Lessons learned from design to print, crucial factors you need to know!

Although design is usually taken on face value, taking a look at the process itself can be very interesting. A designers journey is more often than not about far more than just design. Projects seem simple but they become more complex, and this is the same for most projects.

Design itself is the easy part, its what people know exactly how to do, but its the actual project topic or subject matter that you need to get to grips with. The more you learn, the more you understand, the more efficiently you can design. This can be said for an in depth brief but that’s not just it, you need to learn more, so learn who the company is and what it does, these two aren’t necessarily linked to the design process but they DEFINITELY HELP to create the end product. The design process is not always a standard technique you have to follow, its more about learning that different types of people respond differently and have different needs. Once you have learned these lessons you can truly start to design something amazingly bespoke, and what comes out is guaranteed to be more successful.

To add an extra dimension to the process, the print is another element a designer might have to pitch or think about when they design.

Below are FIVE PRO TIPS, for essential insights for print:

1. Get a selection of printers to work with. Their quotes are usually based around the size of their press, so depending on the size and amount of colour’s, they may come up trumps for one job and then be far too expensive for another.

2. Any spare time offers the perfect opportunity to catch up on what your fellow designers and what they have been working on with a printer. It’s great to get away from your computer and have a look at some of your peers work.

3. If you spot a real howler then it’s definitely best to get new plates made at this point rather than know that the projects gone wrong.

4. Listen to what your printer has to say when discussing stocks and finishes - they do this every day. But the ultimate decisions are down to you - don’t let them dictate the job!

5. Think about the combined finished effects: source as many as possible for reference so you know how they’ll turn out. But also try to take educated ricks, and be adventurous.


If you want more information and helpful tips please visit our website at www.tridentdesign.co.uk

Stamp Prices Rise - How to Still Reach Your Audience Despite the Increase in Prices

The Royal Mail announcement that a First Class Stamp was due to rise to 60p, was an additional cost that businesses across the country really did not need. It will have lead to many considering avoiding using the Royal Mail where ever possible. This could be entirely possible in cases such as invoicing, but with email open and click through rates lower than ever, it would be very foolish to give up using the medium of print and direct mail to reach your customers and prospects.

Remember - mixed media campaigns have the greatest conversion rates!

It is entirely possible to still manage to contact your target audience through direct mail, without breaking the bank. Here are a few ways to do this:

1. Target your audience and keep your database up to date.
There is no point in sending a very attractive brochure advertising Golf clubs to someone who has no interest in Golf, but actually prefers chess. Make sure when you buy your database or gather your client data, you are getting people who have a genuine interest in what you are offering. 1000 hot leads, with a genuine interest rather than 5000 with a vague, or no interest is going to yield a much greater return, not to mention the saving on postage.


2. Look at other options on postage rather than stamps.
A stamp or even franked mail from the office can cost a lot. If you are sending out a large number of letters, there are a number of options available from the Royal Mail that are actually cheaper. One of the new products that has been launched is Advertising Mail, where you get a cheaper rate of postage for using that particular service. Another is Walksort. If you are covering a localised area - this could work for you. There are, of course, other options including TNT mail and other private carriers which are always worth consideration.


3. Plan what you are sending out prior to printing it.
Rather than print what you always produce, it could save you money by playing to the new Royal Mail rule book a little bit more. Look at different sizes, weights of finished item etc. It could be that you can get the same message and conversion rate, just by printing slightly differently or using a different technique.

4. Joint venture with other businesses
If the cost of mailing is still too high, look to work with other complimentary businesses and do a joint mailing with them, you can share the cost, and your databases. 


What ever you do, do not stop speaking to your customers. If you stop talking to them, you can be sure someone else will be!


If you are thinking of a new direct mail campaign and need some ideas on how to plan the printing, a creative idea to engage a new customer base, or plan the mailing and distribution, please give me a call. +44 1455 557766 or visit www.tridentdesign.co.uk


Thanks for reading.


Adam Burrage

New Rectruit - Joins Trident

Due to increased expansion, we have recruited another person to assist in providing clients quicker turnarounds for quotes, production questions and to assist with general office administration. We like to offer young people opportunities and Jake is joining us after finishing his A-levels. He will be joining Rebecca (our most recent design recruit), who came from a Graduate Internship with Demontfort University in 2009.

Here is a brief intro from Jake himself.....

