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Got the Budgeting Blues?

budget-planning

 

As you begin to think about institutional goals and initiatives for the year ahead, pay special attention to those large, looming projects on the not-so-distant horizon. In times of transition, shifting priorities may impact funding levels and sources. Allocating your organization’s resources wisely becomes more important than ever during these periods of change.

Just as big-ticket household items make a big dent in your personal finances, large projects such as membership drives, conferences, and annual reports may require a significant portion of your organization’s annual budget. By engaging outside partners or vendors now, you can take advantage of their expertise to help you develop preliminary budgetary figures for those substantial and critical initiatives.

A truly collaborative creative partner is invested in your success and serves as an ally during the budgeting phase. Putting their knowledge and network of resources to work for you early in the process, an experienced designer can propose innovative solutions and estimate these approaches to arm you with realistic figures to share with boards, committees, or other decision-makers within your organization. These initial discussions not only help you understand and plan for the real-world costs involved, but may also energize your team and ignite interest and buy-in for specific initiatives.

Experienced design studios can help you maximize ROI by:

  • Facilitating candid conversation among key leadership to define objectives, outline strategies, and build consensus to move forward;
  • Assessing current materials and resources to see where and how existing elements may be reused or repurposed to meet future needs;
  • Thinking creatively to generate cost savings and get the biggest bang for your buck.

Depending on the project, there are numerous ways to stretch your dollars. Producing postcards to advertise an event? Consider developing both a save-the-date and reminder mailing now and gang printing both cards at once. Need furnishings for a large-scale exhibit? Get an accurate count as quickly as possible and order in advance to get the best selection and avoid rush fees. Trust your design partner to tailor their cost-saving suggestions to meet your needs.

Let Dever Designs estimate, design, and produce your next large project—and shake off your budgeting blues. Get in touch to start the conversation.

Annual Reports: A Marketer’s Swiss Army Knife

For most of our association and non-profit clients, their annual report is their most valuable marketing initiative of the year. It serves not only as a statement of fiscal health but also as the culmination of a year’s worth of effort, investment, and achievement. Thoughtful design can transform this data into the multi-tasking tool your organization needs. Make your annual report as special as you know it is.

Define goals
What do you want your report to do? Spark membership renewal? Introduce your organization to a broader audience? Position it as a thought leader, or influence legislative agendas? Defining your organization’s niche in a crowded marketplace can help determine the content, structure, and presentation of your report.

Show Me The Money
Most public companies are required to provide their operational revenue and expenditures to shareholders; associations and nonprofits may not have to disclose this kind of data in their annual reports, but doing so may be beneficial. Financial transparency can build trust and inspire investment. If your organization is fortunate to be running a surplus, how does it plan to use those dollars? Sharing your future plans for expanding operations, benefiting communities, or making much-needed improvements to existing facilities, products, or services can energize existing members and intrigue potential ones.

Presentation
We’ve talked before about how digital adoption has influenced the delivery of messaging to customers and members. Early adopters were often perceived as being ‘cutting edge’—clearly advantageous in crowded fields. Technology, social media, and digital devices made electronic communications a cost-effective way to disseminate information; eliminating printing, paper, or postal costs was very attractive to budget-conscious organizations struggling to serve members.

Digital delivery remains a great option as part of an overall communications strategy, but as most organizations have fully embraced technology, the playing field has leveled again—leaving everyone to find some way to distinguish themselves from the rest of the pack. Now that our inboxes are crammed with competing messages 24/7, there are indicators that people want to be less connected electronically and more connected tangibly. For targeted, strategic communications, print now provides a ‘new again’ opportunity to stand out.

When you consider reintegrating print into your marketing initiatives, plan ahead—from the standpoint of both budget and design. Printing and writing paper costs have been rising and are forecast to increase further into 2019. This doesn’t mean you should forgo print, but you should be aware of the trend. It may be the perfect time to explore printing on atypical substrates, such as paperboard, newsprint, sustainable wood, or metal products for truly unique and memorable pieces. The key is to make your choices based on who your organization is and what it stands for, who your audience is, and what you’re trying to achieve with your report.

Ready to get the most from your annual report? Get in touch with Dever Designs to start the conversation.

White Paper: Print, Thy Name is…Green?

