Making changes and sign off
With each version of your artwork or video, you'll need to feed back to your supplier about corrections or areas for improvement. Make sure there's enough time for this in the schedule. Agree in advance:
- how many rounds of amends you'll need.
- how long you will have to comment. If there are stakeholders involved – when does it make sense for them to review or approve? Are they available? Share this information with the supplier as soon as possible.
- level of amends expected at each stage – significant late changes can increase costs and delay your project.
- how you will give your feedback – eg by marked-up pdf, through particular software the supplier uses. It may be helpful to have a brief conversation before you return the marked-up artwork or video.
For video you can save time by only providing feedback on major changes in the first edit. Once these have been resolved and you've received the second edit, you can then feed back on the smaller details of your video.
For most print projects, your artwork will be provided in PDF format. Use Adobe Acrobat DC to mark the changes needed onto the design effectively. Read this video guide to Acrobat DC commenting option (Adobe website).
Resolve any queries before returning comments to your designer. Don't return artwork with queries in the comments box.
Have you received the final packaged Design files? If not, contact your supplier immediately to remind them.
Effective feedback
Giving clear feedback is important. Make sure it's:
- Specific – say exactly what you want changing and where it is (on what page or where in a video eg 'remove shot of building at 0:48).
- Explained – give your reasons for wanting the change. This will help the supplier to better understand the direction you want to take.
- Achievable – for example, if you know that a certain scene has a limited pool of available shots, asking for big changes to these may not be practical.
- Constructive – give positive, constructive feedback.
- Collated – If you are collecting comments from several people, collate them, removing any duplicate or conflicting comments before sending.
Sign off
Sign off gives the supplier formal confirmation that you're happy for the project to be finalised and to receive the final files. Any further changes after this are likely to be expensive.
Before you sign off a PDF
- Have all your amendments been made?
- Are times, dates and names correct?
- Do your page numbers match the contents page?
- Are any web links correct?
- Are your contact details correct?
Before you sign off a video file
- Are your video files playing back correctly? It's good practice to test the files on another computer to make sure that there are no hidden issues. If you do find any issues, your supplier can help to resolve these.
- Where will you store your video files securely? Remember, whilst suppliers can resupply your videos up for a period, after this they may charge you.
- Make sure your file is backed up, and if necessary, centrally accessible by your team.
- Accessibility – Review the Video accessibility checklist. Some people have disabilities that can make accessing video challenging. By using captions, transcripts, and audio description you can help ensure you meet government regulations.
- Have you received the raw footage for your project. If not, contact your supplier immediately to remind them.