Marketing and University Communications

First Steps to Creating a Publication

Written materials such as brochures often take considerable time to produce and require a collaborative effort between you, the client, and your Marketing account liason, writer and designer.

Here is a look at the process involved in creating a publication:

  1. Planning: This involves determining your message, your audience, your budget, your time line.
  2. Writing: Publications usually are written by a Marketing account executives or writer. This can take considerable time as all publications, no matter their size, need to be researched, written and proofread.
    Melanie Rich

    Melanie Rich for hospital requests (x-4831)

    Leah Caldwell for campus requests (x-4835)

    If you are not sure which area your request falls, please call 464-4831 for more information.
  3. Design: Our Creative Services division of the Marketing Department employs four full-time creative services specialists or designers. Once the copy is written and art or photos compiled, a designer designs the publication.
  4. Sign-off: We will send you page proofs to approve before the publication is sent to the printer. The page proof gives you the opportunity to review the design and proofread the content. We will not print any document without your approval.
  5. Print Production: There are two printing sources. One source, commercial printers, bid on projects. Printing time at commercial printers ranges from a couple of days for a simple one- or two-color flyer to about one month for a large full-color brochure with a pocket cover. The other source, Upstate's Duplicating Department, offers a less expensive alternative. Duplicating uses a high-end xerographic printer called a Docutech which prints simple black and white designs on standard paper. Two small presses can print one- or two-color pieces of fair to good quality. Because of staffing limitations, turnaround times vary significantly. Duplicating can do simple glue and staple binding. Larger binding jobs much be outsourced.
  6. Distribution: To make distribution efficient, you should be ready to distribute your
    publication before print production is finished.

    You will need:

    • Labels ready on disk or printed in zip code order.
    • Third-class payment ready for the Post Office (if relevant).
    • All other enclosures, envelopes ready for the person doing your mail preparation/assembly.