''Hi, I'm Jake. I have just started a Business Administration apprenticeship for Trident in which I have taken on the role of sales support. I have not long left school after finishing two years of A-levels at William Bradford Community College. After passing my three A-levels in History, Chemistry and Physics I started applying for jobs and apprenticeships. I was given an opportunity for an apprenticeship at Trident in December 2011. I had an interview in which I was successful, and now Trident is the first company I have worked for. I make sure I put 100% into any task that I have been given so I can produce the best results that are possible. It feels great working for a company which works with different companies all around the world.

In my spare time I enjoy playing football with my friends, following and watching football (in the Premier league mainly), watching movies, listening to music, playing video games online, reading books and socialising with my friends and family.

I look forward to meeting you all as my job progresses!

www.tridentdesign.co.uk

10 Things to expect from your designer

Trident have read and researched the logo design process, these facts and opinions are taken from the best websites to give you the most balanced opinions from around the world. We hope you find this as interesting and as insightful as we have.

Choosing a designer can be a daunting decision for a client. After all, the visual identity of his/her business depends on the choice. Here are a few important attributes to expect from a graphic designer.

1. An informative website

A client should expect to learn something from the designer before paying a penny, and the designer’s online presence should do the job.

Informative websites help on a number of counts.

    * Trust is built through communication in blog comments
    * Attention to detail can be seen through design project case studies
    * Positive references will accompany portfolio entries
    * Communication skills are evident through proper grammar

2. Excellent communication skills

3. Attention to detail

Changing smallest detail can greatly alter the impact of a brand identity.

4. Great customer service

How fast can clients expect a response to their questions? Unless prior notice has been given, email replies should be received within 24 hours during a project’s standard working week. Telephone communication should be available throughout normal working hours.

What about after the design handover? A designer should remain on hand to help with any printing questions or file-type issues.

5. Trustworthiness

6. Good time management

Deadlines are a vital part of the design process. A client could be waiting on the designer to finalise the identity before an ad campaign is rolled-out, or before office signage is installed, so the last thing needed is to have the agreed time frame pushed back.

7. Positive references

References — or client testimonials — offer a great insight into previous customer satisfaction.

8. Flexibility

No matter how detailed the initial design brief, there must always be room for flexibility. Things can change during each stage of the process, requiring a different outlook from that first anticipated. Both the client and the graphic designer should accommodate some movement.

9. A strong portfolio

Previous projects speak volumes about what to expect. Rather than focus on my own graphic design portfolio, here are some others containing nice identity design work.When browsing portfolios, it’s good to see design diversity, both in client industry and project outcome.

10. Common courtesy

Nice shouldn’t cost extra.

 To reiterate, 10 things to expect from a designer:

   1. An informative website
   2. Excellent communication skills
   3. Attention to detail
   4. Great customer service
   5. Trustworthiness
   6. Good time management
   7. Positive references
   8. Flexibility
   9. A strong portfolio
  10. Common courtesy

5 Ways to Maximise Your Print Spend

In today's climate, every £1 spent on marketing has to make itself count. There are endless ways in which you can boost how far your marketing budget can go. This article will focus on ways in which you can maximise your print spend for direct mail or brochure printing. This could also be applied to magazine printing.
Here are 5 ways in which you can make each £1 work harder for you.







1. Target your mailings to the right audience, there is no point sending out a blanket wash of mailings to people whom it is not relevant. It would be better to spend a bit of time keeping your database up to date, print and mail less, and save your budget for your next campaign.

2. Reduce the paper weight of the brochure / mail piece by a few gsm. It will most save you money and most people will not notice the difference if you drop your brochure from 130gsm to 100gsm text paper. This could save you a few hundred £'s on a 32pp brochure for 10,000 copies. You may even save on the mailing cost if the weight of the brochure falls into the lower weight mailing band.

3. Work with your printer to look at other options on paper brands and types. Some of the lesser known papers may well be more cost effective and give you an equally comparable result in terms of whiteness, brightness and smoothness and print quality. You may already be on the right paper, but it's worth having that conversation.

4. Work with your printer to look at the most cost effective paginations for their press / process of printing. You may be able to get more pages for the same amount of money if you work with how their press is set up. For example: 120 pages is far less economical than 128, so it may work out cheaper to print 128 pages rather than 120, and you get more space to talk about what you want to talk about!

5. Spend money on design - this is probably the most important part. If the design is not working and giving people the right reasons to call you, then it does not matter how good the printing is, they will not call. Good design should give people a reason to call within 5 seconds of them glancing at the page.

For more information on how to maximise your print spend for your next campaign, please visit http://www.tridentdesign.co.uk
We have over 30 years of print management experitise to save you time and money.