Help us help you

By Elizabeth Miller

There's that classic scene in Jerry McGuire when the slick-speaking sports agent (Tom Cruise) tells the all-star football client (Cuba Gooding, Jr.), "Help me help you." Here at Advent Media Group, we might not be sports agents, but we do seek to create the best advertising products possible for our clients. As a client, here's some ways you can help us help you:

1. Let us know if you anticipate roadblocks for meeting your deadlines. We'll discuss options for the most efficient and effective ways to produce a project you love, without feeling rushed.

2. Going on vacation? Congrats! But let us know well in advance if you won't be readily available by email or phone. Providing the contact info of your assistant, or another office helper, is key in keeping your project rolling during your absence. It also helps to provide your cell phone number in case of emergencies.

3. Photos: If you don't have professional, hi-res images on-hand, let us know right away. We'll help you determine if you need to hire a photographer, and we can even recommend shots that look best on a page. If you aren't familiar with the techie lingo for high quality artwork (i.e., vector art, dpi, hi-res, Photoshop), we'd love to explain it.

4. We see this situation often: you're overwhelmed with a million other projects and can't find time to squeeze in this one. We'll work with your busy schedule. Tell us the best times and methods to reach you. (A cell phone call at 8 pm on a Tuesday night? Done!)

5. If your project will need the nod of approval from multiple people (i.e., legal/marketing departments, president, etc.), that's best to know up front. We'll budget plenty of time to meet the approval of all authorizing bodies.

6. Don't be afraid to tell us what you want. Color preferences, design ideas, style vibes? We want to hear them. But also don't be afraid to give us creative license. We're pros, and you can trust us to deliver something spectacular.

Remember, like Jerry, we're here for you. And the best way to help us help you is good communication.

Live Matter Area Demystified (or “Why can’t you make my logo bigger? You have so much white space on the top of that page that you are not using.”)

By Tony Pesavento, Art Director, Advent Media Group

 

It happens a lot.

The client is sent a proof and sees clear, wide-open margins surrounding their logo.

Their eyes begin to burn. Followed quickly by an itch in the throat that induces nausea, mild diarrhea, dizziness, disorientation, and the inevitable loss of manners.

“I paid $50 for my logo, why isn’t it bigger on the page?” the client asks. “Are you an idiot?”

“Perhaps,” I answer. “But please let me explain why you are seeing those margins on the page. It has to do with something called the Live Matter Area. 

“Live Matter is a boundary that is set by the magazine publishers to ensure all of your pertinent information gets printed. Because we are submitting your ad to multiple magazines with different page sizes, the Live Matter Area is imperative. All ‘live’ content–images, text, and logos–should be within this area. Anything outside of this runs a risk of getting cropped out during the production of the magazines.

“Visualize this: the Live Matter Area is a 7” x 9.5” bounding box. It begins 0.875” from the top edge of the page and ends 0.5” from the bottom of the page. Its left and right margins are 0.625” from the edges of the page.”

“Oh, okay,” says the relieved client, “that makes perfect sense now. One last question, can we make our logo bigger?”

AMG Storytellers

By Vanessa Barber

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about my experiences here at Advent—how they have shaped me for challenges outside of the office, the many things I have learned about design and print, and the people I have met. In a fit of nostalgia, I’ve got the urge to blog about some of my favorite stories from working here at AMG. I’ll keep it up over the next few blogs, so stay tuned! Perhaps Jackie and Tony will share some of theirs as well.

And now, I invite you into our world…

The best “first day” story: Over the many years I have been here, there’s been a few first days for new salespeople. Usually, as they meet new people and discover the lay of the land, it’s a pretty quiet event…business as usual, some would say. But Shannon G’s first day was a bit more eventful.

Most mornings, I arrive at quarter of nine, and begin to comb through my emails from the night before. This particular morning, I was sitting in my office and I saw something dart across my shirt—from my left hip to my right shoulder--out of the corner of my eye. I looked down and it was a HUGE spider—it was a solid inch or two. So naturally, I dart up from my desk and start screaming and running out into the office space. I run up to Joe, thinking “he’s a football player, he’ll protect me.” Heads are popping up over cubicle walls like whack-a-moles and Jim, father first, comes tearing out of his office. All the while I’m screaming “get it off! GET IT OFF!” which Joe successfully does and stomps on it. Spider guts are embedded into the carpet. The excitement fizzled, and Jim was kind enough to temper my hysterics by agreeing with me that “that was one huge spider.”

But the story is not over. Because not five minutes later, now ten ‘til nine, Shannon G comes in for her first day at AMG. Shannon has a bold, boisterous personality that’s instantly charming. She’s not shy, and she’s not quiet. All the while that I am having my own spidey-drama, Shannon’s mom has been calling and looking for Shannon—because her son, Maverick, had been bitten by a dog. Mother of two, and a darn good one, Shannon immediately gets on the phone and starts screaming. Hysterics. Her son is in the hospital, and she’s reacting as we all would. But no one in the office knows what’s going on, and more so, no one knows who this person is. So Shannon entered our world screaming, literally—and left about two minutes later. Of course, she rejoined our happy family the next day. But it was a particularly strange, and loud, morning here at Advent.

Speak up, Slow down, and Smile

Jackie Delk

Creative Director

 

My husband missed an unexpected call this morning from his internist's office, a medium-size practice with several staff members who interact with patients on-site and on the phone. The caller left a message, which he attempted to return immediately. The challenge: he couldn't make out the name of the person who called or why she had called. He brought the phone to me to listen to the VM, and all I could make out was that it was a message on behalf of his doctor with the ending words "and ask for me." The gal had talked too softly and far too fast. The words ended up in a blur. We are new to this practice, so the staff names are still unfamiliar to us. This put my husband in the awkward position of having to call back and say, "Someone just called me, but I don't know who it was or why they called." Well, of course, neither did the person who answered the phone.

