Content Document - Publications Mission/Introduction The Office of Publications is an integral component of the Division of External Relations, which houses Marketing and New Media, News & Communication, Media Relations, Web & Communications, and Protocol and Special Events. Publications serves the FIU community through the conceptualization, design and production of marketing materials while maintaining FIU’s goals and guidelines. The Office of Publications is committed to producing the best product in the most effective and cost-efficient manner. What Publications can Do for You The Office of Publications’ talented and experienced staff produces a multitude of materials including, but not limited to: • Campaigns such as: Ignite, WorldsAhead, • Billboards on and off campus • FIU Magazine • Graphic concept and materials for the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Architecture + The Arts, College of Engineering • Bus wraps, window wraps • Brochures, viewbooks, magazines and annual reports for units such as Admissions, Housing, Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Alumni Relations, Advancement etc… • Web banners • Ads – printed and online • Electronic invitations and informational emails • Banners and other materials that might be needed for an event or conference which can include printed invitations, tickets, programs • Folders • Branding of spaces Let’s make an App – E-Publications Publications can now bring a printed publication to life, complete with high quality video, photos and audio. A large percentage of your audience owns a tablet, therefore- give them a way to do more than just flip through pages and read- give them the opportunity to truly interact with your publication. The app will support the various user navigation capabilities of the iPad such as touch, swipe and gesture support. Step-by-Step Process of Initiating and Completing a Project 1. Determine Needs and Objectives & Contact the Office of Publications’
Your first point of contact is usually the project manager, but can also be one of the graphic designers. Be prepared to discuss your goals for the project, target audience, budget, need for photos and timeline. You may be sent a Marketing Project Information form that prompts you to answer these questions. Publications will help you determine the best medium that fits your needs, whether that is print or electronic. The type of project will affect the design, cost and turnaround time. This step does not always require a fact-to-face meeting, but that all depends on your needs. 2. Receive Estimates and Timelines Publication’s project manager, armed with the proper information, will obtain costs for your project and send you an estimate.This must be signed and returned with payment information (either an activity number to be billed via smart internal billing, or an original foundation invoice) before any design work can begin. The estimate can include (as needed): design, printing, stock photos, editing/proofing text, mailing, postage, email set-up, art direction, shipping. The project manager will also provide you with a timeline for the project. Publications works closely with a handful of trusted printers in South Florida and always requests multiple quotes from these printers to ensure you are receiving the best price for your project. 3. Providing Text for your Project All text needs to be complete, exact and in the order you would like for it to appear. All text also needs to be in a word document. Publications cannot accept excel files. Please do not format the text (tabs, justification) and avoid typing ALL CAPS. You have the option of having your text proofread for style, spelling, and grammar, in addition to accuracy regarding general information about FIU. There is a separate charge for this and will be reflected in the estimate. 4. Providing Photos Choosing the right images is essential to any project. The Office of Publications has a library of photos that can be used for any project and also uses photos that are found at flickr.com/fiu. These photos on flickr are taken by External Relations and are open for use by the university at large. Sometimes this is not enough and a photo shoot is needed in order to fully capture the words/idea you are conveying. Our designers work with experienced photographers to art direct a shoot to help ensure the images taken are cohesive with the goal of the project. If you have photos you would like included they must be submitted as high resolution 300dpi, unless Publications is creating imagery for the web, in which case 72 dpi is sufficient. A good rule of thumb to determine if an image is high resolution or not is to take a look at the file size, if the size says KB, it is too small; the size should be MB.
Images can also be purchased via sites such as istock and shutterstock. You may search these sites and provide Publications with options, or the designer can search him or herself for the appropriate images, but this did add to the overall design time of a project.
6. Proofing Three (3) proofs are included in the initial design estimate provided to the client before the project begins. If more proofs are needed the production manager will provide the client an adjusted estimate. It is extremely important for you to take the time to carefully read and review all elements of you project for accuracy. You are responsible for the text you provide. It is most cost-effective to “proof” your text before you submit it to Publications, as time spent correcting copy will increase the cost of your project. 7. Printing & Delivery The Office of Publications works closely with printers to maintain quality control and a timely delivery. 8. Billing Once the project is complete, the design and printing costs are billed in accordance to actual time spent on the project, the materials used and the printers’ final invoice. You will receive a billing statement from our Budget Coordinator via email or interoffice mail.