Kate Burgener Creative https://kateburgener.com Smart, professional, engaging document design and event material design for businesses and non-profits. Fri, 23 Feb 2024 20:30:44 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://kateburgener.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/cropped-KBC-New-Logo_bluegreen_favicon-32x32.png Kate Burgener Creative https://kateburgener.com 32 32 Scroll-Stopping Branding for Your Next Event https://kateburgener.com/scroll-stopping-event-branding/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=scroll-stopping-event-branding https://kateburgener.com/scroll-stopping-event-branding/#comments Thu, 01 Aug 2019 20:08:10 +0000 https://kateburgener.com/?p=2627 Make sure your event promotion is noticed by using a complete branding system and mixing up elements to avoid repetitive graphics that viewers dismiss.

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Scroll-Stopping Branding for Your Next Event

You may have heard that cohesive branding is important to the success of your event (I talk about it all of the time, pretty much), but if you have limited elements to play with when promoting your event, people might start to dismiss repetitive images, thinking they’ve seen them already.

The best way to combat this is by having an event branding strategy that is robust and flexible. If you can switch it up but still make the invitation, poster, promotional images, and ads feel related to each other, you’ll build up the trust and recognition without accidentally turning all your hard work into white noise.

Palette

The easiest way to accomplish variety in your promotional materials is by having a great palette of colors for the event and swapping them whenever you can. Rotate background colors for social media graphics or switch the color of a headline block.

Remember to keep things high-contrast so they’re still very legible (don’t set cherry red text against royal blue if both of those are in your branding palette) and remember you can incorporate whites, blacks, and greys if you need a little help stretching your palette.

This trick alone can help the viewer reset and pause on your graphic, but as they take it in, they’ll see all of the other branding elements that make it fit with what they’ve already seen. Varied AND cohesive, high five!

Switch up layout

It’s easy to create a template and just update the text as you want to push new information for the event. If you’re relying solely on a template, you may fall into a rut that makes it easy to skim right past that sponsor spotlight.

Try swapping a headline from the right side of the graphic to the left. You can even move it to the bottom if you’re using enough text weight to create the hierarchy you need to make the information legible. Switch the position of blocks of text, images and other visual elements. Again, you just want to make your audience’s brains recognize that it’s a new image.

Expand your stock

I get it, I buy assets for client events a lot and sometimes there’s a stock image that just jumps out and speaks to the tone you want to set. And stock images can be expensive, so purchasing two or even more feels unnecessary.

However, sometimes you’re just setting yourself up for promotion fatigue because despite your tricks with color and layout, that repeating image IS going to lodge in your viewer’s brains and it’s going to be so much harder to overcome. (And if they’re design savvy and exposed to tons of your promotional push, they’re going to notice what you’re doing, sorry.)

How do you mix it up? You can buy a few complementary images (often stock sites will have related images and the contributing photographer might work in that style a lot or have multiple images from the same shoot uploaded), but that can add up.

If you don’t have the budget for multiple stock images, try applying color filters or other treatments, cropping to different parts of the image, or simply doing some of your promotional graphics without the image. You can also use images of speakers or sponsors to promote your event for variety (make sure you’re getting official assets from them so you’re not deploying a 5-year-old headshot and messing up THEIR public branding). If you have photography from a previous event that would work, try some of that as well!

Try not to fall in love with a perfect stock image and over-use it. Build up event branding that has enough other elements that you aren’t stuck relying on the same picture over and over.

Patterns and design elements

Depending on your branding, there may be pieces of it you can pull out. If you have an illustration for your main invitation or poster, maybe promotional graphics can feature a single character or object from it. Combine them in surprising ways or use clusters of shapes in different positions to draw the eye around and engage viewers anew.

Create patterns that work with your branding and use swatches of them in the background, to highlight a single item in your graphic or create a border. You can also reapply your color palette to patterns or illustrations for even more variety.

Stay out of the rut

The biggest takeaway here is that you want your event branding to be just as flexible as your corporate or organization branding.

Being able to use color, typography, layout, visual elements, and images in different combinations will draw your audience’s attention better as they see multiple graphics promoting your event. Keep your elements consistent, but don’t fall into the trap of creating one social media template and feeling that is achieving your goals.

What are some of the best examples of event promotion you’ve seen? Let me know!

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How design can help you through a name change https://kateburgener.com/name-change/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=name-change Thu, 11 Oct 2018 09:00:56 +0000 https://kateburgener.com/?p=2395 When you're established in your industry or community, changing your name can be really intimidating. Here's how you can use your existing branding and design to ease the transition.

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How design can help you through a name change

This has happened to a few of my clients: they’re long-established in their industry or community and very well known and respected, but it’s becoming increasing clear that their mission has changed just enough that their name no longer makes sense for them. They have to undergo…the dreaded name change.

Suddenly, they feel like they’re facing a monumental task: easing their membership, client base, or other audience through the change, making clear that they’re the same leader of the industry that they’ve always been.

