Publishing checklist

The checklist below is for anyone at the University who wants to produce a leaflet, brochure or any other kind of publication. It has been written to help you deliver something that looks good and achieves your aims. The checklist is also available to download as a pdf.

The Publications and Branding Team are here to offer advice and guidance on any aspect of your project, but we do not offer project management, design or proofreading services.

It is your responsibility to arrange these elements of the production of your publication. We have produced the checklist below to help you make sure you have covered everything.

If you need advice you can contact us, publications@sussex.ac.uk, or speak directly to one of the team.

Stage 0: identifying where your proposed publication fits within the goals and aims of your school/unit
Stage 1: defining the aims of your publication
Stage 2: planning and producing your publication
Stage 3: key stages in the production of your publication
Stage 4: important final checks
Stage 5: post-printing

Stage 0: identifying where your proposed publication fits within the goals and aims of your school/unit

Speak to your marketing manager or head of unit before you begin any work on your publication, to ensure that your project fits within the agreed communications and marketing plan for your school/unit. You should not proceed until you have their approval. How does your proposed publication fit within the communications channels available? Have you considered the other media you could use to communicate? For example, on the web or via related media (Facebook, Twitter, etc). The earlier you start thinking about how it all fits together, the easier it will be to produce.

Identify how much budget you have available to you and whether this is enough to cover what you are proposing. Don't forget to factor in the cost of a designer, the cost of print, and distribution costs, such as postage.

For information about designers and design costs, refer to the approved designers list. For information about print costs, contact Will Barker, w.barker@sussex.ac.uk, in the Print Unit (T 01273 877906).

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Stage 1: defining the aims of your publication

These are the questions you need to answer before you start:

who is your target audience? (eg prospective/undergraduate/postgraduate/mature students, staff)
what messages are you trying to communicate, and at what stage in the admissions cycle?
if this is a new project, is it intended as a supplement to existing materials, such as the prospectus?
if so, does it genuinely offer more information or greater detail than is already available in existing materials or online? If it doesn't offer added value, consider whether your publication is worth producing – or refocus it.
if this is a recurring project, is the need for it still there?
what outcome do you hope to achieve?
will the outcome justify the cost?

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Stage 2: planning and producing your publication

If, having answered all of the above questions, you decide to go ahead, you need to consider the following as soon as you can.

