Begin at the End
A successful project begins with knowing what you want to get out of it. What is the purpose of the piece you’re creating? How will you judge its success? Articulating these issues will answer all the questions you have about how to proceed, including schedule, budget, and creative direction.

Plan Your Project
Your answers to the following questions will help you plan all aspects of your publishing project.

Goal

• What is the ultimate goal of the piece? To inform, educate, publicize, recruit, foster goodwill, increase attendance, solicit funds?
• How can this product work for you?
• What is the call to action? Do you want the reader to apply, send money, telephone, email, respond to a survey?

• What are the key messages you'd like to convey?
• How should the information be organized to maximize the impact of those messages and achieve the goals you've
outlined?
• Have you included contact information: name, phone, email, location, web address?
• Should you add dates or deadlines?

• Whom are you addressing? Whom do you wish to reach-the Penn community or an external audience? Students, faculty, alumni, staff, corporate partners, press?
• Keeping your audience in mind, what should be the tone of the publication? Friendly, formal, informational?

• What is the most effective format for communicating your message? Brochure, postcard, folder with inserts, poster, newsletter, website?
• What are the most effective visuals for your project? Color photography, black-and-white images, illustrations, simple two-color graphics?
• What are the maintenance implications for your format?

• Is the timeline you have in mind realistic in terms of staff commitment?
• When do the readers need your information?
• Have you planned enough time for meetings, developing and refining drafts, proofreading, printing, usability testing, programming?
• When and how often do you intend to publish? How long will your publication be current? When should it be updated?
• When is the best time to release this project?

• Have you budgeted for all of the necessary services? Have you taken into consideration costs for editorial, design,
photography, printing, mailing, HTML coding, for example? How about maintenance costs for website updating?
• Are you prepared to generate a requisition for the cost of the project?

• Who will oversee the publication from your office?
• Who will be the project manager to keep track of the details and the schedule?
• Who will create the messages and provide content? Who will be responsible for writing, editing, proofreading, and
supplying the final copy?
• Who are the key stakeholders? Who will have to sign off on this project?
• Are there other resources for you within Penn?

• Where can you reach the audience for this project?
• Will you buy mailing lists? Order mailing lists on campus?
• Will you be using the nonprofit indicia through Penn Mail?
• How and where is your publication being distributed? Campus mail? U.S. mail: first class or bulk rate? On your web server?
• Are there other resources for you within Penn?

Creative Brief/Requisition
Got a project ready to go? Fill out our creative brief/requisition. Download the Creative Brief/Requisition, and use the Adobe text tool to fill out this interactive form, save it, and e-mail it as an attachment to your Publication Services account manager. Or, print it out and fax it to your account manager at 215­573-2124. Don't know who your account manager is? Find your account manager here, or Aiasha Graham at 215-898-3627 or abgraham@upenn.edu.