Creating a publication on campus? Here's some help explaining the process:

MSUM Publication Workflow

  1. The submission is accompanied by a request detailing the project, budget, deadlines, copy, design suggestions and any other information that seems appropriate. This document will need to be standardized to insure that the manager (Kristi Monson, Publications Office) receives enough information to see the project through to its conclusion, but enough flexibility must be included to accommodate the variety of projects that may be submitted.
  2. On occasion, the submission form may not be enough to ensure that the intent of the project is fully understood. This may be the case if certain factual information needs to be clarified or if the manager judges that the editorial or design departments may misunderstand the material or the intent of the submission. A creative brief includes details such as creative direction, copy details and facts, and target market. The creative brief is prepared by the manager and returned to the submitter for his or her approval.
  3. After the creative brief is approved, or if the manager judges that the job is sufficiently straightforward not to require one, an estimate of the time need to complete the job and any associated costs is prepared by the manager in conjunction with production. Both the editorial and the design departments are sent a copy so they can schedule the job appropriately.

    Then...
  1. The manager determines if copy is needed. If copy is required, the job is sent to editorial where copy is prepared. If copy is already provided, the copy is sent to proofreading. It may be that copywriting becomes the responsibility of someone other than staff in publications. Even so, copywriting is treated as part of the editorial department regardless of where the writing is actually done. They are provided with a copy of the creative brief, if one exists, the submission form and the costing and timeline document.
  2. Prepared copy is proofread and then sent to editorial for review. If the copy was prepared by editorial it is sent to proofreading and then returned for review. The completed copy is sent to the manager to be taken to design.
  3. Before the copy is sent to design, the manager reviews it against the signed creative brief and compared to MSUM’s style manual and marketing mission. Any needed changes are reviewed with the editorial department.
  4. The project is reviewed with respect to the costing and timeline document and any changes or overruns are reviewed with the submitters of the job for their input as to how to deal with any problems that overruns or changes in schedule might cause. If the manager determines that the job is on budget and on time, the job is sent to design.
  5. Design prepares the job according to the cost and timeline estimates received early in the process and according to the submission document and the creative brief. They work directly with the manager to review progress.
  6. Design sends the job to production after the manager has approved the job. The manager presents the finished document to the submitter of the job with a report of the process and any particular concerns.


CREATIVE BRIEF
Statement of purpose: [What is the purpose of the communication?]

 

Type of media:  [What media form will it take? Print, broadcast, Web, a combination?]

 

Target audience:  [Who is the preferred recipient?]

 

Scope of the project:  [How many times will be the communication(s) run? Will variations be necessary?  Will it tie to a complementary project?]

 

Tone:  [Should the communication be light or serious, informative or persuasive, etc.?]

 

Creative details:  [What specific information or theme will you expect to see in the communication?]

 

SUBMIT THE CREATIVE BRIEF TO KRISTI MONSON IN THE PUBLICATIONS OFFICE, 477-2110, OR monson@mnstate.edu

Pertinent facts and necessary details:  [To be discussed after the initial creative meeting]

Budget and timeline:  [How much will it cost?  When will it be ready?]

Proofreading:  Who will be the client’s representative to carefully check copy for errors before printing?