Business graphics

workflows

Parties involved

Other possible parties

• Customer’s mother and similar authorities

• Printer, webmaster – physical suppliers

2Business graphics

Supplier• Company/individual

creating the graphics

Customer• Company/individual

ordering the graphics

Customer

• Graphics mostly used for

communication

– Advertisements, sales support

– Product packaging

– Corporate identity

→ marketing dept., public relations, product dept.

• Good to have basic knowledge about

graphics

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Supplier

• Graphic designer, artist, art director

• Freelancer

– Independent, project-wise hired

• Agency

– Time-wise or project-wise contract

• In-house

– Employee, time-wise hired

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Basic scenario

Step 1: Assignment

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Definition of the assignment

• Goal of the final graphics

• Target groups

• Target technologies

Graphic material

• Company logo & guidelines

• Design manual

• (Product) photographs

Price calculation

Time estimate

+ Don’t forget the contract

Step 2: Design drafts

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Design proposals

• Sketches

• Drafts

Feedback

Step 3: Finalization

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Final design

• Graphic files (for press, for

edit, …)

• Printed material (if ordered)

License

Invoice

Payment

+ Don’t forget delivery report

Variations

Supplier types - Freelancer

+ Independent

+ Cheap

+ Flexible working time

• Risks and negatives? Discuss…

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Supplier types – In-house

+ Employee

- More expensive

+ (usually) 9-5 working time

• Always the same guy…

• When does it pay to have one?

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Supplier types – Agency

• Management

• Account manager

• Art dept.

– Art director

– Graphic designer, DTP

+ More professional

- Expensive

- Many people in the chain

- Communication gets hard

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Thanks to www.sp-studio.de

Authorities over customer

• E.g. Corporate headquarters

• Global brand management

- Restrictions, policies

+ Global support

– Expert art department

– Global photo bank

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Other suppliers

• Printer

• Webmaster

• Programmer (e.g. Flash)

• Contracted by the supplier

• or separate supplier

– Discuss pros and cons

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Contracts &

Legal issues

Contract duration

• Single project / campaign

+ Good variability between projects

+ Price negotiation per project

- Lack of experience with new suppliers

• Time-based contract

+ Good continuity

+ History with the supplier

– Dependency on the supplier

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Safe points of a contract

• Draft-feedback-revision loop

• Form of delivery

– Media, software, file format

– Print quality and quantity

• Delivery deadline

• Copyright transfer / license

• Error control and responsibility

• Price for the design and price for changes

• Pricing: total vs. hourly

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License to use the design

• Unlimited

– The licensee “owns” the design

– Free to use, free to change

– Can change supplier

• Limited

– Usually free to use but not free to change

• No license

– The customer is dependent on the supplier

– Not possible to change supplier → money

• Time-limited

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License to use the design

• License types

– Completely free (also for commercial use)

– Free for non-commercial use

– Restricted use

• Attribution right

– Mention the author with each use

• Royalties

– Fees paid for repeated (ongoing) usage

• Often with purchased 3rd party designs

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Miscellaneous

practical information

Software

• Adobe Photoshop €800

– Design, Photo retouching

• Adobe Illustrator, CorelDraw €800, €500

– Vector design, Page layout (DTP)

• Quark XPress, Adobe InDesign €1200, €800

– Professional DTP (multi-page)

• Maya, 3D Studio Max ~ €4000

– 3D graphics and animation

• Adobe Flash €800

– Web banners and applications

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Software

• Cheaper options: packages

– Adobe Creative Suite Design Standard 1200 €

(PS, AI, INDD)

– CorelDraw Graphic Suite 700 €

(Draw, PhotoPaint, Trace, Capture)

• Even cheaper options: free software

– Inkscape 0 €

– GIMP, Paint.NET 0 €

– Scribus 0 €

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File formats

• Information exchange

• Vector graphics (curves, outlines)

• Bitmap graphics (raster, pixels)

• Editable formats (vectors, layers)

– AI, CDR, EPS, SVG

– PSD

– Sometimes PDF, sometimes PNG

• Non-editable

– Raster formats (JPEG, PNG)

– Often PDF

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Information exchange

• Color information (remember RGB, CMYK)

• Image size (in pixels, in mm, cm, inch…)

• Image resolution (“quality”)DPI = 25,4 * (width in pixels) / (width in mm)

• Text can be:

– Converted to curves / shapes / outlines

• For printing. Non-editable

– Editable

• For editing

• Bleed

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Required resolution (DPI = ?)

• for close view: 150-300 dpi

– magazines, leaflets, posters

• for medium-range view: 50-100 dpi

– Big posters, city lights

• for long-range view: 15-30 dpi

– Billboards, Bigboards

• Web, computer displays: ~ 80 dpi

• PPI / DPI confusion

• Best thing to do: consult with the printing co.

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Useful online resources

• Stock photo

– iStockphoto, Stock.XCHNG, Shutterstock

– Getty Images, Corbis, Profimedia (.sk), …

• Other sources

– Flickr, deviantart (be careful about licenses)

• Fonts

– DaFont.com, WhatTheFont!

• Online editors

– Pixlr, Aviary

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Questions?