Planning for Typical Editorial, Design & Print Projects

Working with Us

We’re here to support your communication needs while maintaining our brand standards. Here’s how to engage with us:

  • Plan Ahead: Contact us early in your project timeline to ensure smooth collaboration.
  • Provide Context: Share your goals, target audience, and any specific requirements.
  • Be Available: Timely feedback is crucial for meeting deadlines.
  • Limit Revisions: Multiple revision rounds can significantly extend timelines.
  • Be Open to Feedback: Our team’s expertise helps refine your message for maximum impact.

Together, we can create powerful, on-brand communications that resonate with our community and beyond.

Timelines

Note: Timelines are based on 1-2 staff members working on the project (typically less than 20% of their workload) and in most cases creating rounds of feedback and revision with key stakeholders. Actual timelines may vary based on staff availability, competing priorities, and project complexity.

2  weeks

Press releases,  announcements, simple event programs or journals, promotional emails and posts for institutional or departmental events, edited event recordings, and requests for branded templates or materials typically require two weeks from complete submission to complete.

  • First draft delivered: Within 1 week of complete submission
  • Revisions and feedback: Allow 2-4 business days each for IA, requester, and potentially Dean’s Office review
  • Final version delivered: Within 2-3 days of final approval from requester

3  to 5 weeks:

Standard editorial stories and features such as articles, interviews, and videos, invitations and promotion for events, campaigns for email, and social media campaigns, landing pages for programs or initiatives, and message-driven one-pagers require time for development, edits, review, revisions, and final proofing.

  • From the date of complete submission, a first draft will be delivered within 1-2 weeks.
  • Please build in one week for first-round revisions
  • Plan for three to five days for each round of feedback and revisions or approvals from IA, requester, any additional stakeholders.
  • Printing (if applicable) can add an additional 5-7 business days.

6  to 8 weeks:

Print pieces such as mailers, brochures, invitations, and more complicated pieces require two weeks or more to finalize content and four weeks to finalize design. Printing time is additional and typically requires 7 to 10 business days. From start to finish, we recommend allocating at least two months for longer print pieces.

  • Project kickoff meeting, planning, and concept strategy: 1-2 weeks
  • Content development, design, and layout: 3-4 weeks
  • Revisions and feedback: 1 week per round
  • Final production: 1-2 weeks
  • Printing or publication: Additional 1-2 weeks

3+ months

Large projects such as websites and microsites, marketing campaigns, new communications strategies or vehicles, and lengthy publications (annual reports, impact reports, magazines) require one month or more from the complete project submission for draft content and two months for design.

  • Please build in a week for every round of revisions.
  • Printing time is additional and typically requires at least 10 days, plus courier delivery time
  • From start to finish, you should allocate three months or more for these projects.