A PR Pro's Guide to Working with a Graphic Designer

Our world today is fueled by digital and visual content. As a soon-to-be public relations professional, it is likely you will be creating visual content to develop a relationship and engage with your client or company’s audience. However, you might not be an expert in design software, such as the Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign). It is likely you will have to work with a graphic designer to reach your creative goals.

Source: Stocksnap

Know your objective. What do you want to achieve through this visual content? How do you envision the graphics? Know what you want so you aren’t wasting your time or your graphic designer’s time because we all know time is our most valuable resource.

Be able to describe what you want, but give the designer some creative freedom. Before meeting with your graphic designer, write down what you want to you can easily explain what you would like to see in the design. However, remember that the graphic designer is the expert. You should give him or her some creative freedom because the designer knows what will look best and may even create something better—something you may have never imagined yourself.

Send the right files. Ask the graphic designer about the specific files he or she needs to start creating your graphic. By asking first, you will eliminate unnecessary back-and-forth emails.

Do not underestimate the time it will take them to complete the project. A graphic is just like any other piece of art. It takes a lot of time to make. Even the simplest tasks may take more time than you think. Be patient and understanding because you don’t want the final product to look rushed.

Take an introductory course in graphic design. Even if you aren’t an expert after taking an introductory course, it will help you understand the programs that graphic designers use to create your content. You will be able to understand graphic design jargon, making it easier to communicate with your graphic designer. Also, you will learn the difference between vector and pixel-based graphics. Especially when dealing with logos, you will understand that vector-based images can be resized without damaging the quality of the image.

Graphic designers and public relations professionals are both creative in their own ways, and we have one thing in common – we both communicate with our content. By knowing how to work with a graphic designer, you will be able to complete your job more efficiently, while making your client or company happy at the same time.

This guest blog post was written by PRowl staff member Megan Healy. 

How To Give A Presentation

Over the course of my internship at Publicis Healthcare Communications Group, I have learned a lot about presentation skills. While participating in my fulfilling internship experience, I had to work on an intern pitch at the advertising agency I was with over the summer. While working on the presentation, I have come up with 4 great tips for presentation skills I have learned through personal experience:

1. Speak slowly and speak up

It is extremely important in a presentation for a presenter to be clear and loud. You could have the best presentation but it will mean nothing if the judges/professor can’t hear what you are saying. It is always better to be too loud than quiet in a presentation.

2. Team chemistry is vital

It is easily visible during a presentation when a team does not work well together. It’s really important from day one to establish roles and goals and make sure everyone is on the same page. Similarly, the groups with the best presentations are always the groups that enjoy working with each other and avoid conflict during debrief sessions. Always remember to smile and laugh during a pitch/presentation, it makes everything much more enjoyable for yourself and the judge.

3. Make eye contact

Although you might be nervous, having confidence is essential to the success of the presentation. Even if you may not know what you’re talking about, act like it! Go in confident and well prepared and your presentation will be a hit! Always remember to have good posture and make eye contact with the audience.

4. Come prepared

It is extremely important that you are prepared with all of the necessary elements one needs in order to present such as index cards, laptop, print outs, etc.

Remember, if you ever have a pitch/group presentation, these six skills will be essential to gaining that blue ribbon!

This blog post was written by PRowl Staff Member Jessica Mancuso. 

Giving Constructive Criticism The Right Way

No matter how organized or efficient you are when working solo, it’s important that you also be able to cooperate, collaborate, and work with a team. Depending on the client, public relations work can often call for having all hands on deck. When this happens, it’s important that members of a team not only be there to support each other, but also help one another grow and perfect their skills and specialties. There is no better way to do this than by giving constructive criticism. When you decide to give constructive feedback to your coworkers, it’s important that you keep these points in mind so that the advice can be received the way you intend it to.

Get to the point: Don’t add a bunch of meaningless fluff to your critique. The purpose of constructive criticism is to point out what needs to be improved on. Make the necessary points, include suggestions, and move on.

Be Helpful: Don’t just provide a checklist of changes and errors. Always include possible suggestions so that the recipient knows how they can move forward in a more positive direction.

Perception is everything: Constructive criticism is often seen as negative because the comments were perceived to be negative. Be aware of your tone and approach. Don’t come off too strong, or seeming to have all of the answers. Your goal is to help - keep that in mind before you make your comments.

Take as well as you give: Once you feel you are able to effectively give constructive criticism, prepare for the tables to be reversed. Don’t take offense when someone turns the tables and gives you tips to improve upon your own skills. Process the comments given to you, and apply them when possible.

How do you feel is the best way to give constructive criticism? Let us know!

Team Work Makes the Dream Work

While studying abroad in Spain, I’ve come to understand how important it is to work effectively in small groups. I have been thrown into a foreign country with fourteen other students from Temple, who I didn’t know before. From coordinating plans to practicing a new language, working as a group has become a necessity.
While abroad, I read Randy Pausch’s The Last Lecture, a book written in the last years of his life. In one section, titled “Enabling the Dreams of Others,” Dr. Pausch discusses a few key points on how to effectively work within small groups:

1. Meet people properly: Pausch explains that a solid introduction with eye contact is important because it lays a good foundation for the relationship in the future.

2. Find things you have in common: By doing this, it’s much easier to address differences that may be discovered.

3. Try for optimal meeting conditions: People will function better if they aren’t tired, hungry, or standing in the rain.

4. Check egos at the door: Ideas should be written down and identified by a description, not the person who thought of the idea. Additionally, it is a level playing field, with opportunities for everyone to succeed.

5. Praise each other: Even the worst ideas have a silver lining! This also helps keep everyone’s morale up.

6. Phrase alternatives as questions: You should suggest doing plan A, instead of plan B. It’s never a good idea to tell someone that you’re changing the plan to your own.

Pausch’s tips are more practical than others I’ve heard before. They have become very helpful while working in my group in Spain. For example, when a decision needs to be made about which direction to walk, removing ourselves from the rain calmed everyone down and allowed for more rational thinking, like #3 suggests. While these tips seem simple, they can change group dynamics if applied correctly.

The incredible experiences I’ve had in Spain are only because of our group working effectively to achieve a common goal, with patience and respect. I want to take this lesson back to Temple with me, so that each group experience from now on is equally as positive. I highly recommend The Last Lecture and following the tips above for a successful outcome.

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Alex Crispino.