Inside Freelance Design

Issue #14
December 15, 2005

Welcome to Inside Freelance Design (IFD), your free, bi-weekly e-letter from American Writers & Artists Inc. Every other week, you can receive this special alert with secrets, tips, and insights from AWAI's graphic design pros to help you improve your skills and reach your goal of becoming a professional graphic designer in the fastest time possible.

IN THIS ISSUE:

• Put Your Prospect in the Mood to Buy, by Roger Parker
• Quick Tip: Your Professional Image Does Not Have to Cost a Fortune, by Kristin Schwarz
• The IFD Mailbag
• News and Job Opportunities for AWAI Members

Put Your Prospect in the Mood to Buy
By Roger C. Parker

Michael Masterson has said many times that great copy succeeds “at the margins.” You can't hope to convert someone who has absolutely no interest in your product. And it's no great feat to make a sale to people who already have a great desire for it.

The difference between a blockbuster package and a mediocre one is persuading the people who are at the margin. So to have a successful control, you have to give these people that extra push.

If the copy is good, this extra push comes from the design of your package.

The design should create the right “emotional context” – the visual selling environment. It should put your prospect in the right mood to purchase by reflecting the Unique Selling Proposition (USP) and by reflecting the person you're selling to.

To determine the best emotional context to reach your prospect, think in terms of opposites. Ask yourself the following six questions about your product:

1. Affordable or expensive?

Here's a true story from Michael Masterson that demonstrates the importance of this question:

“Many, many years ago, I walked into a travel agency, feeling I couldn't afford anything. But my bargain-hunting eye spied a cheap-looking flyer selling a Canary Islands vacation for $289. I booked it, and it turned out to be a great vacation.

“I found out many moons later that my boss at the time had promoted that trip. He told me he'd spent six months trying to promote the package unsuccessfully with fancy 4-color glossy brochures. One day, he realized he was sending the wrong signal and switched to cheap offset on garish yellow stock. The brochure's message was, ‘I'm cheap! Look here!’ And business boomed.

“He was right. There were dozens of brochures on that rack when I walked into the travel agency that day, but I only looked at one. Had I not been drawn to the tacky look of the advertising, I probably would have turned around and walked out – that's how sure I was that I couldn't afford any of those packaged trips.

“When people want to buy cheap, they look for cheap-looking marketing packages. When they want to buy quality, they look for quality. You've got to focus on and accentuate whatever your market values.”

2. Friendly or exclusive?

If you're trying to convey that the offer is meant for an exclusive group, your design should look elite and exclusive. If you're using a friendly and down-home approach, you'll want a very simple, unobtrusive layout.

3. Informal or formal?

The level of formality in your design is usually determined by the price of the product. The more expensive the product, the more formal the design. But not always. Sometimes, if you are selling a cheaper product to an older audience, it's better to have a formal look.

4. Conservative or contemporary?

Whether to choose a conservative or a contemporary look for your package usually depends on the age of your prospect. Older audiences are wary of hip designs. Conversely, a younger audience doesn't respond well to anything too stodgy or drab.

5. Entrepreneurial or corporate?

Do your prospects see themselves as independent trailblazers? Or, are they more concerned with job security and edging their way up the corporate ladder? Let your design reflect these orientations.

6. Innovative or established?

How do you want to present yourself to your prospect? Does your credibility focus on new hot ideas ... or established, tried-and-true formulas?

Use these six questions as starting points to help decide on the type and feel of the design you use for a promotional package. You'll design for your prospect's emotional state … and your design will increase the package's success “at the margins.”

[Roger C. Parker is Executive Advisor of AWAI's Graphic Design Success Program. Click here for more info: http://www.awaionline.com/cwgraphicdesign.

Roger is the author of 30 books – including the best-selling “Looking Good in Print.” Over 1.6 million copies of his books are in print in more than 37 languages, and Roger has written more than 150 articles in many well-known publications.

He has done sales and marketing training and product development for clients such as Adobe, Agfa, Apple, Bose, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, and Volvo. And he has developed and conducted over 175 desktop publishing and design seminars throughout the United States and Australia.]

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QUICK TIP: Your Professional Image Does Not Have to Cost a Fortune
By Kristin Schwarz

In the old days, using a professional printing house to print your self-promotional materials was costly and impractical. Most printers would not even consider small print runs. And who wants 10,000 business cards or 50,000 flyers taking up office space – no matter what they cost?

In the last few years, online printing companies have emerged, making it possible to print small quantities of everything from stationery to business cards, presentation folders, CD covers, and even boxes and cascading folder inserts inexpensively. And many companies provide templates for you to use.

You simply upload your art to their site and, in most cases, you receive a digital proof within 24 hours in PDF. Some online printers even offer live, online support.

