Wine, Women & Shoes | Las Vegas Boudoir
Haute Shots and Hera Beauty are proud to be donating to this years Wine, Women & Shoes Charity Event benefitting the Ronald McDonald House of Greater Las Vegas, a very worthy cause. Looks like a fun event, doesn’t it?
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Business Cards
Things are coming together! Placed an order for my new Haute Shots Boudoir Photography business cards last night! Can’t wait to receive them!
Epicurean Affair
Another annual Vegas event I have always wanted to check out, but haven’t is the Epicurean Affair, held this year at The Flamingo on Thursday, April 23rd.
Speaking of The Flamingo, have you seen their fairly newish GO Rooms? Swanky! reasonably priced, too!
Dialogue for Creatives in Vegas
This Friday should be fun! I am participating in an event for the design community here in Vegas, hosted by Black Diamond Digital and Eurie Creative. They have opened up their stylish studio space for my LVGG group as well as other creatives around town.
Website Design
I’m happy to announce that the website I designed for Perfect Princess Parties finally went live today! Check it out at perfectprincessparties.net!
Recent Themed Logo Design
Here’s a pic of the recent logo I themed for Fiji Water in action, at their event. Looks pretty cool with the masks, doesn’t it?
Current Design Work
Currently waiting on final approval for a logo revamp I am doing for Fiji Water. They asked me to ‘crest’ their logo to tie in to the theme of the event they are sponsoring - The Palm’s (Playboy) Midsummer Nights Dream Party. Such a fun project!
A Practical Guide to Working with Graphic Designers
A Practical Guide to Working with Graphic Designers by The Graphic Artists Guild of Albany offers insightful information to hiring a Graphic Designer. Details change according to different designers needs but this guide offers the basics. Here are some highlights:
Good graphic design is hard work, and a team effort. Remember, a Graphic Designer is a consultant hired to solve problems. A Designer will challenge your ideas and preconceived notions to find the best solution for getting your project noticed in a marketplace exploding with information. Be prepared to work closely with the Designer and make decisions to support the creative process. Clear communication and mutual respect between the Client and Designer are essential. On day one, start with the nuts and bolts: Clearly communicate your vision for the project, its audience, objective, and the message you want to send. This is vital for putting the Designer’s expertise to work to create the visual piece that accomplishes your goals.
Sample Production Schedule
Project: brochure with previously reviewed copy
Different types of projects have different production schedules and turnaround periods. This schedule includes one round of revisions (11/21) after a layout was chosen (11/7). These revisions should be clearly negotiated in the contract. You can have as many or as few revisions as you feel necessary; but, additional changes not negotiated up front are considered Author’s Alterations (AAs) and are billed in addition to the original estimate. AAs are usually billed at an hourly rate. In the unlikely case of a complete redesign, a new contract should be generated between the client and the Designer. To budget your time and set realistic deadlines, start with your target date of publication and work backwards. Be flexible and willing to add a few cushion days to avoid rushing the job—especially if several people must sign-off on (approve) the project.
- 10/1 Meet with designer to discuss parameters and scope of project
- 10/8 Client sign-off on estimate and schedule (allow 5 to 7 working days; if vendors’ quotes, such as for printing, photography, or illustration aren’t needed for the assignment, estimates may be generated more quickly)
- 10/9 Provide designer with completed copy, camera-ready logos, and/or artwork (allow 10 to 14 working days for initial design mock-ups)
- 10/21 Review mock-ups and agree on a direction (allow 7 to 10 working days to submit final designs)
- 11/7 Receive actual layout for approval (allow 5 to 7 working days for internal client routing and sign-offs)
- 11/14 Return to Designer with comments (allow 5 to 7 working days to make any changes after review)
- 11/21 Changes are made with final sign-off on proof to go to press. (Note: this time frame will depend how extensive changes were)
- 12/15 Delivery of finished piece from the printer (allowing for 10 to 15 working days for printing; printing time depends on the complexity of the project and the printer’s schedule)
2 Recent Design Projects
Recently I worked on 2 very different tradeshow design jobs. One was more colorful and the other very official looking. Both of them called for many marketing materials, including die-cut designs…one for a folder and the other for a dossier. I think they turned out nicely. Thanks to Arnold (art direction) and Hernan (production assistance) for a wonderful collaboration on the LECS projects!
Creative Design Process
A little about my creative process when commissioned to do graphic design work.
- Creative Brief -
After first meeting with a new client, I like to have them fill out a Creative Brief form that I send them by email. This gives me valuable information about their company and their needs that I refer to as I develop their designs.
 - Proposal/Estimate/Terms/Print Quotes -
This is where I present my proposal to you for your projects. I include an estimate, terms & conditions and print quotes, if needed.Â
 - Research/Design Trends/Concept -
After agreeing to the above, I begin my research on your competitors and design trends in your specific field in an effort to develop a solution that is unique for your needs. I begin concepting ideas at this point.
 - Comps -
Develop comps (rough drafts) and present them, usually by email as lo-res PDFs.
 - Revisions -
This is where we have up to 3 revision cycles. You will be heavily involved in proofing copy message and spelling, color, fonts, sizes, etc. in order to come to a final approval to send your jobs to print.
 - Final Artwork -
I present the final artwork by disc and email as a Print Ready PDF, unless another format was otherwise agreed upon.
 - Print -
Either I can do this for you through my vendor, or you can have this done yourself through your own vendors using the final artwork files I presented to you previously.