Issue #33
September 07, 2006

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:
  • Mike Klassen Presents 5 Surefire Strategies for Making Your Work Stand Out
  • Quick Tip: Control the Way Prospects Feel About People in Photos
  • The IFD Mailbag
  • EXTRA! EXTRA! News and Job Opportunities
How to Make a Big Impression with Your Practice Exercises and Real-World Projects
By Mike Klassen

It's always fun to meet other designers at AWAI's Bootcamp. The work we do – with its focus on direct marketing – is unusual, so getting a chance to share stories and learn from one another face-to-face can't be beat.

One topic that comes up constantly from beginning designers is how best to approach the Graphic Design Success practice exercises.

Having provided feedback on a number of them – and seen exercises incorporated as portfolio pieces at Bootcamp – let me give you some easy tips to make your exercises stand out. These will also serve you well for landing clients and showing your work during the Job Fair at Bootcamp.

1. Pay close attention to spelling.

Even if there aren't any mistakes in the copy you're laying out – and often there will be – it's possible that you'll make some yourself when importing text or moving it around in your layout program. So make sure you proofread all the text before submitting your design.

Clients are grateful when you spot and correct errors (ask for confirmation if you have any doubt) even though you might not technically be responsible for proofreading. That adds value to your service … and clients will notice!

Tip: In addition to printing out my work and looking for errors, I also take a PDF of my project and look at it blown up on screen at 150% or more. That really helps expose problems in the text that I might have missed at normal size.

2. Be consistent.

I see lots of copywriters who use one blank space between sentences, but inadvertently have two spaces here or there. (These days, one space is standard.)

As a designer, you may think that's the writer's problem. But remember, you're part of a team ... so cover your copywriter's back. A client may not notice discrepancies in spacing, but if they do it makes you, not the copywriter, look like an amateur.

The same consistency issues apply to dashes and ellipses. For example, don't switch back and forth between using a blank space around ellipses or dashes and not using spaces.

Tip: Use the Find/Replace function of your layout program to search for double spaces. Just press your spacebar twice in the Find field. If two spaces aren't appropriate where you find them, replace them with one space. You can use similar searches to uncover spacing issues related to dashes and ellipses.

3. Follow the instructions for project page length.

If you're asked to lay out text so it fits on one page, don't use one and a half pages. It might not matter for exercises, but it does for clients. A specific page length request is usually motivated by money. Extra pages mean extra costs. If a client says they need a 16-page magalog, telling him you need 17 pages to make everything fit isn't going to fly.

If the text doesn't fit, the most obvious place to start is with font size. Decreasing the body copy font size by a small number like 0.2 of a point is often all the difference you need to make it fit properly. Another option is to play with margin settings by a fraction of an inch. Or slightly decrease font sizes for headlines and subheads. The possibilities are almost endless. You need to consider all options.

Tip: Once I have my basic layout, I start saving it as multiple files so I can make major changes without fear of having to start over if things go awry. At least I know I always have my “base” layout to go back to. One layout may be with a 14-point font, while another may be 13 points – with appropriate file names that let me know which is which.

What do you do if the client specifies a 16-page layout but sends you 16 tightly typed pages? In that case – and it will occasionally happen – it is best to contact the client and ask if he wants to cut copy or add pages.

4. Save your work as a PDF.

If you don't have Adobe Acrobat, use one of the free PDF converters. When you use PDF, you ensure that the layout you see on your end is the layout your client sees. If you're working in Word for Windows and are using a font the client doesn't have, Word will substitute another font and throw off the look of your project.

Tip: Search the Internet for “Free PDF Converters” if you don't own Acrobat. There are many free PDF makers available, including www.pdf995.com.

5. Experiment with designs.

Once you've done what's required for an exercise or client project, experiment and come up with something extra. I was hired to design a magalog, and instructed to have the cover show an outline of the state of California with a photo of a gas well completely filling the outline. I gave the client some options, with different gas well photos in the outline. On a whim, I wondered what it might look like to also drop in a stock photo of $100 bills over the gas well photo, and make the money photo just slightly visible. It took me less than two minutes to do ... and that's the option the client used on the cover.

Tip: Once you get a design you like, force yourself to come up with a few variations, or even a totally new version of what you have. You'll often find that these are the designs that push your creativity to a new level.

I assure you that it's often the little things that make you and your work stand out.

See you at Bootcamp in November!

[Ed. Note: Mike Klassen runs Klassen Communications, a direct-mail layout and design studio. Originally intending to be a freelance writer, Mike switched career paths after discovering AWAI's Graphic Design Success program. He attended his first Bootcamp in 2004, and was a presenter in 2005. He returns again this year to share techniques that every designer should know. Learn how you can join him at: http://www.awaionline.com/graphicsbootcamp/.]

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QUICK TIP: Control the Way Prospects Feel About People in Photos
By Kristin Schwarz

In a recent graphic design workshop, I learned an interesting photo fact. If you show a close-up of a person's face, the person is perceived as intellectual by people who look at it. The more a photo reveals of a person's body, the less intellectual and more physical – even playful or sexy – the person appears to be.

If you're designing a letter or brochure for a financial or medical product or service, crop photos close to your subject's face. It will make the person in the photo look more sincere.

If you're designing for a fashion or fitness product, show as much of the subject's body as possible, since the message demands a more physical look.

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Are You Worried That Your Computer Skills Are Holding You Back?