Printing & Environmental Impact White Paper

 

In our collective quest to limit our environmental footprint, many have adopted a digital-first approach to communication and marketing strategies. But does “digital” really equate to “responsible”? And how do we balance our desire to be better stewards of the planet with the demands of our jobs and the industries we serve? We’ll explore:

• Challenging Perceptions of Environmental Responsibility
• The Impacts of Print v. Digital Communications
• Developing Cross-Channel Marketing Strategies

To download the white paper, simply complete the short form below and submit:

     

    Color Me Consistent

    Color Me Consistent

    Once upon a time, there was a wonderful organization that did great things. To get noticed, they spent a lot of money with a world-renowned design firm that rebranded them and gave them pretty, new colors to use on all their identity and marketing materials. The organization wanted to spread the word, so they planned a large event and invited everyone to attend. But on the big day, not a single item they produced for the event matched! Everywhere they looked, their brand colors were different, and their celebration was ruined….

    This sad tale may sound dramatic, but it’s true. Frustrated with vendors who, in their minds, reproduced their new brand identity “incorrectly”, this group contacted us for a brand audit to determine what went wrong. Our conclusion? The problem wasn’t the vendors; it was the colors. Specifically, no one had considered:
    • in what applications the colors would be used;
    • how and on what substrates the colors would be reproduced; or
    • the client’s expectations for color consistency.

    Recently, we discussed color modes and how they are used in graphic design. Attention to these basic principles would have prevented this costly error, so let’s take a closer look at how to choose and use color palettes.

    Problem Palettes
    At one time, designers were also production artists who had a fundamental understanding of how color was reproduced in print. As our deliverables have moved toward onscreen solutions, traditional means of color selection have given way to some extent to “pins” and online “themes”. More designers seem to be both relying on their software tools to define color and assuming that the resulting formula is the right one for whatever use is required; after all, Photoshop says so. While there is nothing wrong with finding inspiration beyond our Pantone® guides, depending solely on software-generated RGB or Hex formulas is a recipe for disaster when designing for cross-channel applications.

    In our example, the new brand colors had to be reproduced in numerous applications: e.g., corporate stationery; direct mail; conference guides; promotional giveaways; exhibits; signage; email marketing; microsites; etc. Unfortunately, the colors seem to have been chosen based on how they performed online only; the client’s former designer did not take into account how each color would translate when:

    • printed on coated vs. uncoated stock;
    • printed on materials other than paper, such as fabric or vinyl;
    • printed with pre-mixed “spot” inks vs. four-color process ink builds;
    • output in RGB vs. CMYK color mode;
    • output via multiple devices utilizing different technologies;
    • viewed on backlit monitors vs. read as a printed piece.

    The colors performed exactly as predicted—with dramatic differences in appearance in each of these scenarios—but because no one showed them actual color swatches or other visual samples of what to expect, the client was completely blindsided by the overall lack of consistency and the amount of variation in reproduction.

    Spot and Process Inks Shown on Coated and Uncoated Paper

    A single green color may look quite different when printed in spot ink vs. an equivalent build of process inks. Moreover, color also performs differently on coated and uncoated paper.

     

    Too often, a palette is composed of too many colors. In the spectrum, these may be extremely similar to one another, so they become difficult to distinguish when used together—particularly at small scale. For example, a palette of green and blue may work fine, but an additional teal may be very close to either the green or the blue; when a palette like this is used in an actual project, it can look like a printing error or present additional challenges for audiences with color vision deficiencies.

    Sample Palette of Green, Blue, and Teal

     

    Dever Designs’ Palette Solution
    When developing brand palettes for our clients, we make a narrow selection of colors based on all the ways they will be used. This basic palette is fleshed out with a range of values for each hue. Then, we provide 1–2 accent colors for situations that require extra “pop”. In this way, we can achieve greater depth and variety in application without producing a busy, circus-like effect and ensure that the brand will be consistent across all forms of media.
    Do you need a truly functional rebrand or brand audit? Call us at 301-776-2812 to start the conversation.