When do you need the publication delivered? (eg the start of term, a specific event, an open day). Refer to our publications calendar for information about significant dates across the academic year that you may need to have your publication ready for.
What will the shelf life be? Will it be required all term, all year or longer?
How many copies do you need? (this may determine the type/cost of printing required)
Who will write it? How long will it take?
Create a sample page plan to help you work out the pagination of your brochure. Download the pagination planner.
Who will create the design and layout for it? For the very simplest black and white documents, it is acceptable to use Word to produce your publication (using Arial as the font throughout the document). Refer to the rules and resources section for all the essentials. For all other publications you will need to employ a professional designer.
Please do not underestimate the importance of well-designed, properly branded materials that form part of a planned communications strategy. A badly designed, off-brand communication will not help you achieve your communications goals – and can even do lasting damage to the reputation of both your school and the University as a whole.
If you need a professional designer (N.B. this will be necessary in most cases), who will you use and what is your budget? If you are using a designer you will need to approach one of the designers on the approved designers list. Use the approved designers list to get two-three competitive quotes for your project, before deciding which designer to go with. Designers can quote an hourly rate, but it is normally easier to get a quote for the whole project. Please note that it is a University requirement that all graphic design is bought only from designers on the approved list. The list gives details of the range of services each designer offers and the kinds of publications they can take on. If you have a fixed budget, most are willing to quote a total amount for your job, rather than charging an hourly rate. If you need further advice about which designers would be appropriate for your project, please contact the Publications and Branding Team, publications@sussex.ac.uk.
Have you written a design brief for your publication, so that your chosen designer knows exactly what you are aiming for? We strongly recommend completing a brief, as it will help focus your thoughts and avoid costly changes to design at later stages. Even if you don't want to complete a written brief, we'd recommend working through the questions in our design brief template with your designer.
Have you chosen the most appropriate format for your printed publication? There is a wide range of formats you could use, from banners, posters and postcards, through A5 and A4 flyers, up to multi-page A4 brochures. For example, if you need to convey a series of short punchy messages a postcard might be the best format. However, if you have two A4 sheets of text you want to publish, this is not appropriate for a postcard, and you will either need to consider producing a flyer (of two to four pages depending on how many photographs you want to use) or severely edit your text. Talk to your chosen designer, who will be able to advise you about matching text to format.
What editorial help will you need with the text for your publication? (eg writing/editing/proofreading). You should ensure that at least one other person than the writer (and preferably two) proofreads your text, before it is sent to the designer, and again before it goes to print. If you are not able to arrange for text to be written/proofed within your school, many of the agencies on our approved designers list can provide these services. Make sure you ask them to quote for these services separately when you approach them to quote for design.
What logos will you need? (You or your designer can download Sussex logos from the Publications and Branding webpages. You/the designer will need to refer to the visual identity requirements for information on acceptable use of logos – but your designer should already be up to speed on this).
What University images will you need? You or your designer can browse and download images from the University media library (to be launched soon), which has a wide choice of shots of campus, Brighton etc. as well as more subject-specific images. You/the designer will need to refer to the visual identity requirements for information on acceptable use of photographs.
Do you need to commission new photographs? If so, please contact the University photographer, Stuart Robinson, s.g.robinson@sussex.ac.uk.
Have you created a schedule, factoring in editorial timescales and delivery deadlines? (refer to our sample schedules for the key stages you will need to build in to the production process and an idea of how long each stage takes).
Have you contacted Will Barker, w.barker@sussex.ac.uk, in the Print Unit with print specifications for costings?
What budget code will be charged?
Who needs to check the content?
Who will ultimately sign off and be responsible for the publication?

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Stage 3: key stages in the production of your publication

Now that you have confirmed that there is a need for your publication, checked that it has your School Administrator's/Unit Head's approval to proceed, gathered all your materials together, and identified which designer you want to use, you will need to take your publication through the following stages.

Please note that if your publication is particularly large or complex, or if it has many stakeholders who all need to be involved in the process, you may need to allow for more than two stages of proofing. For guidance on how long to allow for each stage once you have sent your text and images to the designer, please refer to our sample schedules.

Write text and find images
Commission sample design
Get costing and confirm dates with the print unit (Will Barker)
Check content with stakeholders
Send proofread text and images to designer
1st stage proofs back from design
Proofread
Circulate to interested parties. Designer to take in corrections
2nd proofs back from design – check again!
Designer to make final corrections
Final artwork ready for printer – send to Will Barker in Print Unit
Check printer's proofs and return with any amends to the Print Unit – please note that changes made to printer's proofs will increase your print and design costs
Finished copies delivered to destination of your choice
Distribute copies.

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Stage 4: important final checks

Have you proofread the text according to the Sussex writing style guidelines?
Have you checked the information (building names, job titles, programme/course titles etc) is correct and up to date?
Have you sent all URLs mentioned in your text to the Web Team, webteam@sussex.ac.uk, for them to check that all links?
Have you checked the copyright for any pictures/illustrations used, included picture acknowledgements, and paid fees where necessary?
If your publication features student perspectives, have they signed a consent form?
Has the publication been seen by your school administrator?
Has the budget holder agreed the cost?
Do you have the budget code to enable the Print Unit to progress your job?
When and where do you need it delivered? (Your department, school, an event.)

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Stage 5: post-printing

This is a good stage at which to evaluate your marketing strategy and ensure that you are prepared for producing your next publication.

Do you have a copy of the final artwork files from the designer/printer, for future use?
How many copies are being used up?
What do the target audience think of the publication? How can you get feedback?
What worked well and what would you change?

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