Issue #61
October 04, 2007

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:
  • Respect What the Copywriter Is Doing, by Mike Klassen
  • Quick Tip: How to Fix Perspective Problems in Photoshop, by Will Newman
  • EXTRA! EXTRA! News and Job Opportunities
Respect What the Copywriter Is Doing
by Mike Klassen

In quite a few of my layout jobs, I don’t have direct contact with the copywriter. I’m brought in by the client after he has signed off with the copywriter, and I end up working with the client if there are any issues with the copy.

Some clients prefer this approach, because they want to be the sole contact between the copywriter and designer. They’re concerned that if they’re not the go-between, the copywriter and designer may make changes and forget to tell them. Ultimately, it’s the client holding the bag when it comes to the success or failure of the promotion, so this is a reasonable attitude.

However, the practice of isolating the designer and copywriter from each other is not always the best practice.

Here’s what master DM designer Lori Haller has to say about these two halves of the DM process working cooperatively with each other:

“Designers and copywriters have a better chance of having a successful package by working collaboratively with each other. I’ve found designers are eager to work with copywriters, but they don’t always know exactly how to work with either the copy or the copywriter. And copywriters don’t always understand how designers translate their ideas into a visual product.” – Lori Haller

I strongly encourage my clients to bounce last-minute design ideas or changes off the copywriter, even if his work is complete. Doing this ensures that you respect the copywriter’s vision for the package … a vision based on his expertise in direct marketing.

Let me give you two examples where I feel the copywriter should have been involved – even though he was “finished” with the project.

1. How One Word Might Have Made a Difference

I was working on the layout of a newspaper ad. It had a bold, one-word headline at the top. The client suggested that we include a photo at the top of the ad illustrating that single word.

I found a great photo, but it included the same word. I worried that having the photo next to the one-word headline was redundant.

Since we’d be tampering with the copywriter’s vision of the ad, I felt strongly that we should get his opinion. Great copywriters don’t throw in extra words without having a reason.

And, justified or not, if an ad bombs, it’s usually the copywriter who takes the hit.

So, to honor his vision and expertise, I asked the client to find out if the copywriter preferred the ad with or without the photo.

But the client didn’t do it … and we lost the opportunity to make an improvement that could very well have elevated the ad’s response rate.

2. Envelope Copy … or Not?

A client decided he needed envelope copy for a sales letter after the letter had been written. Again, I suggested getting the copywriter involved. I thought we should know how she felt about envelope copy vs. no envelope copy for this particular promotion. And if she felt that envelope copy was the way to go, I thought we should get her recommendation for what the copy should be. . After all, if the envelope isn’t doing its job in getting the recipient to open it, the sales letter won’t get read. And then we’re back to the copywriter getting blamed for a failed promotion.

I told the client what I knew about the pros and cons of envelope copy and, based on that, he made the decision to go ahead with some copy he came up with without her. As a result, we’ll never know if she had a vision for stronger, more successful copy than we ended up with.

The lesson to take from all this: Respect the copywriter. If changes are being made that take the design of a promotion in a direction that wasn’t originally planned, talk to your client about getting the writer involved.

Here, again, is Lori Haller on the subject of collaboration:

Every one of your promotions will be stronger and more successful ... and your business as a freelancer will be more profitable ... if you work cooperatively, courteously, and respectfully with all the members of the project team. – Lori Haller

[Ed. Note: DM graphic designer and GDS Member Mike Klassen adapted this article from his popular blog at http://mikeklassen.blogspot.com. Mike’s blog is a potpourri of design ideas, success secrets, and just good conversation.]

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QUICK TIP: How to Fix Perspective Problems in Photoshop
by Will Newman

When you take a photograph of a moderately tall tree, building, or other structure, there’s a good chance the image will have some degree of keystone distortion.

Keystone distortion occurs when an object is photographed from below rather than straight on. For example, if you take a picture of a tall building from ground level, the edges of the building will appear closer to each other at the top than at the bottom.

You can eliminate this problem in Photoshop by using the Crop tool.

  1. Select the Crop tool

  2. Drag the cropping marquee around an object that was rectangular in the original scene (although it doesn’t appear rectangular in the image). The marquee doesn’t have to be precise – you’ll adjust it later.

    Important: You must select an object that was rectangular in the original scene or you might not get the perspective transformation you expected.

  3. Select the small Perspective button in the Options bar. (Experiment with other options to get the results you want.)

  4. Move the corner handles of the cropping marquee to match the object’s edges. It’s crucial to match the object’s edges precisely.

  5. Drag the side handles to extend the cropping bounds while preserving the perspective.

    Do not move the center point of the cropping marquee. The center point needs to be in its original position in order to perform perspective correction.

  6. Do one of the following:

    1. To accept the transformation: Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS), click the checkmark button in the Options bar, or double-click inside the cropping marquee.

    2. To cancel the cropping operation, press Esc or click the slashed circle button in the Options bar.

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EXTRA! EXTRA! News and Job Opportunities
  • GRAPHIC DESIGNER –Resolute Corporation in Bellevue, WN needs a skilled graphic designer. You’ll work with the creative director to develop marketing campaigns and design concepts. You must be an innovative thinker and be able to demonstrate it through your work samples. Experienced designers with at least a two-year degree will be given preference. Send your information to 99SrDsnr.Resolute@hiredesk.net.
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  • GRAPHIC DESIGNER –Miramont Lifestyle Fitness in Fort Collins, CO is looking for a full-time graphic designer to join their marketing team. You’ll develop graphics from both internal and external marketing pieces. Send your information to jens@miramontlifestyle.com.
COMING NEXT ISSUE:
  • The Secret Power of Communication
  • Quick Tip: Designing E-Book Covers
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