I hate to design reply devices. Yeah, you heard, me—hate.
Why do I hate designing them?
Let me tell you how I typically approach designing a mail
package.
I read the package . . .
WHAT? The designer
reads the package?
I actually do. It helps me pick images and figure out design
techniques, even font selection, to match the strategy.
Thumbnails
I spend 15-20 minutes doing a rough sketch of the package on
paper. Yes, with a pen on paper. That gives me a general direction and a cohesive
approach to all the components. I’m not
fussing over typefaces, colors, etc., but I am always pleasantly surprised when
my postage stamp size sketches seem to balance well at full size.
Color
Yes this is important—I will pull together a color palette
that will be used all or in part in each component of this package. Color is such a subjective thing; it is
sometimes advisable to present the client with a couple of color palettes for
approval before design begins.
Copy
Some clients prefer to present me with an approved, final
copy deck with package specs and have me work from there. That’s one way to
work and it does work.
If the client wants to get their best value out of me, they
involve me at brainstorming and keep me in the loop along the way. In this
scenario I may see copy a couple of times before it’s final. I am involved in
package specification and may already know what I’m going to do before I start.
If I’m really lucky, the writer and I get to knock ideas
around and present them to the agency or client before copy is initiated. We
collaborate on specs and communicate through the entire process. We may or may
not run work by each other; it depends upon the depth of involvement, our
schedules and our desire to actually talk to another human being during the
day.
The Envelope
After I read the copy and am sure I have a good grasp on the
concept and strategy, I start with the envelope.
I LOVE to design envelopes. I spend a great deal of thought
and design time on the outer envelope, mainly because it’s the suit and tie of
the package. It’s like laying out the clothes for the interview the night
before, so they not only impress the interviewer but also convey respect from
one professional to another.
Envelopes are probably the most important piece to get
right. The five seconds I have to catch someone’s attention and get him or her
to open the package is the “first battle” according to copywriter Barry Cox.
Oh, I certainly advocate for blind envelopes when necessary,
so you know I strongly believe that it should be blind when I make that
suggestion. Why? Because I love
to design envelopes that get opened!
The Letter
So what’s next in the package, you say. I move on to the letter. The reply device is
usually last but more on that later.
The letter takes time and care. The writer has put heart and
soul into this and it’s the meat and potatoes of most packages.
By this time many authors have beaten the document up, so
there are always inconsistencies in
the way em dashes, ellipsis and other punctuation is handled. I have to make them consistent. Font variations
in the Word document are often present and that can mess up line breaks and
importing the document into my design.
I work to make the document look like it came from the
signatory and meet client brand standards.
I make sure that the underlining doesn’t extend past the
line break or over punctuation at the end of a sentence. Then I consider how
the lines wrap, especially if there are call out quotes or photos to wrap
around.
I like to include photos when
appropriate for the client mission and message.
I often like to silhouette them
but even with Photoshop’s advanced features, it takes time to “cut out” an
image. I will probably let the program
do the rudimentary outline for comp/draft purposes but for the final print
version I zoom in and start from scratch, point by point to make path. Heaven forbid
it’s a lion or harpy eagle. The manes and feathers are sometimes extremely
difficult to get right. That’s when I either love or hate Photoshop the most.
Getting the “ask” on page one is often very difficult after
all the cooks have added their own ingredients to the copy. I’ll work my magic and if it doesn’t succeed,
I will discuss it with my client and we’ll make a plan to edit the copy to make
that happen.
If the writer’s copy is not altered too terribly much, my
job is pretty easy. Most of the writers with
whom I’ve worked know EXACTLY how much space is available.
Here’s
my pet peeve about letters—Page breaks. The line should stop in mid sentence
and compel the reader to turn the page. That’s a DM basic, but I do get the
occasional “higher up” who can’t stand that the thought isn’t finished and
makes me complete the sentence and add “(over please . . .)” to the bottom of
the page.
So the letter is done. I’ve made sure the photos, signature
and logos are print-worthy. I have to do
that up front so the client and I can find alternatives if the images aren’t at
a sufficiently high resolution. Many times I will work with the client on photo
selection before we begin design just to save headaches at art release.
I know most of you are already bored and looking for an
article by that Barry Cox guy—but I’m getting to Reply Device, I promise.
Whoops
Inserts and brochures may or may not take precedent over the
letter depending upon how involved and important they are to the strategy. This is something that the client will most
want to tweak. It must be in “brand” and so it will be something I sweat over, but
even with heavy client scrutiny and multiple changes I still won’t mind this
as much as reply devices.
Reply Form Guilt
Okay, by now I’m feeling guilty because I haven’t begun to
work on the reply form. So I dig in and I’m miserable. Why? Because it’s
probably the most time consuming of all pieces in a package. It needs to flow, to
be easy to fill out, have a strong “affirmation” statement and to have all
kinds of important information on it—where to send the check, how to make out
the check, where to turn for credit card donations, website options, how to add
an email address in order to be kept up to date and so on. And most of the time
this all must be done in a very reduced amount of space. Why? Because this is
the addressing vehicle and it’s “flying” the package. Not always is this the
case but when it is, I still have to fit all of the information on the form and
make sure it doesn’t peek through the window or get in the way of the address
block.
It’s a component that I labor over. I will design it, put it
aside and then come back to it two or three times if it doesn’t work for me.
And if it doesn’t work for me, how will
it work for the client or the end user? Probably not well.
Reply Envelope
I’ll probably design the reply envelope at this point to get
some distance from the reply device. The
reply envelope is often an afterthought or something designed by rote. It has to feel secure and be easy to use because
at this point, nothing should stand in the way of getting that donation. It is also
an opportunity to support your message and make the donor feel good about including
a hefty donation with that reply form.
Labels and unique package reply forms
will force me to start on them earlier in the process. Just the process of
picking and approving images forces me to make this a priority over other
things. —that still doesn’t mean I like designing them. Unless they are part of
my envelope solution—say a membership card that shows through a pistol window
or second window, or a zipper that pulls open to show part of the reply form.
Once all of the components are in reasonable shape I look at
the package holistically and am much happier with my reply form. Yes I now feel
ownership of this bad boy. I start to take pride in its appearance and how it hangs
together with the rest of the package.
I may fuss with color breaks for emphasis and I may play
with the fonts for legibility sake, but I’m done.
A Masterpiece
I feel like I’m daVinci finishing a fresco. My masterpiece
is ready to go to the client after I put all the specifications in a slug line
under each component.
Slugs
Time to add the slug lines. A slug line is information that
goes on the art just outside of the art itself. In my case I like to place them
beneath the component itself.
Trim size, ink color, paper stock all the specifications
that the printer needs, it also may include my logo, the client name, date and
what stage of the process we’re in for this proof.
I will usually design
an entire package and wait to put on the slug lines.
It’s actually kind of tedious to do after you’ve done all of
the hard work. But it’s a necessity.
Just to make sure that when your monitor doesn’t match mine and I’ve specified
a blue that looks purple on your screen, you can drag out your PANTONE®
fan and make sure I’m not crazy.
You know I HATE to do slug lines . . .
