Design Trends
Jeff Mellander, president and founder of Precision Graphic Services Inc., a 25-year-old illustration house in Champaign, Ill., has noticed two trends in graphic design sales. In the past three years, customers increasingly have become computer-savvy. They want design that's cheaper, better and faster, he says. In addition, clients have become more comfortable outsourcing projects to graphic designers who aren't local.
Want to offer in-house creative services? Precision Graphic Services Inc., an illustration studio in Champaign, Ill., has hired, cultivated and managed graphic artists for 25 years. Here are 10 tips for working with graphic artists, based on interviews with Jeff Mellander, Precision Graphics' president and founder, and John Bonadies, the firm's creative director:
1. Know your niche. Precision Graphics offers graphic design, marketing services, production management, web and CD-ROM development, and medical, scientific and technical textbook illustrations. The firm attracts clients who value reliability. "People are reluctant to go to a freelancer if they don't know exactly what to expect," Mellander says. With a studio of 40 reputable artists, Precision Graphics assures high-quality, on-time design for high-volume projects.
2. Tailor your recruiting
efforts to your location. Mellander started his career as a freelance
textbook illustrator. When he needed part-time production help, he hired
students from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Today, Precision
Graphics attracts designers through local universities, the Yellow Pages and its
web site, www.precisiongraphics.com. The firm is a major graphic design employer
in its vicinity. "I would be much more aggressive about advertising and
recruiting if I lived in a larger metropolitan area," Mellander says.
3. Evaluate designers' computer
skills, talent and print knowledge. When hiring graphic artists,
Precision Graphics looks for talent, digital production knowledge, the ability
to translate editors' notes into art, and experience using Macintosh computers
and software such as Adobe® Photoshop®, Adobe Illustrator® and QuarkXPress™.
"One of the [trends] I find disturbing is the lack of print knowledge," Bonadies
says. He says he rarely sees portfolios that demonstrate an understanding of the
printing process, even among experienced designers.
4. Show that you value good design.
Precision Graphics provides its graphic artists with bulletin boards to allow them to showcase successful projects. "Our office is a beautiful, renovated historic structure in downtown Champaign," Mellander says. "I think our physical environment lends a lot of credibility to the work we do. When clients come to our office, they're impressed....I think the employees are inspired by their work environment."
5. Offer training. If designers don't understand print production, Precision Graphics sends them on press checks and helps them learn proper file preparation. Bonadies also recommends sending designers to shows held by the Design Management Institute and American Institute of Graphic Arts to find new ideas and update their skills. According to Bonadies, the shows also serve as rewards for successful work. Employees eagerly anticipate the opportunity to see what other artists have accomplished recently, he says.
6. Clarify job duties. "Creative types aren't necessarily business types," Mellander says. At Precision Graphics, project managers return clients' bids, arrange purchase orders, coordinate schedules, oversee material traffic and workflow, and handle distribution. Managers are responsible for learning about clients' projects and target markets, then effectively communicating the information to the designers. As a result, the designers are free to focus on creating artwork.
7. Encourage creativity. Precision Graphics strives to match its graphic artists with tasks they find most interesting, such as hand-drawing illustrations or designing corporate logos. In addition, the firm is fairly flexible regarding its dress code, daily work schedule and office decorations. According to Bonadies, one artist displays photos and 3-D objects under a glass tabletop in his office. While welcoming unusual ideas, Bonadies aims to meet business goals. "You're always teetering back and forth between letting creatives do whatever they want, versus making solutions for the client's objective," he says.
8. Set reasonable deadlines. Precision Graphics translates clients' budgets into timelines its graphic artists can follow. New artists sometimes feel overwhelmed, Mellander says, but experience eventually gives them an accurate idea of what they're able to produce in various time limits. Precision Graphics gives clients weekly project status reports. "We are very conscious of our clients' schedules and their needs," Mellander says.
9. Encourage team spirit. Precision Graphics often tackles projects in teams consisting of a creative director, designer, editor and project manager. "The most difficult personality types we have in an office environment are people who aren't team players," Mellander says. The firm encourages teamwork by holding general project status meetings and offering profit sharing.
10. Provide positive reinforcement.
Especially for artists who see little separation between their work and their identities, criticism can be an "emotional roller coaster," Bonadies says. When evaluating projects, he balances suggestions for improvement with sincere compliments. Bonadies also joins individual employees for lunch to sustain rapport.
—Rita Tiefert
