Choosing the Right Design or Media House to Promote your Company

By Michael Millhollen

When you begin your search for the right design or media house,
start out by knowing what you want and like. If you visit the web
site of a design firm and all of their projects look the same
plus it's a look you don't like, chances are they're not a good
match for you! Even if you like their look, do you really want a
web site or Ad that is less memorable and doesn't stand out
because it looks exactly like any number of others?

The best studios to look for will display a wide range and
versatility between their projects. This shows that they aren't
focusing on a specific style that happens to be what they
personally like or are good at. Instead, they're probably
focusing on what's appropriate for the clients' specific needs or
target markets. This also means that they will be able to create
the look you're going for or recommend one that would be
appropriate for you (as long as you can give them a little
guidance or direction because you'll still want to personally
like the final product).

Furthermore, make sure not to get too discouraged if you see a
project or two you don't like or have trouble finding projects
that fit your look when you surf their web site. As long as they
show versatility in their ability, show quality examples and you
can give them a direction to head down - even if its just a web
site you like the look of or a magazine or TV ad that appealed to
you - they should be able to take it from there.

Don't be afraid to look outside of your local area for help, as
well. Today's technology simply makes constant contact and the
ability to view sketches too easy to limit yourself. Wouldn't you
prefer to have concepts emailed over to view at your own desk
without having to drive across town, anyway?

The next thing to do is check for a client list. Is there anyone
impressive on the list who was confident enough to hire them, or
are all of the companies unknown? If they don't have a client
list on their web site and don't even want to provide one upon
request, that's a bad sign that their previous clients weren't
satisfied or they're too inexperienced and probably haven't been
around long enough to reliably create quality work. Be straight
forward and ask how many years they've been around (if the web
site doesn't say). That will help indicate the quality of work,
experience and whether they are likely to still be around in a
year when you need new materials produced.

Try to find a design and media house that will be able to help
you create most or all of the materials you might eventually
need. Even if you're starting slow or aren't sure you'll ever
need a particular service, if you acknowledge that their might be
a slim chance, you'll thank me later. It's difficult enough to
find a studio that is trustworthy and works well with your
company, you don't want to have to start the whole process over
again just because you're going to start advertising on TV when
you'd only done Direct Mail pieces in the past.

This is additionally important if you ever want to develop a
brand or visual cohesiveness in your advertising and corporate
identity. You want to know that the designers and editors working
on your materials have a firm understanding of your brand or
image because they will work far more effectively for you. The
last benefit is that you can often receive a discount from the
sheer volume of work you need, which is always good.

Even if you think you've found a good studio at this point, make
sure you now what ALL the costs are. Some studios will charge you
for everything they can think of when all is said and done. It
won't show up in the bid they initially send over, but you'll
have to pay if you want the final materials delivered. Everything
from lunches or phone conversations to "research" or outrageous
duplication costs (and far more creative things) can end up on
your final bill. It's better to risk offending an honest studio
than get hit with an extra $10,000 on your bill because you
didn't check for hidden costs!

Finally, don't be afraid to spend money to make money. Corporate
communication is simply like any other business decision and
involves investing time and resources. All too often, businesses
rely on intuition or take short cuts in an effort to save time
and money. The problem with this kind of philosophy is that it
rarely works. In the design and media industries, you definitely
get what you pay for - especially when it comes to video, audio,
web sites or 2D and 3D animation.

Copyright ® CVP Productions 2004

About the Author:

Michael Millhollen is the Head Graphic Designer at CVP
Productions, an award winning full service Design, Animation &
Video Production studio based out of The Kansas City Metro Area
but servicing the entire U.S. Visit http://www.cvpproductions.com
to see if they're the right company to assist you with all of
your promotional & advertising needs.