Fall 2019

5 Common Pitfalls Implementation Professionals Can Help Brand
Managers & Designers Avoid

1. May I See Your (Font) License?

In 2019, font licensing and protection over intellectual property has become a huge issue. Whereas, in the past, many designers and agencies were fairly cavalier with their approach to font usage and licensing… it’s a whole new ball game today. The legal services industry has caught-on to those who would use unlicensed fonts and a band of so-called “ambulance chasing lawyers” have cracked down on agencies and designers that run afoul of the law. Having proper licenses for all art assets used in files has never been more critical. Professional Implementation oversight insures there are never any issues here which can be incredibly costly and problematic by auditing and clearing all assets.

2. The Devil Is (Still) In The Details

As many smaller brands come into the market and attempt to take share from huge conglomerates they may not be receiving proper oversight of required legals and mandatories which exist. Many smaller brands have serious issues with mandatories which is a real concern and something that proper Implementation oversight should be catching and correcting. We know the rules, since we’ve been in the space for years and can navigate brands thru without issues.

3. Spec Yourself Before You…

It’s always wise and forward looking to get a hold of your printer’s spec sheet well in advance of finalizing your design. Why? Because you need to know many of the minimums and rules they have established for the printing of your package. This applies not only to some of the things seen above, but color counts, press direction and much more. Check your specs before you wreck yourself!

4. Do Or Die

Ok, so you have your front of pack designed and everyone is cool with it, but have you laid it into the Dieline? Do you have the final Dieline? So many times we are seeing huge implications to selected designs because folks haven’t done the up-front work of understanding common cuts, no print areas, seals and more that will impact the final, printed package. Knowing your Die ahead of time is absolutely critical to your brand’s success.

5. To RGB Or Not To RGB?

So, your fancy photographer and retoucher have spent the entire design process getting the team to fall in love with your imagery via PDFs and screen-based sharing. They’re all based in RGB mode. Before you start sending final files to the printer, you may want to have a chat with them about the color mode of your images. While in previous years, most printers would dictate that you convert all images to CMYK prior to release, we’re seeing more and more printers asking us to leave the approved RGB imagery in final files. This can be due to a number of reasons, but the main thing it does for the workflow is to keep the approved imagery in the files and saves a step during Implementation. Asking the right questions up-front is going to save effort, time and money. And when the results shine on-shelf, you’ll see great Implementation shining thru!

In Summary:

These pitfalls may seem pretty basic to seasoned professionals, but we can’t assume all designers and brand managers know the intricacies of getting a terrific brand design onto shelves. As Implementation experts, it’s our role to shepherd and safeguard the design thru pitfalls that can arise during the evolutionary stages and beyond.