    Benefiting From A Collaborative Team

    Team members' stacked hands

     

    When you’ve been in business as long as we have, you develop a keen awareness of market trends: current design aesthetics, popular colors, technology adoption, preferred workflows…and much, much more. Everything is in flux, and many societal preferences are cyclical in nature. Not long ago, numerous organizations sought out “one-stop shops” that promised to handle all of their creative needs—from promotional writing and graphic design to data management and media buys. But the pendulum seems to be swinging the other way, with associations showing greater acceptance of—and even embracing—a collaborative team approach to achieve their goals.

    What’s A Collaborative Team?
    Individual experts in different fields working together in service of a common objective make up a collaborative team. An organization holding its annual convention might employ one trusted vendor to assemble and oversee a team consisting of a project manager, copywriter, graphic designer, printer, exhibit fabricator, web developer, etc.; each of these team members would be cherry-picked for their superior knowledge and skill to provide the best overall outcome.

    Why Teams Work
    Bringing together the right people from various disciplines generates multiple points of view on a given project. Assessing challenges from different perspectives creates a dynamic synergy among peers that leads to more effective solutions.

    At Dever Designs, we recognize that we can’t be all things to all people…but we’re very good at what we do. Beyond providing thoughtful graphic design, we assemble and manage teams to execute large, complex projects ranging from websites to custom exhibit spaces. By partnering when appropriate with experts in other fields who share our passion for creative solutions that work and outstanding customer service, each party is empowered to focus on their strengths and be inspired by fresh ideas. Not only does this provide our clients with a first-string performance for every job, it also maximizes efficiencies of process that yield more bang for your buck.

    Utilizing teams may offer benefits beyond working with the best and brightest. The large-scale retirement of baby boomers has led to many leadership positions being filled by much younger staff. These tech-savvy professionals can invigorate organizations but may lack experience or institutional knowledge of the design and production process. The resulting learning curves may make hiring a one-stop shop appealing…until you get their estimates. While larger agencies can command higher fees, smaller firms or niche specialists typically have lower overhead expenses than their “do-everything” counterparts. If your organization doesn’t have the resources to engage a mega-agency, teams can be a cost-effective alternative.

    When offered to clients in complete transparency, forming a team of external partners can provide an effective, value-added experience for you and your audience.

    Is a team-based approach right for you? Give us a call at 301-776-2812 to explore the possibilities and start the conversation.

    Getting A Partner Who Gets You

    Getting A Partner Who Gets You

     

    In recent months, we have noticed a trend in RFPs that warrants some consideration. These calls for proposals, detailing how a vendor would approach and perform a certain job, increasingly are requiring applicants to practice in the exact field as that of the prospective client.

    On the surface, this makes sense; if I ding the fender of my car and want to have it repaired, I’m going to get an estimate from a body shop, not a plastic surgeon, right? So, of course, companies needing graphic design services would want to work with providers who have experience with their specific industry…wouldn’t they? Not necessarily.

    We suggest that it’s more important to engage a firm that demonstrates the skills you need and a proven track record of successful outcomes. They should be expert communicators, not specialists in your particular discipline. A good design studio will ask the right questions of you to understand what you want to accomplish, who your target audience is, and how best to resonate with that audience. No matter how frequently a vendor has worked with “other companies in your field,” there are no organizations exactly the same as yours; there will always be details about your business, your audience, or your members that only you know through your personal experience. The best design firms will do their homework; they will know how to communicate with and listen to you to gather the information they need to complete your project successfully. These qualities—along with exceptional customer service, diligent project management, and thoughtful attention to detail—are greater assets to your project than being an expert in your industry; after all, the industry expert is you, and if that credential was the key to creating your next annual report or conceiving your next conference, you wouldn’t be hiring a design studio.

    So, should you be casting a broader net when you send your RFP? The phrase, “thinking outside of the box” may be overused, but it’s certainly true that approaching a problem from a different angle can make all the difference. A fresh perspective can lead to imaginative solutions to projects that have languished or problems that have persisted over time. You actually could be limiting your options for achieving a positive outcome by focusing solely on design firms operating in your niche market. By widening your search beyond your industry, you may find more creative thinking and unique solutions tailored to you—and not to all those other organizations “just like” yours.

    Forge a true, creative partnership. Get in touch with Dever Designs to start the conversation.

    Reinventing the Annual Report

    annl-blog_art_v2

    Blame it on the stock market.

