The Package Design Process, Part 6

Posted on June 23, 2009 | Permalink

By Lane Casteix

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

Once the design gets to a final production stage, all responsible and concerned parties must review and sign-off on the approved solution and proof. This includes the client’s departments such as marketing, sales, legal, production, shipping, compliance, and management, plus any government agencies that require input or approval.

Once approved, files are prepped for production. This means the designer gathers all the elements of the design and completely reviews every element to be sure all is in place and correct. The digital files may need conversion to another format or modification to accommodate production expectations.

Ideally the creative process does not stop at the last approval step. The agency creative team should be involved through the production process to insure compliance with the approved design. At the very least the agency design team should be allowed to help select production vendors and review any vendor supplied proofs and advise the client of any discrepancies. I have seen too many disasters when the agency design team is excluded from this step.

This may also involve one or more senior members of the from the agency attending various pre-production and production activities as observers and consultants. In all cases a client representative should be present to perform active sign-off duties based on consultations with production experts and the agency design team member. At SPAR we do not accept sign-off responsibilities without active on-scene participation by a client representative with sign-off authority. Usually this should be a brand manager. We will consult and advise, but the client must ultimately make the decision concerning any on-press changes or adjustments. Clients are often reluctant to pay the expenses for an agency design team member to be present at out of town production sessions. This is often results in unsatisfactory printing executions and production delays, and is generally a false economy when the job gets pulled from the press to be taken back to the designers for consultation.

Done properly, with responsible and experienced people from both the agency side and the client side, both parties generally walk away completely satisfied with the end product.