Starting a Job with ECG

Welcome and thanks

Thank you for trusting us with your work. We hope that your experience in working with Emory Creative Group is a satisfying one. Should you wish to provide feedback about your experience at any point, please contact Executive Director Susan Carini at 404.727.7816.

Initiating your job

To begin a print, new media, or web design project, we ask that you complete a creative brief and return it to our traffic manager, Margie Roe, 404.727.7142. No job can begin without signing and returning the Emory Creative Group contract, which will be emailed to you once we receive your creative brief.

Creative brief

As the first step in defining the scope of your project, you will be asked to fill out a creative brief, detailing for the creative staff who will work with you the objectives and expected outcomes for your piece, a definition of your audience, as well as other considerations such as budget, deadlines, and visual and copy goals. A meeting with your Emory Creative Group team following submission of the creative brief will provide an opportunity to clarify your goals and plans. A detailed and mutually agreeable schedule will be created for your project.

Photography

Please do not wait until the last minute to think about photography. If your publication will require new photography, contact Ann Borden of Emory Photo/Video, at 404.727.2025, to set up a photo shoot or to select photography from the Photo/Video database. Our colleagues at Emory Photo/Video are a self-supporting unit, so there are charges associated with their service.

Bidding

In the selection of vendors, Emory Creative Group adheres to all University Purchasing rules, including the Preferred Vendor System. Your job will be competitively bid by our production staff.

Client's account number

On the client's behalf, Emory Creative Group will process bills for printing or other expenses incurred during the course of a job, using a client account number that should be provided upon the initiation of the job. All charges will be preapproved by the client. Jobs whose printing exceeds $10,000 will be asked to render their approval through the Emory Express system.

Administrative fee

The design, editorial, and production services of Emory Creative Group are provided at no direct cost to the campus community. For your project, you will be charged a small administrative fee. The latter fee, in the amount of $60, covers those items that are out-of-pocket costs for Emory Creative Group, including but not limited to couriers, FedEx, press-check mileage, as well as color and monochrome proofs.

All jobs are edited

If you are updating a current piece, please mark your changes directly on the piece and send it to your Emory Creative Group editor. If you are submitting extensive changes or completely new text, please submit your text in a Word document to the editor. The editor imposes Chicago style and Emory style requirements as well as checks spelling and grammar. Please download our editorial style manual if you have any questions as you prepare your copy. Our editors' general familiarity with the University may enable them to catch factual errors; however, the client is responsible for ensuring that the document is factually accurate. You should make every effort to ensure that your copy is in its final state when it comes to us. If you do not have time to write copy or need assistance in developing themes, writing services are available through Emory Creative Group.

Developing the design

Following your lead, our staff will create designs that reflect your requirements and help achieve your communications goals. Please note that all design work will adhere to the standards of the current University identity system. If you have questions about whether or not your logo is identity compliant or if you are correctly representing the Emory brand, contact Stanis Kodman, brand manager, at 404.727.2757.

The production process

Unless other arrangements are made, you may expect to see two proofs of your publication, for which you may indicate any changes or corrections. It is very important to review carefully the body copy, headlines, cutlines, and other elements. Examine the spelling of names; double-check phone numbers along with web and email addresses. You should not add or delete substantial amounts of copy at this point as this will alter the layout and could affect the final delivery date of your job. Signoff from the client will be required at each stage, with a final signoff indicating the project's readiness for printing. If a job goes beyond the agreed upon number of proofs at the client's instigation, the client will be charged for the extra proof(s), based on an hourly rate of $100, billable in fifteen-minute increments. You will be notified when your project generates an excessive proof fee and given a total for the number of hours billed before the charge appears on your ledgers.

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