Maybe you’re picturing a strategy of press release upon press release, long and heartfelt emails to your list, full page ads in newspapers and trade journals. But I’ll tell you a secret:

If your branding is otherwise intact, it can do a lot of the heavy lifting for you!

Use what you already have!

Take a look at your existing branding elements and see what you’ve been emphasizing in your communications already. If you have an icon or mark that your audience is very familiar with, make sure to feature it prominently on all materials, advertisements, web graphics, etc for a while to ease you through the name change.

Color can also be extremely useful in making connections in people’s brains. Make sure to emphasize your brand colors for the next few months as you make the transition to the new name. You might use a full flood of your main brand color with white (or contrasting if your color is pretty light) text and logos.

If you use a pretty distinctive font in your logo or branding, pull it forward in your post-name-change communications. Set headlines in the typeface, or use it on key words within paragraphs for emphasis. The familiar shapes of the letters can help people make the connections you need them to make.

Don’t forget the supporting stuff!

Your branding is so much more than just your logo, colors, and typeface, of course. If you have a really cohesive way of laying out advertisements, brochures, or social media graphics, be sure to keep the continuity even when you’ve changed the name. For one of my clients, every ad and document was edged in a double-line border, a distinctive element we carried through when they needed to switch up their name.

One thing that is (probably) not changing during this process is your people! If you have recognizable members of leadership, boards, or spokespeople, work their pictures in to your communications. Making a human connection and letting your audience know that they’ll still be in the same great hands, even after the name has changed, is really key!

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Using corporate branding to create event branding https://kateburgener.com/event-branding/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=event-branding Wed, 26 Sep 2018 16:48:30 +0000 https://kateburgener.com/?p=2387 Make your event branding more effective by incorporating these elements of your corporate or organizational branding to build recognition!

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Using corporate branding to create event branding

We see it a ton: shared events with bright graphics zipping through the timelines of our social media feeds. Aunt Marie thinks you need to know about this speaker in town, your old babysitter is pumped about a fundraiser to help shelter dogs, and your kid’s classmate’s dad has shared the same tech recycling drive event three times.

There is a lot of noise in the events industry and one of the best ways to cut through it is to use your branding in smart ways to build recognition in the fraction of a second as the graphic scrolls past on social media. This can involve a lot of different aspects, so let’s dive right in

Brand colors

One of the easiest things to incorporate into your event branding is your organization’s or company’s official brand colors. Setting text, graphics, backgrounds, and more in the brand colors can be extremely useful to help people identify your event with you. Color can create very powerful associations, with some colors being very common to particular industries. Anytime you can help a viewer make a connection faster, that’s golden.

If you have a limited color palette as part of your branding, consider expanding it using different tints of your main colors. Or work to develop a few alternative accent colors that will work well to bring brightness and interest to your graphics. Just be sure to communicate the new palette throughout your organization, because consistency is key!

Icons and shapes

If your logo is just the name of your company set in a distinctive typeface, skip on down, but if you have an icon or shape as part of it, try incorporating it! I often look first at shapes within a logo and see how I can incorporate them into a graphic. A lot of companies may use circles, squares, triangles and other items as part of their branding strategy, so make sure to experiment with the forms! You can use a shape in an obvious or more subtle way, and it can be made with photos, graphics, or even negative space!

Typography

If your branding has a particular font that the name of the company or tagline is set in, try to incorporate it into your event graphics in headlines, detail text, and more. This is especially useful if it’s very distinctive, as it’ll help the viewer make the association faster!

Logo presence

And finally, always use your logo on your materials. It doesn’t need to be the most prominent part, or even near the top, but if you do get someone to pause for a second and scan to learn more, a recognizable logo will build recognition and trust. “Oh, hey, I know that group” is a lot more effective than “huh, okay, another kids’ event.” As a bonus, if you’ve incorporated elements of your branding into the event graphics, it’ll feel even more cohesive when your logo relates to specific parts of the design!

Don’t lock yourself in

One word of caution, though! While your organization’s branding is a great jumping off place for your event-specific branding, it’s not the end of what you can do. In many of the examples above, you’ll spot fonts, color palettes, and graphics that relate to the event itself, the audience you’re trying to reach, and the tone you’re trying to set. The trick is to make them complementary to your branding so everything works together seamlessly.

Combine your corporate typeface with a fun accent typeface that connects to the subject matter. Pick some event-specific colors that work beautifully with your main brand color. Choose graphics that relate closely to the specific audience you’re trying to attract. And make all of your graphics consistent, from the first save the date newsletter mention, to the day-of materials, to any thank you or wrap up posts you make on social media!

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How to build a prospectus that will attract great sponsors https://kateburgener.com/sponsor-prospectus/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sponsor-prospectus Tue, 21 Aug 2018 08:27:21 +0000 https://kateburgener.com/?p=2380 Attracting sponsors for your conference is vital, so create a great prospectus that makes it easy for them to say yes!