Learn how you can fix your “problem” areas … and find solutions to all kinds of problems you might be facing at this very moment by clicking here:

http://www.awaionline.com/basics/

Save This Special Date:
An Invitation to a FREE Teleconference From Lori Haller

Hi Graphic Designers,

Haller here. I hope you had a fantastic summer! With the AWAI FastTrack to Success Bootcamp approaching, I've received lots of questions from members asking why I think they should attend. They also want to know what they can learn at Bootcamp that they can't learn from books, the Internet, and other materials.

I was planning on answering those questions by email. But then I came up with a better idea. Who better to tell you what they learned and gained from Bootcamp than graphic designers who've attended in the past? So we pulled together a group of designers who attribute most of their success to Bootcamp. And they want to tell you the how's and why's … in their own voices!

We're holding a special telephone conference call on Thursday, September 14, at 3 p.m. EST. And it's absolutely FREE. If you're interested in learning more about FastTrack to Graphic Design Success 2006, this is an excellent opportunity to hear about this year's program and get answers to all your questions.

You will automatically receive the call instructions the morning of the call.

If you have specific questions about this year's Bootcamp, please submit them via email by September 11, 2006 to graphics@awaionline.com and I'll be sure to answer them during the call.

FROM THE IFD MAILBAG…
by Kristin Schwarz

Hello, everyone! We open today's Mailbag with an interesting question about CorelDraw. And then we have some good news from our friend and GDS member Mike Klassen (who also contributed today's feature article).

Dear AWAI,

I've just completed my first practice exercise for Graphic Design Success, and I truly enjoyed it. Now that I am learning the “ins” and “outs” of successful direct-mail design, I have also become more and more interested in graphic design layout software.

My son, who is an engineer, recommended that I use CorelDraw for layout. He uses his program for his work. My question is: Can I really use this program for page layout? I have read about QuarkXPress and InDesign as good choices, but I could not find much about CorelDraw. Will potential clients accept files in CorelDraw? Any information is greatly appreciated.

John S.

Dear John,

Although CorelDraw is not as widely known as QuarkXPress, it does indeed have layout capabilities. CorelDraw supports multi-page layout, and lets you position text and images. The latest version also has enhanced text handling capabilities, including many of the text formatting features of traditional layout programs (such as kerning, leading, and hyphenation).

CorelDraw is a Windows-only program. Printers might not accept CorelDraw application files, but you can export those files into press-ready PDFs. Here are some free resources that you may find useful:

About.com's CorelDraw site: http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/coreldrawsuite/

From Corel's website: www.corel.com/servlet/Satellite/?pagename=Corel3/Section/Display&sid=1047024315119&gid=1047024331836&cid=1047024331882

For more information on graphic design software, go to http://www.thedesignerslife.com/buyingsoftware/.

Hi AWAI team,

I just landed another magalog, my fourth this year. This one is for a totally new client. Strange set of circumstances. Someone who had bought my eBook tipped me off to a copywriter who was trying to find a direct-market designer for a magalog. I wrote to the copywriter and pointed her to my site so she could see my first two magalogs.

I never heard back from the copywriter, but I just got a call from the client who needs the magalog. I quoted my price and told him he could think about it and give me a call back. He said he didn't need to think about it ... and hired me. (You realize that means I probably quoted too low, even though it's more than I've ever received for a project.)

This magalog will be for a furniture company, so I think we'll have something a lot fancier than my prior magalogs where the clients were really clear that they didn't like “glitzy.”

And fellow Graphic Design member Dennis Rome has landed his first magalog, so these are happy days for both of us. If I had any illustration skills, I'd draw a little picture right here of me dancing happily in my studio. For now, please just imagine it.

Mike Klassen

Dear Mike,

Congratulations on your fourth magalog! What exciting news. Your hard work and commitment are paying off. Keep up the good work.

Congratulations also go out to Dennis Rome, who landed his first magalog – a big step for any graphic designer.

To learn all about magalog design from the masters and meet Mike and Dennis click here http://www.awaionline.com/graphicsbootcamp/.

That's it for now...

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
  • GRAPHIC DESIGNER -- Overstock.com, the popular bargain shopping site, needs a creative graphic designer to help them develop winning online ads and web pages. You must think like a marketer. You need to be proficient in the Adobe design suite, Flash, html, cascading style sheets, and Javascript. Send your resume to Teresa at resume@overstock.com.
  • GRAPHIC DESIGNER -- Caleel + Hayden needs an experienced designer who can produce effective designs for print ads, catalogs, flyers, and online campaigns. You must be able to work in Adobe Photoshop and QuarkXpress. Degreed candidates preferred. Send your resume to jobs@chillc.com.
  • GRAPHIC DESIGNER -- Neiman Marcus, a high end retailer, needs a graphic designer to join a small team working to maintain their retail site. The site is updated daily. They want someone with positive energy who can work with little supervision. The position is a freelance, onsite opportunity with the possibility of becoming full time. Send your resume and at least three samples to lascolinas_GD@yahoo.com.
COMING NEXT ISSUE:
  • Rob Davis Tells How to Overcome Magalog Jitters
  • Quick Tip: How to Use Clip Art Like a Pro
* ABOUT INSIDE FREELANCE DESIGN *

Inside Freelance Design is a FREE bi-weekly newsletter from American Writers & Artists Inc., available to AWAI members and friends.

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