Get the artwork ready for the print.
A good file answers three questions before production: what should people notice first, how do they take the next step, and what must be checked at the final size? Bring a ready file or a rough idea. The exact design scope is confirmed before work begins.
Make one action obvious.
Design help starts with the customer moment. A business card may need a name and a reliable contact route. A flyer may need one offer and one destination. A banner may need a few words that remain readable from a distance. The format determines what can fit comfortably.
- Choose the priority. Write the first thing a reader should see, then the supporting detail and one action.
- Check the facts. Verify the business name, phone, email, URL, hours, prices and offer dates before they reach a proof.
- Protect the route. Test the destination behind every QR code or short link, and print a typed fallback for people who cannot scan.
- Use owned or permitted assets. Confirm rights for photos, logos, illustrations and customer names before placing them in artwork.
- Use the product template. Size, bleed, safe area, color profile and export requirements vary by product and production path. Confirm them with the quote rather than relying on a universal rule.
Review the piece at the moment it will be used.
A screen preview can hide small type, folding order, trim, contrast or the distance between a reader and a sign.
Brief
Share the audience, setting, offer, required date, final size and action. Say what is fixed and what is still open.
Build or check
Confirm the format-specific template, artwork assets, safe areas, copy, URLs and any design changes before a proof is reviewed.
Approve carefully
Read every contact detail, test every route and inspect the final-size hierarchy. Corrections after approval may change the schedule.
“If someone only gives this piece five seconds, what should they understand?”
A planning prompt for a card, flyer, brochure, sign or banner; it is not a performance guarantee.Bring the raw ingredients.
Send the business name, approved copy, contact route, images or logo you are allowed to use, the intended audience, a required date and examples of what you want the piece to feel like. A clear brief makes it easier to decide whether the project needs a file check, layout support or a broader design conversation.
Start a design conversationBefore you approve
- Read contact details and dates aloud.
- Open every link on a phone and desktop.
- Scan the QR code and keep a typed fallback.
- Check contrast and text size at the real viewing distance.
- Confirm trim, fold direction and finishing notes.
- Ask what happens after proof approval.