Graphic design is the art of making images and text into esthetically pleasing, printer ready, brochures, adverts, posters, or other printed products. A good graphic designer, armed with a modern graphic computer, can work miracles. They can change colors, merge images, blend backgrounds, create a cornucopia of special effects, and place text in more font types than you will ever want to know about.

 The graphic designers work, even in this day of high-speed computers, is very time intensive. As an example the average A4 three-fold brochure takes 3 - 4 days to complete as a draft for your approval. Assuming you will make a few small text changes that’s another day to get the changes right.

 Once you have approved the draft then it will take another 1 - 2 days to create the final product ready to go to the printer. The more changes you make the longer the process will take, and the more frustrated your designer will become.  Most professional designers will not even start on a project before they have all of the approved images, illustrations, and text in the same place at the same time.

 The purpose behind good design is to make an impact, send a message, create an interest, and inspire involvement. It is also a very important part of your work. The output of a good designer effectively and persuasively proves that strong ideas, and not big budgets, are what produce projects that leave a lasting impression. A good designer not only comes up with powerful design ideas, but also uses their skills and knowledge of the other processes to help control costs, improve quality, and find new ways to get your ideas across.

 One example concerned a Social Marketing company who has representations all over Africa. They are strong in condom sales and promotion for AIDS prevention. One of their most difficult problems was keeping the cost down to an affordable level. Packaging was actually one of their biggest expenses. Each country had a different box and a different label. The over all costs of this multiple printing was staggering. For years we suggested that they create a standard package then let each country affix a sticker with their own Brand name and slogans. For years they resisted, finding one excuse or another. They recently did exactly that and their packaging costs went down, stickers included, by more than half.

 Another example dealt with flip charts. These are perpetual problems as they are usually short print runs that drive the cost per piece over the moon. Meggi Macoun came up with a wonderful solution that involves making the flip charts and an A2 calendar from the same films and print run. Let me explain. If you needed 5,000 calendars and 1,500 flip charts then instead of two separate print runs, color separations, and press set up charges you would only pay for one. She carefully lays out the calendars so that the dates are across the bottom of the page below a control line.

 The printer then prints the first 5,000 on normal glossy art paper suitable for calendars, then substitutes heavier paper for the last 1,500 pieces for a total of 6,500 in a single print run.

 The 1,500 destined for flip charts are then plasticized to help insure durability and spiral bound with the rest of the calendars. When bound the flip charts are then cut along the control line - removing the dates - leaving a bound set of flip charts for little more than the cost of an extra 1,500 calendars. The savings are thousands of dollars. An additional advantage is that when the year is over schools and the like can also cut along the line and the calendar becomes an additional set of flip charts.

 Technically speaking the designer will specify the paper and other important parameters for you, usually at the very beginning of the project. In order to create printer ready materials your designer needs to know a few details from your printer, such as color settings, dot gain, and a few other esoteric things. That information tells the designer how to create art works that will print without problems on your printers’ presses.

 In most developing countries the choice of quality printers is not that great. The average designer working in country usually already has the information needed on hand. In any case do not be surprised if you’re ask right in the beginning for the printer you intend to work with.

 If your designer makes faces about your choice of printers it might be smart to ask why - and listen carefully to the answers. I have found designers to be quite protective of their work and printers who “ don’t get it right” are usually at the bottom of their preference list. Working with printers every day also gives them the edge on who is doing the best work and who is full of promises.

Warning: If your designer warns you away from a printer and you go ahead anyway and use that printer then you can’t blame the designer if things do not come out as planned. They did warn you, after all.