    According to Investopedia, legislation enacted after the 1929 stock market crash was the genesis of the annual report. What began as a staid vehicle for reporting corporate operations and overall fiscal health to shareholders has evolved; in the right hands, an otherwise dry annual report can become a sophisticated, multipurpose business tool.

    Purpose
    Maybe your business has to provide an annual report, but that legal requirement presents a perfect opportunity to reach out and promote your organization. Depending on how your content is presented, your annual report can be used for marketing, fundraising, team building, and recruitment purposes.

    • Introduce your organization — Share who you are and what you do with legislators or potential members, exhibitors, or corporate sponsors.
    • Demonstrate social responsibility — How your organization interacts with the broader community and the positive impact of that engagement reveals interests beyond making profits.
    • Express corporate values — Where your organization stands on issues such as the environment can influence contributors or potential members.
    • Humanize your organization — Sharing staff photos, individual stories, or other aspects of the corporate culture makes your business more approachable.
    • Energize and inspire — Recounting the year’s achievements and announcing strategies for future growth generates pride, excitement, and media buzz for your organization.

    Presentation
    The rapid adoption of mobile devices and social media have forced businesses to rethink how they communicate with their customers or members. Consider this:

    Today’s annual reports convey more than financial data, and organizations are repackaging that information to take advantage of digital trends and opportunities. Annual report microsites with a mobile-first design appeal to digital natives but may feel foreign to your traditional demographic; using both digital and print channels allows you to target a younger audience without alienating your base. Digital variants may also allow you to introduce interactivity or motion to enhance the user experience or provide additional online-only content. A multichannel approach for your report engages readers in different ways to expand your organization’s reach.

    Whether your annual report is represented online by a PDF, flipbook, microsite, or video presentation, don’t dismiss the power of print. Thoughtful, deliberate design can produce a physical report of enormous impact.

    • Format — Will your report be a bound booklet or a folded tabloid? Take advantage of unusual sizes or unique folds; the unexpected makes a memorable impression.
    • Content — Language, visuals, and corporate personality are the pillars of your brand; well-designed infographics tap into all three to convey complex ideas that resonate with a younger or lay audience.
    • Techniques and finishes — From paper and ink to “sensory printing” techniques—like tactile coatings or thermal technologies—every choice you make for your annual report speaks volumes about your organization.

    In print and online, a professional design partner can help you think outside the box and turn your annual report into a multitasking powerhouse.

    Ready to reinvent your annual report? Get in touch with Dever Designs to start the conversation.

    Got the Budgeting Blues?

    budget-planning

     

    As 2017 approaches and you begin to think about institutional goals and initiatives for the coming year, pay special attention to those large, looming projects on the not-so-distant horizon. In times of transition, shifting priorities may impact funding levels and sources. Allocating your organization’s resources wisely becomes more important than ever during these periods of change.

    Just as big-ticket household items make a big dent in your personal finances, large projects such as membership drives, conferences, and annual reports may require a significant portion of your organization’s annual budget. By engaging outside partners or vendors now, you can take advantage of their expertise to help you develop preliminary budgetary figures for those substantial and critical initiatives.

    A truly collaborative creative partner is invested in your success and serves as an ally during the budgeting phase. Putting their knowledge and network of resources to work for you early in the process, an experienced designer can propose innovative solutions and estimate these approaches to arm you with realistic figures to share with boards, committees, or other decision-makers within your organization. These initial discussions not only help you understand and plan for the real-world costs involved, but may also energize your team and ignite interest and buy-in for specific initiatives.

    Experienced design studios can help you maximize ROI by:

    • Facilitating candid conversation among key leadership to define objectives, outline strategies, and build consensus to move forward;
    • Assessing current materials and resources to see where and how existing elements may be reused or repurposed to meet future needs;
    • Thinking creatively to generate cost savings and get the biggest bang for your buck.

    Depending on the project, there are numerous ways to stretch your dollars. Producing postcards to advertise an event? Consider developing both a save-the-date and reminder mailing now and gang printing both cards at once. Need furnishings for a large-scale exhibit? Get an accurate count as quickly as possible and order in advance to get the best selection and avoid rush fees. Trust your design partner to tailor their cost-saving suggestions to meet your needs.

    Let Dever Designs estimate, design, and produce your next large project—and shake off your budgeting blues. Get in touch to start the conversation.