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How to build a prospectus that will attract great sponsors

One of the inevitable realities of planning a conference is that the ticket sales alone likely won’t cover all of your costs. Between securing a venue, providing catering, covering speakers’ fees and accommodations, and advertising, the budget gets eaten up pretty quickly.

Many events choose to pursue sponsors, laying out levels of support and crossing their fingers that enough businesses want to advertise to their attendees to make up the difference. But how are you communicating these sponsorship opportunities and how do you convince sponsors to throw money at your event?

Enter the sponsorship prospectus.

This document details the demographics of your audience, value to sponsors, and shows off what a terrific event you throw, all with the goal of raking in sponsorship dollars to help you throw a better conference. Just as you’re selling tickets to attendees, your materials have to convince companies and organizations that your event is the right investment to achieve their goals.

Focus on clarity, utility, and style to build the most effective sponsor prospectus.

Who is attending the event?

If this isn’t the inaugural year of your conference, pull out your attendance numbers. Break them up into relevant statistics: careers/institutions, age, geographic location, education levels, and anything specific to your industry. (If you don’t have a way to capture this demographic information already, consider incorporating it where possible, perhaps in your registration forms or a satisfaction survey after your conference.)

Present this information as beautifully and clearly as possible. Use a graphic representation if it makes sense, or even just styled text that really helps the numbers jump out to the reader.

The goal here is to provide as complete a picture as possible to potential sponsors, so they can determine if the audience they’d reach is in line with their business.

What exactly is the event?

Here is the section where you get to communicate the meat of your conference. Show potential sponsors what typical sessions look like (lecture, small group, hands-on practical), along with some of the major events (keynotes, awards lunch). If you have featured prestigious speakers in the past, include a list of your heavy hitters. Give as much context for the tone of the event as possible, especially with some amazing photography (hint: hire a professional photographer).

If you have any details for the upcoming year’s event locked down, make sure to include them here. Also be sure to give potential sponsors an idea of how they’ll connect with the attendees. Include information about expos, photos of dynamic speakers with banners of sponsor logos behind them, images of attendees cheerfully sipping from branded coffee cart cups, etc. Be clear what the benefits to the sponsors will be, whether it’s promoting them to their ideal market, developing community, or positioning them as a leader in the industry.

How to sponsor the event?

Now that potential sponsors are briefed on the conference and who they’ll be reaching, it’s time to show them exactly what their opportunities are. Create levels of sponsorship and be clear about what items the sponsor can expect (complementary tickets, places at an expo, logo representation or ad in program, mention during the introduction of a keynote). You might also outline limited sponsorship slots, where a company can be the sole sponsor of a session or activity, printing, party, etc. If you expect a certain slot to appeal to a specific demographic (young professionals mixer, panel on diversity in the industry), make sure to note that.

Display these opportunities attractively and clearly so potential sponsors can review them thoughtfully and decide which is the best fit for them. Rather than just having a bulleted list of benefits, use colors, pictures, shapes and other elements to clearly separate different levels or slots. Showcasing a little style here helps sponsors to feel like you’re on top of the event and will deliver on your promises.

How to finalize sponsorship?

Make sure to provide contact information for the coordinator who will work directly with sponsors, so they know how to follow up if necessary. Providing a picture and friendly message from this individual will help humanize the interactions over the weeks leading up to the conference.

Give potential sponsors a few different ways to complete the transaction if you can. Some may prefer to call or email the contact directly and work with a person, some may print off any forms and physically mail them back, and some may feel comfortable filling in a form digitally or using a secure website form. If you’re distributing your prospectus digitally, include fillable fields on your form page so people can simply type in their information, save the document and email it back to the coordinator (plus print a copy for their own records).

Watch your sponsorship levels rise

Once you start putting this information together clearly and professionally for potential sponsors, they can feel more confident in the event they will be investing money in. Showing companies exactly who they’ll reach and how takes some of the guesswork out of making the decision. Having a sponsorship prospectus that showcases some style (especially if it relates to the event branding) demonstrates that your team is in control of the process and deliverables to the sponsor will be fulfilled.

Make it easy for sponsors to say yes with a great prospectus for your next event!

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Balancing spending for non-profits https://kateburgener.com/balancing-spending-for-non-profits/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=balancing-spending-for-non-profits Thu, 09 Aug 2018 10:14:56 +0000 https://kateburgener.com/?p=2307 A non-profit who is trying to bootstrap their materials may be missing out on the benefits of a more professional approach. But an organization who pours money into their materials can come off as spending too much on overhead and not enough on the programs people want to see supported.

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Balancing spending for non-profits

The non-profit world is so tricky. Generally you’re working with a fairly tight budget, some of which comes from donations or grants. You’re always competing with similar non-profits for valuable commodities: people’s attention, membership, and donations. You’re doing important work and it’s so tempting to pour every last penny into supporting programs.

Design for non-profits is a tightrope. A non-profit who is trying to bootstrap their materials (informational brochures, program content, social media graphics, websites) may be missing out on the benefits of a more professional approach. But an organization who pours money into their materials can come off as spending too much on the peripherals and overhead and not enough on the programs people want to see supported.