 

Phone etiquette is so critical to good patient and public relations that the obvious bears repeating: A receptionist, or anyone else who helps answer the phones or makes calls to patients, should adhere to quality standards that reflect well on the practice. If you are the practice manager or the doctor, call your own main number once in a while and see if the way the phone is answered meets your expectations. If a patient says, "I can never understand Nurse Jean when she calls," take note and follow up.

 

I interact with many medical practices on a weekly basis, and I am always duly impressed by a pleasant, clear, and professional voice, one I can understand and immediately feel comfortable with. Too often, though, I find myself saying, "I'm sorry, who is this, please?" Either no name was offered (not a very friendly approach) or the name was offered too quickly and came across garbled. Worse, I have had many calls where I wasn't even sure I had reached the correct number because the practice name was not audible. Having to ask, "Is this Dr. Name-goes-here's office?" is not a good start, especially for a potential patient.

 

Every interaction on the phone is a chance to make a practice sound welcoming, smart, and patient-focused. When the practice representative sounds rushed, unfriendly, or unhelpful, it gives the appearance that the overall practice culture is like that. And that may not be the case at all.

 

Remind everyone on staff that every call matters. Speak up, slow down, and smile.

 

End of story: Caller located. Prescription changed. The nurse knows she prompted my blog today, and she took it good-naturedly.

9 Sites for Designers

by Tony Pesavento

Art Director, Advent Media Group 

Below is a list of 9 of my favorite graphic design resources on the web. Enjoy.

http://ilovetypography.com/

Typography is not a science, it is an art.

 

http://www.noupe.com/design/101-css-techniques-of-all-time-part-1.html

You’ll have to look for Part 2 on your own.

 

http://www.bittbox.com/

Textures, brushes, tutorials and more.

 

http://psd.tutsplus.com/

Ever wonder how do they do that? Here’s how.

 

http://www.webdesignerwall.com/

Tutorials and stuff. I just really like this guy’s aesthetic.

 

http://adsoftheworld.com/

Website that publishes advertising from around the world. Cool stuff.

 

http://delicious.com/

Save all of your bookmarks online and share them with other people.

 

http://inspiredology.com/

Blog whose purpose is to inspire.

 

http://drawn.ca/

Illustration and cartooning blog. This is my favorite blog on the web.

Working with “Techies”

by Vanessa Barber
Project Manager, Advent Media Group

We here at Advent Media Group pride ourselves on being in-the-know when it comes to technology. Most of our clients are at the forefront of technological advances in medicine, and it’s our job to know what’s out there so we can write about it knowledgeably and educate our readers.

Over the years, we have also worked hard to stay abreast of the many ways in which technology advances outside of the medical world. We concentrate on the progressions in website development and design. As the digital age continues to expand and surge forward, it’s important that we here at AMG know everything there is to know...as soon as it is ready to be learned.

I, personally, do not know anything about computer programming. And while I have learned much over the years about web design and development, I still look to our AMG IT experts when it comes to the large, and small technological questions.

So, I thought I would compile a brief—but pointed—list of my “must-haves” for a positive working relationship with the illustrious “IT person.” If you are looking to develop a website, or choosing an IT person to help you with office technology, you may find this useful.

• I like to learn something from every working relationship I develop. Even when it’s a tiny email issue that takes three minutes to fix, I always appreciate it when the IT person explains to me what happened with my computer, and why.
• Knowledge is key. I always work with someone who knows the latest programs—their pros and their cons.
• Also, I prefer to work with someone who has some knowledge in both arenas—programming and designing. They don’t necessarily need to be a designer if they are a programmer, or vice versa, but they should know W3C guidelines, and be aware of the latest trends. In this respect, really, I’m looking for an advocate for the client’s success. If you are spending money to develop a site, you don’t want to launch something that’s already outdated. And, in the world of fast-moving technology, that is an issue to consider.
• I’ll admit it: I am sometimes completely overwhelmed by techie jargon. I often feel shy or embarrassed about asking what a particular acronym stands for, and I’ll let things go over my head when I really want to know more. The best IT person for me to work with: the one who slows down, and takes the time to answer my questions in a language I can understand.

I’m hoping as the digital age develops, and more people begin to use computers for every aspect of their business, that the divide between the IT person and us “non-techies” will diminish. I will always have more to learn when it comes to computers and advancing technology, and I look forward to gaining that knowledge through the experts.

Top Ten: things I've noticed about medical specialists

Jackie Delk

Creative Director

 

No, this isn't a Letterman act, although I borrowed his formatting; it's just highly opinionated profiling…

1. Orthopaedic surgeons are competitive.
   
2. Radiologists are either lots of fun or very, very serious…or both.
   
3. Cosmetic surgeons are punctilious…and have attractive office staffs.
   
4. Neurosurgeons are witty conversationalists.
   
5. Cardiovascular surgeons are tough to get on the phone for an interview, but once you do…
   
6. Ophthalmologists are passionate about marketing.
   
7. Urologists are easygoing; gastroenterologists wear red socks. Well, Dr. Colin Chircop always does.
   
8. Oncologists are engagingly polite.
   
9. Medical specialists are often exceptionally talented musicians and visual artists.
   
10. They love to talk about their work, making it easy for writers to get the info we need.
    

 

And, with very few exceptions, each enjoys sharing a laugh…thankfully!

 

Comments, debate, rebuttal are all encouraged.