Strategy
The Top 7 Ways to Save Money on Your Project
1. Follow a standard subject line protocol in all emails involving the project. Project number and client name – description EXAMPLE: 12-0000 Big Hot Co. – Event keynote sample slides 2. Use a consistent name for the project. Too many times, clients have varying nicknames or acronyms for projects and we can’t tell if it’s a new […]
High-quality Prints from Slides
We are occasionally asked to turn presentation graphics into printed posters, white papers, newsletters, and so on. If you think you’ll need high-quality print output from slides, it’s best to let us know in advance. Here’s why: Presentation graphics do not need to have anywhere near the same resolution as high-end print graphics—they only need […]
Selling with a Hands-on ROI Demo
Bluewave is all about visual storytelling. We design professional presentation media that help our clients deliver clear, compelling and visually impactful communications for corporate events, keynote executive speeches, product launches, sales meetings and road shows. These are often big-stakes situations, where high pressure, precision and state-of-the-art multimedia predominate. But sometimes the most effective selling tool […]
What Bluewave Needs to Get Started
Here’s what we need to nail down before beginning a project: Do you have an existing color palette? If not, we can create one. For color palettes that we develop, we’ll discuss general color directions with you. Any special graphics you want us to use? Your event may feature a unique theme, logo, illustrations, photos, posters, etc. […]
Slide Aspect Ratios: What You Need to Know
Many PowerPoint presentations are formatted at the default 4:3 aspect ratio, which is the display size used by older TV screens and projectors. Widescreen shows, with a 16:9 aspect ratio, are becoming more and more common. Keynote conferences and other high-end events will likely be displayed in widescreen environments. For smaller venues, widescreen HD-capable DLP chip projectors are now very […]
The First Quarter Inch — Developing Project Guidelines
Life is like a yardstick. In some ways, the easy part is the last 11¾ inches. The hard part is often the first quarter inch: getting organized and defining goals. Don’t cut corners on that first quarter inch, for it often moves the project from good to great. Many of our clients have clearly defined […]
Cut Costs on All Your Creative Projects with These Six Rules
Rule #1 — Allow plenty of time. Not enough time is the most common problem any design firm faces. Too often, the client is expecting a fast turnaround at a low price. Rule #2 — Respect the design team. Respect their creativity, judgment and effort. They are professionals and deserve to be treated as such. […]
How a Design Firm Works
All a design firm has to sell is time — time to create artwork. Clients don’t always understand the full scope of the design process. All parts of the project must be billed. Here is a list of billable items in a typical presentation project, in timeline order: Discuss the project. Often free, but it […]
How Can I Shortcut the Design Process?
Very often, clients are pressed for time and are unable to provide sufficient details to help get a design project successfully underway. When this happens, our project managers and designers must fumble through a trial-and-error process of experimentation and elimination, trying to figure out what the client wants and struggling to deliver a meaningful solution. […]