Not enough

There is nothing wrong with being scrappy and bootstrapped. Every non-profit has to start somewhere and that somewhere usually does not include a budget for an on-staff design team making sure your materials are beautiful and cohesive. But as soon as you have the cash flow to consider bringing  professional help into your organization (whether hiring a freelancer or agency for a single project, a retainer, or investing in a salaried employee), there are some compelling reasons why you should act.

The reality is this: you are competing for attention and support. A person presented with two campaigns where one is a little roughshod and not lovingly crafted and the other is more thought-through and cohesive, the likelihood is that they are going to support the more polished program. Design can indicate legitimacy. (Not always, there are obviously lots of slick-looking total shams out there.) Organizations that look like they have it together and are communicating with intentionality will engender more confidence that they are putting thought and care into where donation money goes and how they approach their mission. However…

Overboard

A few years ago, my husband donated a modest sum to a major medical foundation. (Let’s not put anyone on blast here.) It wasn’t a lot, between $25-50, just a sum that had come to us that he wanted to pass on to the foundation. I think he noted it somewhere for taxes (back when itemizing deductions was useful) and we moved on with our lives.

About 6 weeks later, we got a large envelope in the mail addressed to him. The postage was not cheap, and the envelope was stuffed with swag from the medical foundation. A tote bag, pens, a frisbee, a pile of program materials, temporary tattoos (my kid did get a kick out of those), and more. My husband and I stared agog at the pile. Even with economies of scale for promotional items (I’ve ordered a branded tote bag or 1200 in my time), it was clear between the postage, the contents and the staff member that had been paid to assemble and mail it, at least 70% of his donation had gone to this kit “thanking” him for his generosity.

We’d much rather the money have been used directly to support the research and support programming that we admired about the medical foundation. They do important work, but their response to a modest donation made us think they perhaps were not using their budget very responsibly. This thank you packet, probably intended to spur future donations, actually made us less likely to want to donate again.

It’s not about the tote bag

What non-profits need to understand is that in general, when people are writing a check or popping their credit card details into a form, that act alone is choosing to support the work of the organization. A thank you letter would not be amiss, put them on a mailing list to keep them apprised of additional ways to be involved (by donating more money, volunteering, being an advocate, etc). Give them a chance to engage more by inviting them to events.

Consider branded promotional items to be most useful to people who currently have a low knowledge of your organization. Visitors to expos or events where a lot of organizations are present may pick up your item and have a conversation with you to learn more about the work you do in the community or around the world. That useful promotional item may serve to remind someone of you and your work when they pick it up and use it, or someone sees them using it. (Also, put some thought into it. I once worked with a company that purchased branded cowbells to distribute to people cheering marathon runners. It was amazing and we had people talking about that for months and even spotted them along the course the following year.)

But the person who has already handed you a donation doesn’t need that. Growing up, my parents donated frequently to PBS and NPR and we had tote bags and umbrellas for days. My parents never donated because they were in need of an additional umbrella. They supported the mission of those organizations and were proud to make a financial commitment.

Find the balance

So you want to look professional but not like you poured people’s donations into frivolous expenditures. Communicate about your non-profit clearly and professionally, with some polish and enough design to make it look memorable, but don’t use donations to foot the bill for unnecessary promotional items, expensive printed pieces without justification, or congratulatory items. Your big donors might enjoy being thanked and recognized, but mostly just want to see their money supporting the work that you do that changes and improves people’s lives.

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Design helps you attract more donors https://kateburgener.com/design-helps-you-attract-more-donors/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=design-helps-you-attract-more-donors Mon, 23 Jul 2018 14:17:46 +0000 https://kateburgener.com/?p=2302 While the most important factors of your organization are the mission, programs, and the change you bring to the world, well-designed materials are a tool to help you communicate that better.

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Design helps you attract more donors

Design is a framework you can use to present your organization to the world. While the most important factors of your organization are the mission, programs, and the impactful change you bring to the world, well-designed materials are a tool to help you communicate that better. And when you find yourself soliciting donations, volunteer hours, or other involvement, a professional approach to that communication can be vital to gaining more support.

The importance of professionalism

Imagine being presented with two brochures for similar non-profits, let’s say for children’s literacy. One has been thrown together with Microsoft Word, with text that looks a little wonky, a sort-of-related piece of clip-art (maybe a stack of books and for some reason a magnifying glass?), and no hierarchy to the copy.

The other has a clear organization of information, so you spot the mission statement, a pull quote from a participating teacher, and a block of text detailing ways that you can be involved right now, all presented with consistency and attention to the organization’s branding. The brochure is easier to navigate, letting you read more in-depth about a specific program that interests you, features lovely images of the kids benefiting from the organization, and feels as if it’s crafted with care and time.