This new development has another advantage. If you're designing for small companies, they can now afford to have small print runs done professionally. This means more work for you. You may even want to offer to coordinate the printing for your client, adding value to your service and setting you apart from other designers.

Here are some sites we like:

www.KoolPrint.com
www.48hourprint.com
www.printusa.com
www.overnightprints.com
www.vistaprint.com

There are many more. Do an online search and compare service and prices.

[Ed. Note: AWAI is not associated with any of these companies, and gains nothing by listing them.]

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FROM THE IFD MAILBAG ...
by Kristin Schwarz

Hello, everyone!

Thanks to Master Copywriter John Forde for passing on the following email that he received from a subscriber to his Copywriting Roundtable:

I've designed a couple of direct-marketing letters for Andrew Owen, the Naked Writer, as well as the spec assignments from the AWAI Bootcamp. Andrew and I “found” each other when he sent an email to the AWAI forum asking for a graphic designer. Apparently, I was the only one to answer his request. (I love the Internet! I'm in Houston, Texas, and he's in the Netherlands!)

My question is, how can I market myself for the direct-marketing field? I would like to send samples of my work to companies that copywriters write for. Any insight you can give me on this would really be appreciated!

Jan Lybarger
jan@mainstreetgraphix.com

Dear Jan,

How to market your design services to potential clients is one of the most important questions for up-and-coming designers. We will go into more detail in future issue of IFD. Meanwhile, here are a few tips we hope will be useful.

1. Research Your Potential Client List.

Companies that use the services of freelance copywriters are often also in need of direct-mail designers. In the last IFD mailbag, we talked about using the “Who's Mailing What” website www.whosmailingwhat.com to look for potential clients. (Also see Chris Marlow's article in issue #197 of The Golden Thread, November 11, 2005.) Find out who's in charge of hiring freelance graphic designers and send your self-promotional package directly to that person. Attach samples of your work. Your cover letter should emphasize how your services can benefit the potential client.

2. Give Your Clients the Royal Treatment.

It is far easier to maintain existing clients than to constantly find new ones. Design pro Lori Haller tells us that most of her business comes from clients she has known for many years. Her advice: Don't just look at a job as a one-time deal. Give your very best to each design or layout, even if it is just a small project. You never know what additional work this will lead to – for the same client or someone he refers you to.

3. Team Up with Copywriters.

Clients often ask copywriters if they know a direct-mail designer that they would like to work with on laying out the piece. It saves the client the time and hassle to find someone – plus, the job is then more likely to become a team effort (which every client appreciates). A good place to look for copywriters to team up with is the AWAI member form. Also, check out our job board www.directresponsejobs.com where both copywriters and graphic designers can find clients.

The holiday season is upon us ... along with the task of sending cards to family, friends, and clients. This year, instead of simply sending the usual preprinted Christmas cards, take a more personal approach. Send a brief, handwritten message – if possible, on a card that you designed yourself. Office supplies stores sell great greeting card stock that gives your design a polished and professional look. And some online printshops (see today's Quick Tip) make printing your greeting cards easy and affordable.

Make sure the cards you send to clients reflect your professionalism. Express your appreciation, and tell them how much you look forward to continuing the relationship. The extra effort and thought you put into your holiday greetings will be remembered.

Until next time ...

Kristin

[Ed. Note: If you have a question or comment for Kristin, please send it to:
insidefreelancedesign@awaionline.com, Attn: Kristin Schwarz.]

EXTRA! EXTRA! News and Job Opportunities for AWAI Members

• GRAPHIC DESIGNER - ServiceMagic, a fast-growing technology company in Colorado, seeks a designer to work on contract. You'll help their in-house team to develop web and print designs. You need to be a good communicator, work well in a team environment, and be comfortable under deadline. You must be knowledgeable of web design tools, along with Quark, Illustrator, and Photoshop. Send your resume and three work samples to sgarcia@servicemagic.com.
• GRAPHIC DESIGNER - Vin Corporation is a musical instrument manufacturer. They need an energetic, skilled graphic designer to join their team. You must be experienced in both print and web design. You'll need to know Quark, Illustrator, and Photoshop. A background in the music industry is also helpful. Send your resume to hr@carvin.com.
• GRAPHIC DESIGNER - University Frames needs a graphic designer to help prepare catalogs, flyers, brochures, and other marketing materials. You should know Photoshop, Illustrator, and Corel Draw. Web experience will give you an advantage. joelean@universityframes.com.

COMING NEXT ISSUE:

• Making Numbers in Promos Easy to Understand … and Profitable ... With Infographics
• QUICK TIP: Learning Photoshop Elements the Fun Way

* ABOUT INSIDE FREELANCE DESIGN *

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