Publishing 101 continues....

Back to that pesky publishing process! We're taking you all the way from original design idea to shipping a new L*K design out the door!

On the May 6 post, we visited the photographer and had alot of fun doing some cool propped shots. We're really aiming for a different "vintage" look on this group of 3 Boxer kits, and I hoped we had some shots that would work well on our cover designs.

After I finished at the photographer I dropped the discs with the photos at my graphic designer's office. Sorry, no photo of me meeting Janice in the parking lot and doing the exchange! Thankfully, Janice's office is only a couple blocks from the photographer, which is only a few blocks from all 3 printers I use, which is really convenient. A lot of the graphic related businesses are clustered between downtown and old town, which makes my job easier!

My long-time friend Janice has been helping me with graphic design ever since we started publishing full color Snippets. Before that, we were gluing all the photos on black/white printing. Janice is a full time graphic designer and free-lances for me on evenings and weekends...thus the clandestine parking lot exchange of our info! Not only is she a very talented designer, she is the PERFECT designer for L*K because she is an avid cross stitcher!  She actually understands what I am printing, and works to make it as pretty AND usable as possible.

In addition to the photos, I give Janice files for the text and the cross stitch chart, and a print out of the text for each design (with symbols penciled in). I also give her the actual stitched models, because she likes to have them for reference (and inspiration) while she is working.

Then...MAGICALLY...a few days, or a few weeks later, Janice emails me the files with the proposed layout. She sends me files for front and back covers, and well as the inside chart layout. She takes all the info I provide and turns it into a beautiful file for the printer. I give her suggestions about how I want things to look, colors or motifs or fonts I want to use, and we chat back and forth about ideas.

Below is my monitor with the file for the first Inspiration Boxer. You're seeing the front and back cover (unfolded, of course).  The right side has the photo of the framed Boxer and the bonus pin cushion design.  On the left you can see the back cover info, as well as the photo of all 3 Boxers in this inspirational series.

I don't have the skills to do what Janice does...she is a professional!!  She spends most of her "real job" hours working on food products...Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, KFC, etc., so my work is a welcome relief from a monitor full of fast food.  And I might add...Janice has the largest monitor in her office that I have ever seen! She is a true multi-tasker! I promise to post a photo of Janice soon when we visit the printer.

After I receive the files, I print everything and start PROOFING...and proofing...and proofing some more. I have a long list of things I check for, but (sadly) it's easy to miss something. I send her the corrections, and she   makes the changes and sends me corrected files.  It's not unusual for the files to be flying back and forth after 10 PM - whenever she has time to work on L*K, I try to be ready, and awake! Often I get to my computer in the morning, and find she has sent me a file after I went to bed. Then I have all day to proof and work on it, because she won't work on my stuff until "after hours". 

I'm thrilled with how these new Inspiration Boxers are looking!  I just got to my desk this AM to find a late night email with the first batch of corrected files. I can't wait to get these guys published and show you the new goodies!