George Fox University | Offices and Services | Marketing and Communications | New Publication Process

Creating a New Publication

It is best to fill out a job request form as soon as you know you will need the department's services, regardless of how far in advance it is. A guideline to follow is contacting our office at least two months before the desired delivery date for most publications, and three months in advance for complex projects or those driven by major events.

The guide below outlines ranges of the time needed for the various stages of creating a publication.

Concept Stage: If the project is complex or a first-time publication, this stage involves information gathering and brainstorming. Consultation with the assigned designer and editor may be necessary. The communications office prefers to work with one person per department. Call the communications coordinator (ext. 2125) to arrange an appointment.

Things to consider in the concept stage:

• What is the purpose of the publication?
• Do you have a theme or message for the project?
• Will other departments need to be involved in the process?
• What will our budget allow?

Editing: Depending on the scope of the project, our editing process can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. Clients submit text for their projects, the communications office will then edit the text for grammar, style, and voice.

Design: Two weeks is standard for a design project - longer for complex jobs. The department workload may affect this process.

Proofing: The customer reviews the proof, which may require further adjustments. The job's timeline may be adjusted or delayed when multiple proofs of the same project are needed.

Printing: Standard press time is two weeks. Complex projects with multiple parts may take longer. Simple print jobs (one color) may take as few as three days.

Mailing: Invitations should be sent four to six weeks in advance of most events. When planning your publication arrival date, please consider the processes you will use for labeling and mailing (first class or bulk rate).

To encourage a timely delivery:

• Plan well in advance and submit your projects to the communications office as soon as possible.
• Provide all necessary text and graphics according to the schedule.
• Submit text in a Microsoft Word document according to the timeline given or sooner.
• Avoid changes to your text once design has begun. This can significantly delay your project.
• Review proofs carefully and return them quickly. We are unable to continue with your project until we receive your feedback.

Rush jobs:

The communications office will do its best to accommodate rush jobs. However, be aware that we may not be able to accept rush jobs when doing so will compromise the schedule of ongoing time-sensitive projects. If it is necessary for Creative Services to outsource work to complete a rush job, incurred charges may be passed on to clients after consulations.

Submit a job request:

Gather information for the job request form . Be prepared to provide the requested information about your publication, including budget numbers, mailing method, primary contact, quantity, etc. Missing information may delay your job.

Text

We will advise when the text is due upon receiving the job request. Submitting text after this date may affect the delivery date. All copy should follow the George Fox University Style Guide, available at georgefox.edu/offices/communications/style/. This guide outlines such things as capitalization, names of offices and services, school names, building names, titles, etc.

The text should be submitted in a Word document that does not use all caps, extra tabs, or extra spaces to visually format text. Use a single space after periods. When using data collected from administrative software, consult with the art director.

When writing your copy, consider these tips from the "The Elements of Style" (Strunk and White) and other writing sources:

• Remember your audience and write to them, not to yourself or peers.
• Use the active rather than passive voice.
• Choose nouns and verbs over adjectives and adverbs.
• Never use a long word when a short one will do as well.
• Write simple sentences with as few words as possible.
• Vary sentence length.
• State text in a positive form.
• Use short paragraphs.
• Cut needless words, sentences, and paragraphs.
• Use plain, conversational language.
• Avoid clichés and jargon.
• Improvement is always possible.

Purchase Orders

The communications office does not charge for creative services - consultation, editing, design, production, some photography, or arranging for printing. However, your office is responsible for the costs of printing charged by outside vendors.

Complete submission of a job order should include the cost center, quantity, and account number to be charged. We will not start the job without this information.

We will submit a purchase request for the printing and/or other costs. The appropriate budget manager will receive an e-mail requesting approval for the purchase order.

Projects will be sent to the printer after the PO has been approved. Failure to approve POs may significantly delay your project.

If the PO is denied, please contact the Office of Financial Affairs to make other arrangements for PO approval; we are unable to do this on your behalf.

Proofread

Please proofread the text, check the layout carefully, and see that everyone who has a voice in the project has given approval.

• Check spelling - pay special attention to headlines, subheads, and photo captions.
• Verify names, dates, facts and figures.
• Check mail permit, label guide, return address, and other mail components.
• Confirm that editing from the previous proof is correct.
• Sign and return form to the communications office by the requested return date.

Upon receiving final approval and PO approval, the communications office will send the project to the printer.

Timeline

Please submit a job request as soon as you know of upcoming projects - it is never too early.

After receiving your request, we will create a timeline for your project based on its size, scope, and special needs (photography, staff writing, printing processes, etc.). Most projects require four to six weeks to complete after we receive text.

Mail Services

If your publication will be mailed, indicate the type of mailing when your job is requested. The type of mailing may affect layout and printing. All mailed projects (bulk or otherwise) must be approved by GFU Mail Services. Ensuring compliance with postal regulations is included in the client's proofing process. Extra postage costs may be incurred if design does not confirm to postal regulations. Clients are responsible for all labeling and mailing after the publication has been delivered.

Printer

The communications office will select a firm to print your project based on the specific needs of the project, pricing, and schedule. Changes made to a project after it has been finally approved and sent to the printer may result in additional cost and a delay in the schedule.

Printing may take up to three weeks. All completed publications will be delivered to the communications office by the printer unless other arrangements are made. As soon as your project arrives, the communications office will contact you. Please check your project immediately for any printing errors. If there is a problem, the communications office will act as your liaison with the printer.

Our office keeps file samples from all jobs. (When alternative arrangements are made for delivery, send 10 copies to the communications office.)