It is possible some readers will find this argument rather basic, however I’ve heard very often typographer I know complaining about a lack of fonts and colors management in files they receive for printing.

A good rule of thumb, especially if you’re starting to collaborate with a new typographer, is always to ask first how he prefers files to be prepared.
My favourite file format is PDF, however you can have some problems with it if typographer has an older version of Adobe Acrobat than yours (it is possible file won’t open at all or, worse, a black blob will print where you put transparencies), so most of times best solution is to go with EPS, a hybrid “container” format that incorporates both images and curves.

Problem with EPS is that if your composition has some text, and the font you used to create your paragraph is not installed on the computer that will open file, your text won’t display nor print as you intended, but system default font will be used.

To solve this issue you have to embed the font in the EPS when you save file.
However, even if EPS files can contains either images and type they are placed in a page layout as images. Font and style attributes are saved within the EPS file when it is created – such as by an illustration program, and simply embedding font cannot always be a solution.

Other than font embedding there are a few other ways you could deal this.
You can:

1. Provide the fonts along with the job (assure first if any licensing agreement applies)
2. Convert all the fonts to curves in the EPS file (but the text will no more be editable)
3. Deliver two versions of the EPS file:
a) A master version with editable text;
b) A copy with text converted to curves.

Next detail you have to take care of is the color model you are using.
Is the job going to be printed using spot color or process color?
Let’s assume you have to print a two-color job – for example, blue and red. If some objects were marked using process blue (a mix of cyan, magenta, yellow and black) and the text in the page layout file was marked using a spot color depending on colors used, four or five plates may be output instead of two (three to four for the process colors and one for the spot color).

Furthermore, it is a good idea to ask for a laser proof to your typographer to check your output before sending your composition to final production.
The reason is that the service bureau’s equipment uses PostScript. By printing a proof using the equal page-description language, you will be able to obtain an accurate replica before the files are committed to high-end output. EPS and PDF files must be output to a PostScript device for them to print the right way because their instructions are written using PostScript.

As a final recommendation I would say to avoid to save using JPEG compression, neither for EPS nor for PDF, because it is a quality loss format (probably you won’t notice much difference on display but once on paper you’d really regret your choice) and you lose quality each time you re-save your document.

Some years ago I made a set of four advertising (I realized both visual and copy) for a branch of a press agency that deals technology and computer gadgets.
They all (but one) were two pages wide and were going to have nationwide diffusion (for those who don’t know I am in Italy).

The reason I am writing about this is that few days ago I was leafing through a technology magazine when it happened, to my great surprise, that I saw one of those old adverts (and to be more exact, the one you can see a detail in the pic above).
As far as I’ve always known all advertising campaign have their life cycle: customer gets attracted and interested in products thanks to the freshness of the message, than desire and acquire (you know … the old good A.I.D.A. formula …).
So, when customer already knows your visual and he is already accustomed to it, your message higly risks to get unnoticed.
I am pretty sure the result of each campaign has always been benchmarked by that company so, if they keep on publishing that advert it can only mean one thing: IT KEEPS ON SELLING.

This whole story inspired me some insights that I want to share in this article.

• Good Design Tells a Story.
  Design IS communication, and spending your hours with your tools just to make a composition look better or to refine your tecnique is useless. No one of the element of design should be gratuitous, everyone of them must convey your message. It doesn’t? Discard it. Never forget the old rule LESS IS MORE.
• It all starts by the definition of a “concept”.
  I know of a lot of colegues that when they are going to start a new project brainstorm by jotting down everything comes to their mind then refine in a second time. I work in a different way. I start defining a creative concept that should describe client and product. Something daring that I want to hook the customer. Something different and new.
  The case in example was particularly challenging: how many online technology and gadgets shops already exists? How could I been able to compel customers to get there?
  To make things even more difficult target audience of adverts were a lot heterogeneous because they were going to be featured not only on business and high-end tech mag, but on newbies magazines too.
• You got to reach your customer “emotionally”.
  Best feature of the client was that he offeres often rare to find tech gadgets and solutions, so, the starting principle of all four adverts I developed was the he provides products that make life easier. As a plus, to contrast with “cold” technology I wanted my message to be strongly emotional.
  Watch in the pic above and you already know the direction I took. I choose a photo of a happy grandfather and child, imagining the first whispering to the second about a secret place where he would have bought some unique and rare to find gift.
  
• Colors have to be active element of your composition.
  They never-ever have to be casual. Colors communicate as much as visuals itself, I’m of the opinion that every designer should learn the power of a correct use of color. I often like to desaturate the scene and leave color to the element I want it to have emotional impact, but this is not a set rule.