Issue #66
December 13, 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:
  • How “Freemiums” Can Make You a Hero With Your Clients
  • Quick Tip: Free Resources for QuarkXPress
  • EXTRA! EXTRA! News and Job Opportunities
Creative Ideas for Fundraising Freemiums
By Kammy Thurman

One of the quickest ways to build your portfolio is to help local nonprofits raise funds for their causes.

Even local nonprofits with large national organizations backing them – organizations with million-dollar fundraising budgets – can use your help. Local agencies are frequently expected to do their own fundraising. This gives you a tremendous opportunity to break in by working for a nonprofit with a “name.”

When you work with small organizations, however, you may be called upon to do more than just write or design a direct-mail package. You may also be asked to come up with ideas for free premiums – freemiums, as they’re called in the industry. And you might be asked to produce them as well.

So, to help you help your clients, here are some ideas for popular freemiums, and places to find them or ways to create them yourself.

According to Target Marketing magazine, most nonprofits try to stay between $.50 and $2.00 per freemium. So you’ll want to discuss the budget with your client before developing one.

Freemiums you can design yourself:

  • Note Cards – Greeting cards and note cards are popular freemiums, especially close to the holidays. The front of the cards often features an image that’s related to the mission of the organization, with the organization’s logo on the back.

The cards can have a greeting inside, but they don’t have to. Fundraising packages I’ve received recently include 6-8 cards with envelopes. Inexpensive sources to research for printing note cards are www.vistaprintcom, www.overnightprints.com and www.giggleprint.com.

These companies can take most file types. You can design the card yourself (within their specs) and upload it to their site. Or you can design the card at the card site. (This usually limits what you can do, however.)

You’ll also want to check local printing companies. You may do as well with a local printer as you can over the ‘Net, depending on how many cards you want to print.

  • Mini-Art – One of my clients partnered with an artist to offer a limited-edition wildlife drawing to donors who gave a $100 or larger donation. The freemium was a mini-copy of one of the drawings on a linen-texture paper (which added to its artistic feel and perceived value). These mini-art pieces were printed in black and white to keep costs down.
  • Booklets – Booklets are common freemiums with religious nonprofits. They can be small enough to fit into a #10 envelope or large enough to require a 9" x 12". They can range from a half-dozen to 20 or 30 pages. The most common booklet size is 8 ½" x 5 ½". (Using standard sizes helps cut costs.)

Booklets can be printed and bound by local printing companies. Also check with www.printingforless.com. They do a good job, and can print booklets in both full-color and black & white. For example, 1,000 full-color 16-page standard size booklets run about $1.57 each; in black & white, $1.06 each.

  • Bookmarks – These give you a great way to reinforce an organization’s mission with a relevant design and short message. They’re inexpensive to produce and easy for people to hang onto. To increase durability, print bookmarks on coated card stock. You can order custom leather bookmarks at www.americanleatherclassics.com, and www.promotiontopia.com.
  • Calendars – Remind donors about an organization all year long with an attractive calendar. These can be business-card-sized calendars with six months on each side, desk calendars, flip calendars, or wall calendars. I’ve received small calendars that can fit in a #10 envelope as freemiums, and flip calendars as premiums for a donation.

Other popular freemiums you can suggest testing:

  • Stickers
  • Labels
  • Seed packets
  • Pens (to fill out the donation card)
  • Key rings with the organization’s logo
  • Rosaries/crucifixes
  • Necklaces

There are a number of companies specializing in creating products your client could use for freemiums. The most important thing is to make sure the freemium ties into the message of your fundraising package.

Here are a few companies you can direct your client to: www.freemiums.com, www.apromotionaloutlet.com, www.imdelivers.com.

[Ed. Note: How would you like to be able to legally borrow design ideas from one of the most successful DM designers in the country – Lori Haller? This move would not only make your work easier, it would make it tons more profitable. Watch for a special note next week to learn how you can make that dream a reality!]

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Quick Tip: Free Resources for QuarkXPress
By Kristin Schwarz

If you are new to the QuarkXPress layout software – or even if you have used it for a while – you will appreciate any free tips and resources that can help you learn about everything the program has to offer ... and pick up some cool tricks along the way.

Quark’s official site at www.quark.com offers many free resources and training files. Go to: www.quark.com/service/desktop/training/quarked.cfm

You will find many useful tips and tricks at: www.quark.com/service/desktop/training/tips/archive.cfm

If you would like to communicate with other QuarkXPress users – novices and experienced professionals – to learn and share information, suggestions, and solutions, go to the Quark Forums: www.quark.com/service/forums

If you are particularly interested in Quark tutorials, you will find a great selection at: http://desktoppub.about.com/od/qxptutorials/QuarkXPress_Tutorials.htm

Planet Quark http://planetquark.com/ is a site that was created by Quark users for Quark users. You will find news, book and software reviews, and many useful “how-to” tutorials.

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Happy Birthday Helvetica!
By Kristin Schwarz

The ever-popular typeface Helvetica just turned 50! Helvetica is part of the corporate identity of many brands you recognize – American Airlines, American Apparel, Evian, Intel, Lufthansa, Nestlé, and Toyota, to name just a few.

Helvetica plays such an important part in our culture that the Museum of Modern Art in New York has honored this anniversary by acquiring a set of the original lead type. That makes Helvetica the first typeface to become part of the museum’s collection. The Museum is also featuring a “50 Years of Helvetica” exhibition.

What does Helvetica mean to the DM designer? Helvetica is a sans-serif typeface (one without decorative squiggles at the ends of the letters) – so it’s not good for long stretches of body copy. However, it is a great typeface for headlines, subheads, and short blurbs of copy in call-out boxes and sidebars.

Best of all, Helvetica is a font that comes free with most computer software packages.

EXTRA! EXTRA! News and Job Opportunities
  • GRAPHIC DESIGNER – Boat U.S. needs a talented graphic designer who can tackle magazine designs as well as marketing materials. You’ll work in Alexandria, VA, and will need to know the Adobe Creative Suite in a Mac environment. Send your resume and three pdf samples (or a link to samples) to BoatUSHR@BoatUS.com.
  • PART-TIME OR FULL-TIME GRAPHIC DESIGNER – Creative Ad & Print, a design and printing firm in Anaheim, CA, seeks a skilled designer with knowledge of Quark, Illustrator, and Photoshop. Part-time or full-time possibilities are available. Send your resume and work samples to info@creativeadprint.com.
  • FULL-TIME GRAPHIC DESIGNER – The Door and Hardware Group, a trade association in Chantilly, VA, is looking for full-time graphic designer. You’ll design member communications and marketing materials in a Mac environment. You must know InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop. Send your resume, three work samples, and your salary requirements to employment@dhi.org.
COMING NEXT ISSUE:
  • Crossing the Line: Donna Doyle Tells How Being a Designer and Copywriter Has Boosted Her Career
  • Quick Tip: A Little Magic to Get Rid of the “Jaggies”
* 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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