A well-developed piece of collateral can enhance your brand, leaving a lasting impression on a prospective client or customer. When it comes to the design process, there are multiple steps taken to ensure that you develop a compelling final product for your clients.
This month, we’re giving you a peek behind the curtain into our fabulous Executive Art Director, Lisa Grasso’s, kitchen. Find your apron and cue the cooking music. We’re about to serve up a sliver of our famous Collateral Casserole recipe just for you. Yum!
Step One: Chop, Slice, and Dice.
To begin, we first determine what piece of collateral would best accomplish your goals. Like most marketing projects, it’s important to first identify your key audience and the objectives of the piece.
Consider the type of person who you’re cooking for. A single flyer could be the perfect thing for a college student, while a complete brochure may be better for someone over age 65 looking for information on retirement.
Step Two: Sauce and Spice It Up.
Now that you’ve determined the type of “casserole” you will be making, consider the flavors you’ll be incorporating. Typically, our design team works hand-in-hand with our copywriters. Once the messaging has been developed, our designers receive it for layout.
If you’re doing this at home, begin by analyzing the messaging to understand the most important elements. This will help you concept ideas of how the design should flow. Take your time to consider your brand colors to ensure brand continuity.
While you’re designing, keep in mind who you’re developing the piece for so that any stock photos, fonts, and colors you add to the mix will speak to the appropriate group.
Here are some questions you can ask yourself as you concept and consider which spices to grab off the shelf:
- Is the tone modern or classic like a fine wine?
- Does your customer prefer attention-grabbing flavors or is their palette tamer?
- Do they like bright colors or something more reserved?
- Would angles work well or do they prefer a less rigid design?
Step Three: Assemble and Bake for 20 Min.
Once you’ve decided on your spice and sauce profile, combine the rest of your prepped ingredients. Our team creates collateral that will be pleasing to the palette of the consumer it is intended for. We accomplish this by being mindful of how we assemble our elements in the final product.
When it comes to content for the piece, our team finds that less is often more. In most cases, you don’t want to overwhelm your customer with too much to read. Instead, create a visual story with your piece. Consider using infographics to display stats or complex information. This will make them want seconds, for sure.
Step Four: Let Rest, then Serve.
The creative process requires attention, careful preparation and time. We always recommend allowing yourself to step back and review your creation later. Often, we pull a trusted sous chef in for a taste test. Let your masterpiece rest before serving and always keep it clean and concise.
