Commissioning work
Quick guide
Firstly, please ensure the following:
- Your Faculty or Professional Service has allocated a budget for the project and you have the authority to proceed
- You have obtained the appropriate Cost Code.
Next, submit your design brief through online job tracking system, including any links and attachments. If this is your first time using our system then please contact us at designenquiry@exeter.ac.uk and we will be able to grant you access.
We will then provide you with an estimate for the design time and printing/production costs. (We will keep you updated with any changes to the estimate as the project progresses e.g. size, photography requirements, print quantities, design time increases etc).
Once you have approved the estimate, your project will be allocated to one of our designers.
Before the artwork is sent to the printer, the designer will provide you with PDF proofs for approval. Please check and make any amendments/comments (Read our information on proof reading in the tab below for more details).
You can track the progress of your job at anytime by accessing the job tracking system.
Once you are satisfied with the final proof you will be asked to give final sign off through email which gives your approval to send to print.
Our designer will continue to liaise with our suppliers/printers to ensure your delivery deadlines are kept.
Our supplier will invoice us and our finance officer will debit your account via internal journal transfer. Please see our Charges page for more information on cost.
To aid project planning, please refer to approximate lead times below:
- Non-printed materials: 2 weeks.
- Printed materials: 3- 4 weeks.
- Animations /Videos: 2 months.
- Websites: 3 months.
How to supply text
Clean text
Your initial text should be as accurate as possible in terms of facts and presentation. Heavy text correction at proof stage will slow down the process and, if it entails more design hours than originally allowed for, will mean that extra costs are incurred.
If you need to make substantial corrections after you have submitted the word file but before you have been sent a first proof, resend it and make clear what its replacing. If you notice minor corrections that will not substantially affect the design or the length of the document please address these at proof correction stage.
Consistency
Please follow the University style guide.
Formatting
Please present your text as simply as possible, following the guidelines below. Design elements are best given by written instruction in the text rather than formatting the document in MS Word.
- Unless you are working on a very long document, present the copy in one file in the order that you wish to see it in.
- Set the text ranged left.
- Use single line spacing.
- Indicate the paragraphs as follows: set the format for paragraphs to have a line spacing of 0 pt before and after, and return twice at the end of the paragraph. This allows the designers to see separate paragraphs – if you only return once and that return happens to be at the end of a line it can be difficult to spot. Action: turn on the invisibles (¶ on the tool bar) and check.
- Generally use one font size throughout – if you want a sentence or paragraph increased in size it is best to give a separate instruction.
- Heading hierarchy: make sure that this is clear to the designer. This can normally be done with caps, bold and italic but in longer or more complicated documents you can always give an instruction in the text eg, LEVEL 1 HEAD; LEVEL 2 HEAD etc.
- Tables: if you have information that needs to be tabled, present it in the simplest possible table to give the designer the information as to what appears where.
Style guide
Please follow the University’s house style guidelines to ensure that all of Exeter’s publicity follows a consistent style. This style guide applies whether the material is for printed formats or for the web.
How to supply images
The majority of images we use are held in our Asset Bank (the University’s official Image and Video Library) https://exeter.assetbank-server.com/assetbank-exeter/action/viewLogin, in which case all you need to do is agree with the designer which images you want to use. If you supply new images for your project please follow these guidelines.
Digital images
Please supply original files as a jpg, tiff or eps.
Do NOT
- embed in word files
- supply in MS Publisher or any other program
- capture from websites.
The original image should be as high resolution as possible. The size of the file you supply will determine how we can use the image in a publication, eg full page pictures need high resolution; a lower resolution original file will only allow the image to be used at a smaller size.
Please always commission photos in colour even if you intend to use them in black and white.
Copyright
If you have obtained an image from a third party please make sure that they have the copyright and have granted us permission to use it. Does this permission have restrictions? Does the supplier need to be credited? Please give us all the details when you supply the image.
Proof reading and corrections
When you receive your proof please read it carefully against your original document. If possible please indicate any changes on a marked up PDF.