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An Easy, but Important, Tip for Staying on Budget

One of the best tips that we can offer to our clients in order to keep a project on budget is to limit the rounds of changes to a design.

The quotes that we prepare for a project usually include a specified number of rounds of changes, but clients don't always understand what a round of changes is. Very simply, any time you request a change, no matter how small the change, it's a new round of changes.

Why does it take so much time to make a change that could be as simple as adding a word or changing capitalization? Because even a small change includes time to open the file, make the change, check the change, make a new PDF and resubmit the revised version to the client. All of these small tasks add up to a decent amount of time, especially if you make 5, 6, 7, 10 rounds of changes.

Here are our tips for minimizing the rounds of changes you make to a project:

  1. Take time to review your proofs thoroughly. Look for everything that may change. Don't find one thing and email for it to be changed without reviewing the rest of the proof.
  2. Let everyone review the proof before you send changes. Often, designs need to be approved by more than one person. Have all involved parties review the proof before sending changes, so those changes are more comprehensive.
  3. If there is a problem, present the problem, but don't feel the need to present a solution. "It feels too busy, what should we do," is a better approach than "It's too busy; get rid of all the pictures." Let the designer use his or her expertise to come up with a solution to your problem. It is what you hired them for.
  4. Present all the changes at once. Simple as that. This is not to say that you may not find additional changes that need to be made on the next proof, but by sending all of your changes at once, you will significantly cut down on the number of rounds of revisions that need to be made, helping your project stay on track and under budget.

We work for you, and we will do what is necessary to make you happy, which means we will do 20 sets of changes if that is what you ask us to do. However, we will have to charge you for all of those additional rounds of changes. So really consider each round of changes carefully, and make the process as smooth as possible both for yourself and for us.

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