PLAQUE DEPARTMENT Resource Guide
Introduction
Plaques are special celebratory items that coaches, administrators and parents purchase to honor the recipient and cement their accomplishments in time. Examples include an athlete being awarded a special honor or a team winning the division championship or even a teacher retiring after 40 years of service. The needs and wants of the customer will vary with each project but they will always fall into one of these two categories:
One Piece Plaque (With or without gold/brass)
Two Piece Plaque (Always with gold/brass)
The role of the plaque coordinator requires you to have an in depth knowledge of our sizes, layouts and finishing techniques. A skilled coordinator will be able to interpret the customers needs and guide them to the appropriate finished product.
You will work directly with the clients and our in-house designer to fulfill orders. A large part of your job is educating the client on why a specific size or design element will make their plaque pop. Our designer, Meghan Blaney, has an incredible eye for creating memorable mementos and she’s an amazing asset to our team.
As the liaison between customer and designer you must act as an interpreter, constantly steering the project to completion. Start by setting the designer up for success. Before sending her a project request make sure you have all of the necessary information in a cohesive format. This will not only ensure the customer receives a comprehensive proof but it will also cut down on the amount of emails between you and the designer. Saving everyone time and energy. Once a proof has been returned to you - DO NOT IMMEDIATELY FORWARD THE PROOF. Double check all elements of the layout to ensure it matches the clients description. If you are not confident the customer will be happy, ask for changes. If you see something - say something! Once you are satisfied pass the proof along to the client for final approval. This process may take one pass or twenty. Any employee in a project management role will be successful when they learn how to anticipate questions and answers and how to lead both parties to the perfect solution.
At the back of this guide there are checklists to guide you through this process. Remember all emails need to be reworded. Do not just copy and paste emails from the client to the designer or vice versa. The client is emailing a vendor and the designer is emailing a coworker. You are the link in the chain connecting both worlds.
Please work with your team lead to gain familiarity with the various plaque options shown on the next few pages.
We are excited to have you on the VIP Team!
Plaques
STANDARD PLAQUES
Standard plaques are 1 piece plaques, generally sponsor or coach plaques- ordered each season.
CUSTOM PLAQUES
Custom plaques are 1 piece plaques, created by the design dept based on information from account representative, who receives it from the customer.
CHAMPIONSHIP PLAQUES - ONE PIECE
One piece championship plaques are created by the design dept based on information from account representative, who receives it from the customer. These plaques have a gold metal plate that goes between the print and the wood board.
CHAMPIONSHIP PLAQUES - TWO PIECE
Two piece championship plaques are created by the design dept based on information from account representative, who receives it from the customer. These plaques have a gold metal plate that goes between the print and the wood board and are two separate pieces- the top is the photo and the bottom is info/text
*Image can be what we have on file or provided by customer. CC and cropping is complimentary
**What to send to design department: Design dept only creates the bottom portion of the plaque. Send text supplied by customer: accolades, rosters, cutlines, season schedules, rankings, design direction if supplied, etc. Design billed at $50/hr
Project Workflow
1. Receive project requests from account rep, school, parent, ect.
2. Gather all necessary information (size, qty, due date, etc.)
3. Send a quote to the client.
4. Import images into DP2 and have them CC/retouched and exported to the designer when necessary.
5. Send the designer a project email.
6. Review the proof that is returned to you.
A. Return with corrections
B. Forward to client for approval
7. Send approval to the designer.
8. Send all files to print.
9. Print all paperwork. (Job ticket, ship request, excel sheet.)
10. Invoice
11. Fill in Tracker.
Customer Checklist
- What size is the finished product?
- One piece or two?
- Horizontal or vertical?
- Do they want gold plates on the one piece plaques?
- How many plaques do they need?
- Will all plaques have the same design, will each be custom or do they have variable data?
- Will the plaque have text, rosters, schedules, uniform numbers....?
- Will the plaque have images?
- Is the customer supplying the images or does VIP own them?
- Is the customer photograph high quality?
- Do they want to pay for retouching/photoshopping?
- Are there any design elements, colors, fonts or logos they want included?
- Do they have samples or plaques designs they like?
- What is the due date for the project?
Whether expressed or implied, you should know these answers prior to constructing a project email. Not all questions need to be asked directly. The majority of these answers will be obvious through normal conversations with the client.
Designer Checklist
- Does the size match what the client requested?
- Do the images match the names?
- Are the images centered on the correct athlete?
- Is all of the text included and formatted as requested?
- Are the correct school/sponsor logos used?
- Are there any obvious spelling errors?
There may be additional notes, observations, suggestions or critiques from the designer. For example, do you need to request a larger/ higher quality photo from the client, do you need to explain why a design element does not work as the client requested, were there cutout errors, is there data missing, or does she need clarification on the concept? DO NOT IMMEDIATELY FORWARD TO THE CLIENT. Absorb what she is saying then make a decision on what action is needed. With time you will learn to anticipate these and take preemptive action.
