Here are some tips and tricks to help streamline the process when you’re working with a professional designer.
1. Plan ahead with a kickoff meeting.
- Get on the same page from the start by making deadlines and milestones clear up front.
- Let the designer know if a project will require numerous, rapid rounds of changes.
- Make sure the designer knows where the graphic will be used, whether in a presentation, a printed piece, or online.
2. Finalize the content before design.
- Have a clear purpose for the graphics and the content the designer needs to highlight. This helps streamline the concepting/design process.
- Ensure spellings, data, and stats are correct to avoid unnecessary revisions.
- Have the content typed out so it doesn’t have to be keyed in and proofed before design.
3. Make sure the content fits.
- Look at the content in Word before sending it to the designer. If the text fills up a space bigger than the graphic is supposed to be, reduce the word count accordingly.
- Let the designer know if there’s a required font and if there are size limits for either the overall graphic or the text.
4. Provide visuals.
- Providing visuals is always helpful. Share a similar graphic that reflects the look and feel you’re after. Don’t hesitate to draw up a rough sketch to show how you’d like the data organized. Examples don’t have to be perfect or exact; even quick sketches provide a great starting point for discussion and ideas.
5. Closely monitor your revisions.
- Even small tweaks can eat up hours. Complex or text-heavy graphics are especially time-intensive to rework.
- If multiple people will be reviewing a project or graphic, compile all feedback before sending it to the designer.