helped me, it's easy to be loyal to you.
#67 Naming makes a difference
I actually am more diplomatic than I let on. I'm just trying to intimidate with my pretend vastness. But, yes, I do ruffle some feathers. Those are non-clients who I don't work with. Not everyone who walks in the door is a qualified lead.
But I'm not done yet. Here is an example of where I recommended a name change that made the startup company bucks. I merely told them their company name was boring.
The original name of the company (I can't even remember now) but it was two multisyllabic words that sounded very academic, presumptuous, and meant nothing to me or their audience. In fact, the goal was to make math exciting. It did the opposite, scary sounding. After my usual lecture on naming, I had them read "Positioning: The battle for the mind." We then came to a consensus that a better name would be "MathFire."
They won $10,000 in a business plan competition shortly after where I served as their marketing coach. I didn't win. They did.
That's the goal: make the client a winner. If you take on clients who won't or can't win, you're rightly going to get some of the blame. It's bad for business. So be selective.
Friday, July 19, 2013
#67 Pricing your work
I always ask, "How much do you have budgeted for this project?"
I call this "looking in their wallet" before bidding. I also ask them, "When is your deadline for submission to a printer or web launch?"
Then I ask what they are looking for. If they have a low-budget, I steer them towards a low-budget solution or tell them how to do it themselves on-the-cheap. It never hurts to turn away cheap clients. It ruins future business opportunity.
While getting paid to build your portfolio is appealing (learn while you earn), it's even better for your business to build "example" pieces for your portfolio of the kind of stuff you really want to do.
Pricing is a statement of self-confidence and credibility. Clients almost always want design for less until you point out the quality just won't be there. They want speed of delivery, quality, and low price. They can chose any two but not all three.
Once you do something for "cheap" for a client who is cheap or broke --you have set a precedent and future expectation. Once the word gets out you're "cheap" that reputation can stick for a long time. Most of our new business is from referrals.
While working as a purchasing agent --many eons ago-- I negotiated prices on a daily basis.
Prices can go up slowly (resistance) and down fast (we're having a sale.) This interpreted means always start high. This may cause sticker shock with the client. It's sometimes called "the art of being unreasonable." If you set your price position high and theirs is low, you come out at a negotiated price that is much more to your advantage somewhere in the middle of those two points. This is commonly referred to as "not leaving money on the table."
There have been times where I didn't want to do a project very much because I was busy. So I deliberately bid double my regular fees (they don't know that because my price list is private and mine alone.) Surprisingly, they said, "Excellent." That reply told me I could have gotten even more because of their perceived value of how difficult the project was in their mind.
If clients don't complain or whine a little about your fees then the price is too low. You cannot please all of your clients all of the time. You know you really blew a bid when they want to pay you in cash on the spot. That's an indicator of too much cheapness and you have probably accepted a bad deal.
Generally, we as designers like making people happy. We'll work very hard for little pay and no "thank-you" to build something beautiful. This makes us susceptible to being bullied on prices. We feel bad when we don't get a job. We are too hungry. We have to compensate for that weakness with good pricing strategy. Never discount your work if it isn't asked for. Keep your prices up. You can work half as hard and have some time for other activities.
I call this "looking in their wallet" before bidding. I also ask them, "When is your deadline for submission to a printer or web launch?"
Then I ask what they are looking for. If they have a low-budget, I steer them towards a low-budget solution or tell them how to do it themselves on-the-cheap. It never hurts to turn away cheap clients. It ruins future business opportunity.
While getting paid to build your portfolio is appealing (learn while you earn), it's even better for your business to build "example" pieces for your portfolio of the kind of stuff you really want to do.
Pricing is a statement of self-confidence and credibility. Clients almost always want design for less until you point out the quality just won't be there. They want speed of delivery, quality, and low price. They can chose any two but not all three.
Once you do something for "cheap" for a client who is cheap or broke --you have set a precedent and future expectation. Once the word gets out you're "cheap" that reputation can stick for a long time. Most of our new business is from referrals.
While working as a purchasing agent --many eons ago-- I negotiated prices on a daily basis.
Prices can go up slowly (resistance) and down fast (we're having a sale.) This interpreted means always start high. This may cause sticker shock with the client. It's sometimes called "the art of being unreasonable." If you set your price position high and theirs is low, you come out at a negotiated price that is much more to your advantage somewhere in the middle of those two points. This is commonly referred to as "not leaving money on the table."
There have been times where I didn't want to do a project very much because I was busy. So I deliberately bid double my regular fees (they don't know that because my price list is private and mine alone.) Surprisingly, they said, "Excellent." That reply told me I could have gotten even more because of their perceived value of how difficult the project was in their mind.
If clients don't complain or whine a little about your fees then the price is too low. You cannot please all of your clients all of the time. You know you really blew a bid when they want to pay you in cash on the spot. That's an indicator of too much cheapness and you have probably accepted a bad deal.
Generally, we as designers like making people happy. We'll work very hard for little pay and no "thank-you" to build something beautiful. This makes us susceptible to being bullied on prices. We feel bad when we don't get a job. We are too hungry. We have to compensate for that weakness with good pricing strategy. Never discount your work if it isn't asked for. Keep your prices up. You can work half as hard and have some time for other activities.
#66 Does social media really sell design work?
A
thought provoking Wired magazine entry makes me wonder about all that
link clutter from social media. Check it out >
I don't think committing web page real-estate is worth the distraction and visual noise. I haven't met anyone who's had personal phenomenal success from social links (jobs, money.)
I don't think committing web page real-estate is worth the distraction and visual noise. I haven't met anyone who's had personal phenomenal success from social links (jobs, money.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)