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.