Which organization are you more likely to support? Both might have equal amounts of passion, with talented people on their teams who are making a real change in people’s lives. The more professionally created brochure will make that organization feel as if they’re better organized, which can in turn feel like your donations will be handled appropriately and be more impactful.

Be consistent and cohesive to build trust

Taking a longer view, if the first organization creates a series of social media posts with a random assortment of visuals, paired with whatever font the employee creating them just happened to gravitate towards in the moment, the result could feel very hodge-podge. Even the consistent presence of the logo may not make the campaign feel unified.

However, if the second organization uses more cohesive visuals (similar high-quality pictures showing different aspects of their programming), applying color and text treatments in a way that’s consistent with their branding, that can help foster trust in them. The clear line of design running through the brochure, social media campaign, and other materials, where they all look related, creates steadiness for the viewer.

Repetition and knowing what to expect builds trust, and that trust can be what unlocks more donations or other support. The uniformity of branding and design also helps a viewer to recognize where a message is coming from more quickly.

This is particularly useful in capitalizing on the short amount of attention average viewers are likely to give each message before dismissing and moving on. If you can spark recognition within that short time frame, a person is more likely to pause and connect more deeply with your social media post, mailer, or other designed communication.

Be intentional with design choices to demonstrate responsibility

Make smart choices about what should be polished and professional, and what is overkill for your organization. Materials that need to be created anyway should be developed thoughtfully, but resist the temptation to produce mountains of printed collateral in the interest of looking bigger and more important. There’s a marked difference between sending your members vital information on new programs and services and generating collateral just for the sake of it.

Use your printing and design budget (or staff time) responsibly. Splashing out on expensive printing finishes because they look cool and slick can feel especially wasteful when it shows up in your donor’s mailboxes. People want to see that you’re using the money wisely to support programming and the mission of the organization, not jumping on a pricey die-cut brochure to stand out. As the scale of the materials you’re producing grows, these next-level options may be feasible, but always keep an eye on demonstrating your trustworthiness as stewards of donations and your goals.

Investing in a professional approach to your organization’s materials can set you up for growth in terms of donations, volunteers, advocacy, and more. Take a hard look at the communications your organization is putting out (brochures, mailers, social media graphics, newsletters, etc) and evaluate whether it’s time to bring someone new on board to craft a beautiful and cohesive approach for you!

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Provide value to your clients with beautiful reports https://kateburgener.com/value-to-your-clients/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=value-to-your-clients Thu, 05 Jul 2018 20:41:08 +0000 https://kateburgener.com/?p=2296 If you provide reports or documents to your clients as part of your work product, document design can improve this deliverable and allow you to charge a premium price for your work.

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Provide value to your clients with beautiful reports

I work with businesses that often use projects we create together as work products for clients of their own. Whether it’s association management companies or planning firms, clients who have their own clients find well-designed output ascribes a higher value to their work.

A premium product

The first thing that a beautiful report can do when you pass it on to your client is make them feel like they’ve gotten really high-value work from you. Time and care to frame your smart ideas and careful analysis with good design is a signifier that you believe in the end product.

Larger firms prioritize this sort of work, so if you are a smaller firm without a designer on staff, contracting this out can help you compete with the big companies.

Improving the user experience

Besides just being shiny and pretty, good document design improves the product and gives your client a better user experience. Design elements can highlight important thoughts, guide your reader through, provide wayfinding, and create beautiful visualizations of your data or figures. Well-designed reports and documents help an audience grasp the main points of your work quickly before settling in to comb through the fine details.

Again, adding this element of wayfinding and experience allows you to charge a premium for your work, because the end product is more useful to your client.

A more thorough understanding

Often the audience for your documents may not be as well versed in the technical aspects of your work. This difference between knowledge levels can require a bit of hand-holding to make sure they grasp the concepts and analysis you’re providing.

While such guidance should also be present in the writing of your content, design can go a long way towards increasing a reader’s understanding of what you’re trying to convey. Increased organizational hierarchy, highlighting pertinent information, and explanatory sidebars can help a project have increased buy-in.

Shareable content

Often the client is not the last person who will see your work. Your reports may be passed on to boards, government agencies, or the public, and having a great design can make the documents more exciting to read.

Take advantage of this broader platform by leveraging design that makes the project a joy to peruse and increases the likelihood that it will be spread further. Design will help parties who are less knowledgeable on the subject matter better understand the work and captivate their interest for longer.

Take a look at the work products you’re currently producing for your clients. If they’re not exciting to page through, don’t reinforce your ideas, and make the experience easier for the reader to navigate, it might be time to shake things up with some professional document design.

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The importance of photography at your conference https://kateburgener.com/photography-at-your-conference/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=photography-at-your-conference Fri, 27 Apr 2018 13:30:36 +0000 https://kateburgener.com/?p=2174 Professional photography of your conference can be a powerful marketing tool, helping you to leverage more attendees, additional sponsors, and high-quality speakers.

