Achieving Communication Clarity [Includes Video]

As any printer can attest, somewhere along the line in the development of a new project, changes will be made. To work through those changes, it is crucial for the brand owner, designer and printer to engage in regular and healthy communication. If and when something doesn’t go according to plan or the brand owner wants a last minute design change, are you prepared with open lines of communication to facilitate changes that can be turned around as efficiently and timely as possible?

For many printers, it may seem they are usually the last to know about design changes, especially when they are looped into a project after all of the designs have already been finalized. When printers are brought into the process as early as possible, open and transparent communication can make or break a job. However, sometimes circumstances that are out of any one party’s control can impede a project from going smoothly, making preparation key.

Overcoming Communication Barriers

Sometimes even with the right modes of communication set up, problems can arise. For one project in particular for Pennsauken, N.J.-based Works Design Group, it was the communication itself that became the biggest challenge.

Bill Hutches, principal with Works Design Group, explains that for a recent project for the Lionel toy train company, a time difference and language barrier proved to be the biggest roadblocks. Although Works Design Group and the brand owner are both located in the United States, the toy production company, which also happened to be the printer, was located in Hong Kong.

Not only did working times and the language barrier raise some issues with communication, differences in software led to added challenges in bringing the packaging design to its final production run. The printer had trouble receiving the artwork and fonts, requiring Works Design Group to outline all of the fonts. This meant that for every change, small or large, Works Design Group needed to manipulate the files and send them back to the printer.

“We changed the files many, many times by the time we were all said and done,” Hutches says.

Additionally, Hutches states the two sides did not communicate about the printer’s production capabilities at the start of the process.

“The dieline changed multiple times,” Eric Norton, director of operations at Works Design Group, explains. “It went from small to large and back to small again.”

N.J.-based Works Design Group worked with Lionel to create the packaging for the company’s new Mega Tracks. A time zone difference and language barrier made communication difficult, but with the use of technology and organization, Works Design Group was able to successfully complete the project.

The printer created dielines for the packaging, but when it came time to package the toys, the boxes were too small to fit the product.

“There was so much change in size, that it actually changed the design and structure,” Hutches says.

Hutches explains that the communication challenges made this an unusual project.

If the capabilities of the printer were made clear in the beginning, the workflow may have turned out somewhat differently, but it seems that in the end, a lesson could be learned from this situation.

“I think you just need to be prepared if there is a time and language barrier,” he says. “Build extra time into the process so that you don’t run into such a [tight] deadline.” Using a ‘Partnership Approach’

Early communication is the key to ensuring a more streamlined process, says Kory Grushka, director of business development at Works Design Group.

“To me, the key is to shoot an email, be introduced, have a kick-off call as early in the process as feasible,” Grushka advises. “Circulate a spreadsheet with all the project team members on all sides and detailed contact information for everyone. Open the lines of communication early.”

However, one recurring issue among printers and converters is that they’re normally brought into a new project at the end of the process, when the designs have already been finalized. But what happens when not everyone in the supply chain agrees on a process?

Scott Hosa, associate director, technical graphics at Landor, explains that sometimes a brand owner or business management executive will want to refrain from involving a printer too early in the packaging process, knowing that aspects of the project will likely change.

With one project in particular, Hosa explains that it was for the benefit of the entire group to involve the printer early, even when there were hesitations from the client.

“In this case, we didn’t dictate what we wanted, we just involved them in the process,” he says. “We engaged the printer as a partner.”

He explains that by outlining the project and clearly stating that it was still in the design process and not finalized, he was able to implement what he calls the “partnership approach.” Involving the printer early allowed them to inform Landor about their capabilities and their limitations. It gave the printer the chance to provide alternative design options and to speak with the print supplier to find an innovative solution to meet the needs of the client.

“The initial communication gave them the initiative to explore and do some testing for the project,” Hosa explains. “If it was their first look [later in the process], those solutions would have been limited.”

SIDEBAR: One-of-a-Kind Peanuts

Although it may seem risky to involve all the parties before all details are finalized, the “unknown” as Hosa says, can be worse. In other words, waiting until the end to involve the printer could be problematic as they end up receiving a significant amount of information all at once.

“They’re drinking from the fire hose today, rather than taking sips along the way,” he says.

Many of the communication issues that companies face are that lines of communication aren’t always opened with the right people at the right time. Acknowledging the printer as a partner, for example, provides a better understanding of the project and can result in a more satisfying final product.

Risks of Faulty Communication

Besides the obvious reasons communication throughout the process of a packaging project is important, there are some other not-so-obvious reasons to keep the lines of communication open and transparent.

“If you don’t have alignment on [printing capabilities and design] and there are major hiccups, it will cause delays and that is problematic,” Grushka says. “If you have a timeline and you blow significant deadlines, the printing and packaging design could cause major problems for the brand team.”

Not only that, Grushka explains, it could have financial implications.

“If a printer isn’t chosen until later in the game, we’re designing in the dark,” he says. “And if the printer can’t accommodate it … completing new layouts and design with dramatic shifts in capabilities and dielines can increase project costs.”

The Modes of Communication

Because packaging design tends to change quickly, knowing the best ways to communicate for various situations is crucial. Norton explains that frequent communication was necessary throughout a large project for the new Mandarin Market brand of frozen foods from Water Lilies, a manufacturer of Asian-inspired food. The project consisted of Works Design Group developing the branding, packaging design and marketing for the product line.

Works Design Group worked with Water Lilies, a private manufacturer of Asian-inspired food, to develop its Mandarin Market brand from start to finish. The team did all of the creative work, including positioning the brand, developing the packaging, copywriting, photography and even creating the brand name.

Luckily, the brand owner, printer and Works Design Group are all located in the Tri-State Area.

If there were changes, “I could pick up the phone three times a day and ask them,” he says.

Many times with design changes, answers are needed immediately, so the ability to overnight proofs and have conference calls (in the same time zone) kept the process moving quickly and smoothly.

But the reality is that all parties in a project are not always in the same time zone, let alone on the same continent. For the Lionel project, Works Design Group used technology to its advantage. The companies set up a direct FTP site so that all parties involved could send and receive files automatically. It was maintained and updated frequently and each file was named with the date and time of submission to keep everything structured and organized.

In addition to typical means of communication, Grushka also suggests using a shelf checklist or list of bullet points to go over throughout the process to make sure that all of the parties are aligned and on the same timeline.

Another tip is to make sure there is a single point of contact. Hosa suggests a singular contact for each project so that there is always one person who knows what still needs to be completed and when.

“If you have a whole group of people on an email chain and everyone is replying back with input, it can get carried away,” he says.

Getting Involved

There isn’t much a printer can do to prevent being brought into a project during the final stages, but Hosa suggests bringing samples to meetings and being as proactive as possible.

For example, he says that during a project with the front-end innovation division of a consumer products client, a printer was engaged early on, but Landor was candid that the choice for a printer had not been finalized. The printer showed examples of their work, proving to Landor that they had enthusiasm for the work. Although they weren’t chosen for the project, the process ultimately gave Landor confidence in their capabilities, which subsequently resulted in live work.