Our Design Process

Our Flexible Design Process

The “Background Design” process (for the overall look) explained in more detail

stage 1:   Background Design determined

In exploring ideas for a “custom” campaign design look for your various fundraising communication items (brochure, pledge card, etc),, our clients have found it enormously helpful to review our “background designs” (derived from previous campaigns) and 48 “client samples” before they jump in to give us direction for the design. If a design element stands out to you/your team, we can easily incorporate that (as-is or modified) or a even use a combination of design elements from the many concepts. All of our background designs are in editable layers so elements can often be removed or modified and specific color applications can often be altered.

stage 2:   Campaign Logo developed

With your direction (leveraging our 240 logo samples as visual references to get design ideas) we’ll create a campaign logo and we’ll incorporate it into the background design in all the communications. You can also provide us with visual references (to guide us) that you have found online.

stage 3:   Written text content, photos and architectural art incorporated into all items

We also provide text and layout samples (with word counts) to give guidance and ideas in developing your unique written content. Upon getting your approved specific text content for each particular item in your package, we will incorporate that and, where applicable for certain items, we’ll add in photos of your people, services, events, missions and/or architectural art and floorplans. The various campaign items (brochure, pledge card, etc.) are usually worked on at overlapping times so assume several rounds of PDF proofing (back-and-forth) so that you have “approving control” before we go on to each new layout alteration.

stage 4:   Design approval stage and printing upload

Upon your final approval of each item in the campaign, we will upload that press-ready file to our printer or yours. For a safeguard against uncaught errors, a PDF or hard-copy proof of each item to be printed should be reviewed as the ultimate final approval. Upon sign-off of the approval proof, the printer will produce all toner-based or ink-based printing and ship the materials.