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The importance of photography at your conference

When you’re throwing an annual event such as a conference, your budget is spread over such a wide variety of categories: venue, speakers, materials, refreshments, and a million other things. Finding the right balance of what to invest in often takes a seasoned professional and usually needs to be approved by a board or committee. Justifying a new expense can be tricky, I totally understand.

But I’m here to tell you that if you’re not investing in a professional photographer to document your event, you’re losing out.

Worth their weight in gold

I hear you thinking “uh, pass, I’d rather get one more amazing speaker to provide value to my attendees,” and while that’s not a bad instinct, it’s slightly misguided. Building an incredible conference is important, but if that event is annual, marketing is key. You only have one chance to get the images you need, so having a professional photographer on site, with a targeted list of types of moments you’re looking to capture is the smart call.

Having beautiful, professional pictures of your attendees engaged in the learning, socializing, and growth that a conference or annual meeting provides becomes a valuable tool for putting together the marketing strategy and materials for the next year.

For attendees

Using the photographs to promote the meeting demonstrates to potential attendees what they can expect from the experience. It’s easy to generate excitement by combining images of people raptly listening to a keynote, laughing with new friends at a cocktail hour, or studiously taking notes. Potential conference attendees can more easily imagine themselves as part of the action, inching them that much closer to sending in the ticket fee and booking their flight.

For repeat attendees, the images can trigger a fond remembrance of the activities at the conference. They may recognize a speaker they enjoyed, an activity that was a blast, or even spot themselves or acquaintances in the images. That familiarity is a boost in getting them to come another year.

For sponsors

Showing potential sponsors what they are about to invest money in is valuable. Professional event photography can be used to demonstrate the level of engagement an attendee might demonstrate, how packed an expo area gets each year, or how prominently the sponsor logos are displayed on stage during a keynote. They can give a good representation of the demographic and diversity of the attendees (backed up by the stats provided in the prospectus), helping the sponsor decide if they’d be reaching the right audience. Including beautiful photography of your event in materials also helps your event and organization look polished and professional, a signal to sponsors that their money would be used wisely.

Where you can use photographs of your event

Okay, so you see the benefits of getting the photographs, but what specifically do you do with them afterwards? You can use the photos in a variety of places, to reach different audiences and achieve different goals.

Promotion and advertising for next year’s event

The first opportunity to use your images is in invitations, calls for submission, advertisements, web graphics and other collateral intended to spread the word about the following year’s event. Seeing people experiencing the conference can be extremely convincing for returning attendees and new participants alike.

Don’t forget to include images on your organization’s website and any pages dedicated to the following year’s conference. A lot of the time pages have essentially unlimited space, so you can use lots of photos mixed in with the pertinent details of the next event.

In calls for speakers and sponsors

Putting your best foot forward when convincing people to sponsor the conference or when pursuing amazing keynote or workshop speakers is vital. You want to come off as professional, well-organized, and worthy of their time. Show a good representation of the kinds of attendees, activities, and atmosphere they can expect from this year’s event. Create materials specifically for speaking with potential sponsors or presenters and include the images, as well as specific benefits for supporters, attendee statistics, speaker amenities, etc.

In social media and newsletters

As part of your marketing strategy, professional photography gives you a wealth of social media content to use throughout the year and in the lead-up to the next event. Keeping the conference in the forefront of your audience’s mind with images of attendees, speakers, and activities helps build familiarity and trust. You can even identify a series of photos to use weekly or more often, prep them and batch-schedule to take care of a huge chunk of your promotion in advance.

Use the photos in your newsletters to help the members of your community picture themselves at next year’s event. Highlight specific activities (mixers, panels, etc) they can look forward to the following year, instead of trying to convey all of the information at one time closer to the event.

In your actual materials for the event

If you’re producing a print program, photographs of last year’s attendees or workshops can really fill an important role within your event materials. Images of members listening intently or enjoying themselves help set the tone as an attendee pages through the programs, planning out their schedule. Photos can also be used as a stylish design element, break up text-heavy pages, and help people understand what to expect.

In marketing collateral for your organization

If your organization holds other events, produces an annual report, advertises or distributes marketing brochures or digital PDFs, use photographs of your conference to demonstrate some of the value that you provide. Images of events are particularly useful to attract new members, support your position in the community, and more.

Thinking through your event photography strategy

Once you’ve decided that it’s worth working professional photography into your event budget (attracting more sponsors or ticket sales covers the cost after all), it’s important to evaluate what you want to get out of your photography. If you’re looking for detailed shots of people actively participating in the conference, dozens of photos from the periphery of table-filled ballrooms (while great for showing the size of an event) won’t achieve your goals.

Decide what you want to accomplish with your images and make a list to discuss with the photographer. You might want to show a specific demographic (or how diverse your membership is), get dynamic photos of speakers and panels, show off prestigious awards ceremonies, illustrate what a fun party you throw, capture people in earnest discussions during poster sessions, etc. If you select an exotic location year after year, you might want to feature some of the beautiful scenery behind your attendees. You might want to focus on very candid photography or more posed group shots, depending on what you are trying to achieve.

