Doing More with Less
As with every discipline, design is being pressed to cut costs. We’ve compiled a range of cost-saving tips that don’t compromise creativity.
Our competitive advantage is RAPID INNOVATION. So, for us, it’s about doing more in less time. We hire people with broad reaching capabilities-hybrid-thinkers. This is especially important when you’re small. We keep it tight, nimble and trust our collective instincts.
- Rachel Loyd, creative director, Nest Collective
Meet with your comp house and printer EARLY IN THE DESIGN PROCESS so you can design around what’s possible, not improbable!
- Mike Spielman, executive vice president, Comp24
DO IT QUICKLY. Fast projects are more efficient and less likely to be derailed.
- Marcus Hewitt, chief creative officer, Dragon Rouge
SETTING STRATEGY UPFRONT gives designers a north star to follow. Everyone knows the vision and direction, creating more focused work and cutting down on design and revision costs.
- Karen Smith, strategy director, CBX
We achieve efficiencies with our unique INTERNAL AGENCY MODEL. The team manages concept, design, production, copywriting and project management. This allows us to develop innovative solutions quickly, on deadline and within budget.
- Rachel Loyd, creative director, Nest Collective
STANDARDIZE as many items within an ink set as possible. Using 6-color process, for all work, reduces press make ready costs.
- Nick Carafa, executive vice president of sales, Packaging Graphics LLC, Pawtucket, RI
Be CONSISTENT AND CONCISE when developing files. Teams should approach their work to bear scrutiny. Reinvention can be costly.
- Lonnie Brawer, guru and vice president, Inwork, Inc.
We try to PRINT AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE, not only to help keep our costs down, but also to help reduce our carbon footprint. Instead, we use YouSendIt to send PDFs out for approval.
- Rebecca McCracken, Boon evangelist, Boon Inc.
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