    Maximizing Your Trade Show Experience

    Trade_Show

     

    Ten feet might not sound like much space…until you find out that you have to put together a 10 x 10 foot trade show exhibit for your nonprofit organization this fall.

    Suddenly, 10 feet seems like the length of a football field.

    As daunting as it might seem to be tasked with organizing and running your organization’s exhibit, an experienced design firm can help you maximize your trade show experience.

     

    Getting Started

    To begin, a design firm will help you outline the scope, scale and goals of your exhibit.

    How big is the booth area you have to work with? What are you hoping to achieve?

    Are you trying to increase general awareness about your organization? Are you attempting to boost membership? Are you introducing a new product or simply trying to network?

    Once those questions are answered, you’ll need to develop a budget and timeline. When it comes to the schedule, it’s often helpful to work backward, beginning with the date of the trade show.

     

    Think Ahead

    It can be challenging to think down the road when you have so much work to do right now, but it’s important to consider how you might use your exhibit materials in the future. For example, beyond your immediate needs, could you use that banner stand at an event two months from now? If so, it might behoove you to spend more on a quality product that can be used multiple times.

    Not sure how you can repurpose your exhibit materials? An experienced design firm can advise you and tailor creative solutions to your specific needs.

     

    Rent or Buy?

    Your budget and the decisions you have made regarding material re-use will dictate whether you rent or buy your hardware and accessories. Renting can seem like the more affordable option, but experienced designers may have some great leads on where to purchase unique materials. If you do purchase, it’s important to buy something durable, that can be shipped multiple times, and to use product lines that are likely to be in existence for years to come.

     

    Promoting Your Exhibit

    The promotion of your exhibit is actually a pretty big piece of your project. First, you need to work with your design firm to create eye-catching save-the-date cards and other marketing collateral to draw attendance.

    Next, you want to do something to help your exhibit space stand out.

    To draw traffic, you could:

    • Feature an interactive game
    • Offer a promotional giveaway
    • Hold a contest

    Your exhibit also presents an opportunity to gather information from your potential customers. You might ask them to sign up to receive your newsletter or have them leave their business card as part of a raffle. Consider what information could allow you to continue to reach out to your audience long after the trade show ends.

     

    The End Result

    Having a design partner who is involved early can help you to come up with the best options to meet your short- and long-term goals. An independent design firm will not only guide you every step of the way, but will also improve your ROI.

    Take a look at the range of trade show exhibits that we’ve designed in our portfolio.

    To see how Dever Designs can help you with your trade show exhibit, be sure to give us a call as soon as possible at 301-776-2812.

    Creating a Client Media Kit—Why Less Is More

    IACP.blog_View.02.Dual

     

    You’ve all heard the saying, “less is more.” It’s a useful concept in the world of graphic design and one we have often applied to best serve our clients.

    When we were hired by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) to design their new media kit, one of the first things to be addressed was the text-heavy nature of the content. Too many words made the information seem overwhelming and left little room for visual relief. Paring down the text allowed us to repackage the most salient points as
    •    Interesting Statistics
    •    Colorful Infographics and
    •    Powerful Testimonials

    The updated presentation improved the overall clarity of their messaging and better engaged readers and advertisers.

    Removing all dates and time-sensitive material from the main portion of the kit gave the piece a multi-year shelf life; date-specific information was presented in a separate rate card housed in a pocket at the back of the kit. This approach enabled us to provide our client with additional cost savings by not forcing them to update the entire media kit annually.

    While this redesign was not intended to be a complete rebranding effort, our client did share the challenges they faced in having many different departments that each presented their own look and feel. So, working within our budget, we designed this kit with imagery and visual cues that served as a foundation on which they could build their brand. For example, photographs of flashing police cruiser lights were manipulated and cropped to transform a literal symbol of policing into an abstract texture with color and energy. Using this art as a gradient stripe elevated a traditional visual into something less intimidating and more modern. Repurposing the various elements and colors in other applications helped establish a sense of cohesiveness in subsequent IACP messaging.

    The overall result? We transformed an information-heavy piece into an attractive and engaging kit and set the stage for a stronger, more enduring brand.

    Check out what we did for the IACP here. To see what Dever Designs can do for you, give us a call at 301-776-2812.