Next, locate a photographer with experience specifically in events and indoor photography. Discuss the conditions they are likely to encounter throughout the event (early morning fitness classes, sunset cocktail parties on a balcony, private concerts at night for the membership, room sizes and lighting if you know what those might be), so they can prepare their equipment prior to arriving.

Share the list of needs with them so they understand what you’re looking to get from the photos. Decide if they will roam around to find the best photos or you want them at specific programs. You don’t even need to hire them for the duration of the conference if you only want to capture a few activities or days. Be clear with them what you plan to use the photographs for, as this may change how they compose a shot. For example if you plan to overlay text for social media posts, they may shoot a subject with more negative space around them to make it easier to format later.

A quick note on legality

I am not a lawyer, but I strive to follow copyright and privacy laws, so I naturally wondered how legal considerations might affect your event photography. This post (http://eventlion.co/event-photos-whats-legal/) covers a lot of ground for what you need to discuss with your photographer. The gist of it is that you’ll need a crowd release form, post notices that attendees may be photographed, and get your speakers to sign photo releases. Your professional photographer should be well-versed in these items and feel free to pull in your organization’s general counsel if you have unanswered questions.

Wrap up

I hope this has gotten you to think more about hiring a professional photographer for your conference, meeting, or other annual event. For the investment of a fraction of your budget, you gain a valuable tool that can help you sell more tickets, generate content to help you promote next year’s event, secure more and better sponsors or speakers, produce beautiful event materials, and more. Spending some time thinking about your priorities before the event will help you and your photographer get the images that will serve your organization best.

What do you think, will you be hiring a professional photographer for your next conference?

All images used in this post used with permission of the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry.

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Why you should share your budget with your designer https://kateburgener.com/share-your-budget/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=share-your-budget Thu, 15 Sep 2016 12:31:48 +0000 http://kateburgener.com/?p=1810 Most designers ask for your budget for a project. It's not a trick, it's a way to help prioritize needs and make sure you're a good match, saving you time. Here's why you should talk frankly with your designer about money.

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Working with a Designer

Posts to help you work seamlessly with your designer or pick up some DIY tricks yourself!

Why you should share your budget with your designer

I see it all of the time: the strange power struggle that comes at the beginning of most projects when the subject of budget comes up. It seems like either side will do anything they can to not be the first to name a dollar amount and give up the “power.” And as someone who spends wisely on my business and in my own life, I feel where a client is coming from.

There can be a handful of things at play here:

  • a client is sure that the designer is just waiting for a budget in order to claim that’s exactly what the project costs
  • a client legitimately isn’t sure what the service is worth and thus doesn’t really have a “budget,” but is trying to save as much as possible

I understand the mindset: Why would you say you could spend $1000 on something when your designer might say it only costs $700? There’s a reason you don’t hop on Craigslist and claim you have $500 to spend on a couch, only to be flooded with offers to sell dumpy old futons for exactly that much.

But let me reassure you, that 9 times out of 10 (and with most established and scrupulous designers), this is not the case. Here is why you should be straight with your designer about your budget:

It saves time

One of the questions on my intake form is about the budget for the project. It’s required and it allows for you to provide a range. The reason it’s worth it to both of us to establish the budget up front is to stop the quoting process if there’s a clear mismatch.

If a potential client declares a budget of $100-$500 for a project that will cost a few thousand dollars, I can immediately tell them that I’m not the right fit for them. By knowing that up front, it can save both of us the time of going through the quoting process.

It leads to better quotes

Let’s say the potential client gives a budget that’s not unreasonable for a project, but is still a little small for all of the elements they’re proposing. I can take that into consideration when I prepare their quote and suggest two scopes of work: one that includes everything on their wishlist and what it would cost as well as one that is a bit more pared-down and fits within their budget.

This also saves time because the client doesn’t balk at the price of the complete project and walk away. I can offer a compromise that fits with the stated budget right away, instead of having to trade emails back and forth with a potential client, picking apart a proposal until it finally hits a mystery number.

I promise, designers are not asking the question just to “trick” you into spilling the beans about how much you’re willing to spend. They charge what they charge and knowing what you have in mind to spend on a project helps them to plan and prioritize which benefits your relationship.

It helps you spend more wisely

Maybe you had a pretty vague idea of budget and now you’re looking at a proposal for the project scope and cost. You can prioritize what is important to you and your company. If you need to request more money for a project from a board, you can bring the proposal showing what services you can get above the current budget for $X more. Being able to quantify the work helps you make smart decisions about how to spend the money to get the best value.

So you can see, sharing your budget is beneficial to both parties, to make sure everyone’s on the same page and can get what they need.

Think of it like buying a house with a Realtor. You have to share what you’re willing to spend so they can guide you through the process of finding your dream home with all of the amenities. There may be some potential discussions along the way of how houses that are in your budget may not have 6 hot tubs on the premises and is that a deal breaker for you? The perfect house may not even require your full budget, leaving you some extra cash to buy a jet-ski to park in your 3-car garage (or invest wisely, I guess).

