I’m Lorraine, and I’m a freelance creative artworker
I bridge the gap between designers and printers
Here’s how I can help you
Let’s say you’ve got a project coming up – an annual report, brochure, directory, maybe. And you need to publish it in print or PDF.
You could go straight to your printers. But they’ll expect finished artwork, with no loose ends, of course. And they might talk in printer-speak – about vector and raster EPS files, ICC profiles and the like.
Then again, you could go to your design agency; they might charge you the earth, though. You know, designer rates just to design and produce a brochure. Not from scratch either, in line with your brand guidelines.
Or you could come to me.
What I do
If your design agency created your brand, you’ve got off to a good start. They’d have created the big idea, cracked the colour palette and crafted the typography. They should also have left you with brand guidelines.
WHAT NOW?
And that’s where a creative artworker comes in. It’s like a cross between a designer and an artworker.
Traditionally, designers design – think up ideas, mock up roughs, develop these and so on. Some aren’t keen on artworking, though.
And artworkers prepare artwork – lay out designs, draw charts, choose typefaces, devise hierarchies among them, typeset and more. Some aren’t really into designing. Creative artworkers, then, are a hybrid. So you get the best of both.
My projects span one-off reports to annual reports and lots in between – mainly text-heavy jobs where facts and figures must be exact. And these are often needed to meet tight deadlines. So I work fast. I do smaller jobs as well, like adverts, leaflets, banners and so on.
Who I work with
Clients range from charities, like Asthma + Lung UK, to not-for-profits, like Nuffield Trust. Each gets the same care and attention – and one point of contact, me, which means no going around in circles.
WHAT THEY’RE AFTER
A good creative artworker should be creative. For a start, they should have a designer’s eye to develop designs in line with your brand guidelines, without straying off on a tangent, however tempting.
They should produce accurate, trouble-free artwork with the latest software. So what you see in artwork matches what you see in print. This will save you time at your printers, as well as any extra printer’s costs.
And they should work with you like a spare pair of hands.
AND WHY THEY CHOOSE ME
On top of that, clients pick me when they need someone who can see mistakes coming before they happen. Someone who suggests better ways to get better results. Also, someone who has worked with non-designers and marketing teams. All my clients are direct, not design agencies.
And our relationships are long standing, with many clients coming back for more than 14 years now.
But don’t take my word for it. Here’s what some have said.
Clients
Here are some clients. I’d be happy for you to hear from them that they were happy with me. (Let me know and I’ll put you in touch.)
ASTHMA + Lung UK
BREAST CANCER CAMPAIGN
CAMPAIGN TO PROTECT RURAL ENGLAND
DULWICH ACUPUNCTURE
EASTERN ACADEMIC HEALTH SCIENCE NETWORK
GENERAL CHIROPRACTIC COUNCIL
GENERAL DENTAL COUNCIL
HOSPICE UK
Imperial College London
Institute of Development Studies
King homecare
MACMILLAN CANCER SUPPORT
NATIONAL HOUSING FEDERATION
NHS CONFEDERATION
NUFFIELD TRUST
ROYAL COLLEGE OF GPS
ROYAL COLLEGE OF PSYCHIATRISTS
ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS
THE HEALTH FOUNDATION
TOGETHER
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON
UNIVERSITY OF BATH
UNIVERSITY OF WESTMINSTER
WELLCOME TRUST
WORLD HOSPICE PALLIATIVE CARE ALLIANCE
It looks great and everyone is very pleased with it!
Asthma + Lung UK
King homecare
Hospice UK
NHS Confederation
Macmillan Cancer Support
Macmillan Cancer Support
Nuffield Trust
Work
Here are some of the projects I’ve worked on. If you don’t see the type of project you need, don’t think that means I can’t do it.
This is a small selection. I’ve also produced a 22-page, concertina-folded brochure (with two joins) and a pair of brochures with rotating discs on the covers. So I’m used to fiddly jobs. Please ask if you’d like to see more.
About
After more than 20 years in the design industry – 12 as a partner at Precise Communication – I set up Word to Print in 2007. I saw a gap in the market for when all you need is development work within your brand.
For the last 12-plus years, I’ve focused on what you might call the craft end of the print production process. That is, making things look good, getting the details right and tackling design problems that crop up because they weren’t thought through at the outset.
That’s not to say the designers didn’t do a thorough job. It’s just that on some projects, mostly big ones, it’s near impossible to plan upfront for everything. Plus, brands evolve, and as they do they need updating.
That might mean producing this year’s annual report in line with last year’s. Or it might mean producing a new suite of materials that looks like it was thought of when you first launched your brand.
Even if your brand guidelines cover all eventualities right now, something new is bound to come along. Rather than go back to your brand agency for tweaks, why not come to me? By all means, run by them the work I do for you. I’d be more than happy to take in their feedback.
So that’s me.
Get in touch
Feel free to call on 01753 382146 or email. I’d be glad to give you advice, if I can, and to talk about your upcoming projects. And if you’d like hands-on help with one, even better.
And just so you know
Most of my clients are in London, and I’m Windsor based. To date that’s never caused a hiccup, not one. So don’t let distance put you off.
Contact me
info@wordtoprint.co.uk