It’s been a great week! With many design projects in the works recently, it’s been neat to see each one move forward one step at a time. This week I’ve focused on the proofing stage for several projects, one of which was the 2014 CEF Calendar. Here’s a sneak preview of one of the inside spreads:
You’ll have to wait until after it’s official release at the CEF Conference in May before seeing the whole thing at cefcalendars.com.
In designing the calendar, we followed a clear publishing process that’s pretty much true with all design projects:
- First we determine the purpose of the project: why are we making it? what should it convey to the viewers? how does it best meet the needs of the users?
- Once we know the purpose, we brainstorm ideas for how the project will best fulfill that purpose. What should the theme be? what kind of pictures should be used? what style are we going for? Everything gets put on the table!
- But once all the ideas are out, we confirm which ideas are the best to build the design around.
- With this confirmed information, I can create a design that will illustrate the core purpose.
- Once I have a design (or a few design ideas), it goes through the approval process, which, from the perspective of a designer, often requires a lot of re-design.
- Once it’s approved, the detailed editing begins and we tweak everything to perfection.
- Then it’s time to see what it looks like in print; that’s what proofing is. There’s a lot of details that go unnoticed on a monitor that are more easily picked up on paper. But once the last proof is approved, there’s no turning back!
- Printing and delivery takes time, but holding the perfect, completed product in your hands makes each step in the publishing process worth all the forethought and time that was put into it.
Do you have a calendar you’d like custom designed? Just let me know!
Very well written, James!
Happy birthday, by the way. 🙂
You made the layout to?
Yup; it’s completely custom designed!
WOW!! What a great job! I like how you put the map in the top right corner, and the pictures at the bottom and the month on the left side really make it look neat! Great Job!!