When you hire a designer, enter the partnership being honest about what you want to spend and what is important to you. It is through collaboration and mutual respect of each others’ needs that your project will be tailored exactly to your budget and create the strongest product for both parties.

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How much will it cost? Understanding design pricing https://kateburgener.com/design-pricing/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=design-pricing Wed, 03 Aug 2016 22:37:53 +0000 http://kateburgener.com/?p=1792 Break down the two major pricing models that designers use and learn what's the best fit for your project.

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Working with a Designer

Posts to help you work seamlessly with your designer or pick up some DIY tricks yourself!

How much will it cost? Understanding design pricing

When hiring a designer, most people get pretty anxious about pricing. Designer fees can be a mystery to people not accustomed to working with a professional.

There are two main models for pricing that I can apply and I evaluate the needs of each project to decide which is a better fit. There are benefits and drawbacks to both for the client, so today I want to get into the nitty-gritty and explain what each means, when they’re better, and what to consider so you can feel comfortable talking to a designer about the fees for a project.

(I don’t really get into package pricing, but generally speaking these are treated as flat-fee projects with pre-determined elements and sometimes opportunities to add items on to the package to slightly customize it. Currently I only provide custom quotes, so all of the information that follows assumes that condition.)

Hourly Rate

A lot of designers want to move away from this model as quickly as possible and it’s true that this isn’t a great model to use for lots of projects. However, I find it to be the most flexible for projects that aren’t really set in stone yet.

With an hourly rate project, you pay for exactly the hours I work. This concept can be pretty appealing to clients, but the hours for projects that are loosely defined or constantly changing can add up quickly. This is the more flexible model and some types of projects benefit from that.

How it works

After discussing the needs of the project, I give you an estimate and we sign a contract stating that I’ll track the time spent and invoice you (either in regular periods or at the end of the project). I’ll check in with you at different points to let you know how many hours have been spent and any revisions or changes of scope you need can be easily incorporated into this model.

What it’s good for

The hourly model is flexible, so it’s ideal when you’re not sure entirely what you’re going to need over the course of a project. If you have an event design and want the freedom to add pieces to the event as you think of them (schedule permitting), this model makes it easy. If a design has to be approved by a committee or large number of people, this is generally a good model, too, as the revisions can fit the needs of several decision makers.

The drawbacks

If the scope of a project is pretty undefined, it can be hard to give a good estimate of the hours a project will take. Some clients need to have more security in their budget and this model isn’t great for that. For some clients, not having restrictions on revisions or clearly defining a scope up front can result in unfocused direction, causing hours to pile up. Additionally, the time check-ins can influence the client’s decisions about what is important to accomplish with the project. If I’m at 80% of my estimate, the client may choose not to pursue a revision to save the money.

Flat Fee

In contrast, the flat fee project is friendly to your budget in that you can plan for the expense of the design ahead of time, even securing funding for it if necessary. You know what to expect, but it requires a lot more homework up front. I’ll need to have a lot of information about your project to give you a quote and significant changes can mean additional fees.

Flat fee is the most powerful when it can be combined with a little bit of hourly work for any work that is outside of the defined scope of the project. For clients that are extremely aware of what they need, the hourly rate never comes into play, but it’s included in the contract just in case something comes up and you need significant changes.

How it works

The client needs to have a greater handle on all parts of the project for the flat fee model. Decisions need to be made up front: how many pages/pieces are involved, do you have your own printer to work with, what style did you have in mind, do you have your own visuals? Once I have a comprehensive idea of what you need, I write up a detailed scope of work, with a set number of revisions, and we both sign it. Depending on the size of the project, a deposit may be required to start work and/or portions of the fee at different milestones. Often the final part of the fee will be due prior to releasing the job with a printer. If the project changes significantly, either by adding items, extra revisions, or requesting changes to content that drastically alters the existing work, all additional work will be subject to hourly pricing.

What it’s good for

The flat fee model is awesome for projects that you know a ton about already. An annual event, a report that you’ve produced 10 of already, course materials or marketing brochures you’ve already written content for, these are all great projects for this model. If you’re working with a set budget for a project that needs to be approved in advance, this is also ideal for you.

The drawbacks

Flat fees are based off an estimate and sometimes value-based pricing. I build in the typical amount of time it takes to work on similar projects based on my years of experience, how long I can expect to spend on communication with the client, print management, file prep, and a buffer of time to deal with little surprises along the way (say, adding a graph or two to your document you didn’t realize you’d need during the quoting phase). Technically, you could end up paying for time I don’t work as a trade-off for budget stability.

So those are the pricing models that are most common in the designer-client relationship for custom-quote projects. Hopefully having the information helps you to feel more confident in getting a quote from a designer and empowers you to ask about your options if you think your project might benefit from one model over the other. Consider whether your project scope is loose or well-defined and how flexible your budget might be. Discuss your options with your designer and they will be able to help guide you to the right fit for both of you!

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