Illustrated book producers meet their ideal client
Posted by Peter Blaiwas on Fri, Jan 07, 2011
This past spring we were fortunate enough to work with a most impressive client. (I'll call him Martin.) That he was such an individual was clear from the moment he introduced himself.
We had been blogging faithfully for more than eight months, writing posts about the ways we've helped previous clients in hopes that those posts would reach—and help—new, potential clients. Then, out of cyberspace, we received a meticulously focused inquiry. Its author found us through a very specific search request that had aligned more or less exactly with keywords in a blogs we had posted to address the precise topic in which he was interested. After reading the blog at our website, Martin researched our work and capabilities, and then contacted us shortly after. Within the space of a week filled with e-correspondence and culminating in a presentation to his colleagues, we contracted with Martin to produce a very exciting illustrated anniversary publication.
This is the way inbound marketing is supposed to work, isn't it?
There was also something unusual about this new client. Martin is a highly respected graphic designer, and we are used to working with upper management or editorial director-type people when we produce their corporate and organizational books. It was an exciting prospect for me to work with someone who was both able and willing to explore the possibilities of this project in such vivid, visual terms. Martin conceptualized and designed the book, my partner Brian worked with him and a writer to flesh out the concept and develop the manuscript, and I worked with him on layout, production issues, and project management. Though initially I was a little bit concerned about potentially clashing with him on design issues, his knowledge of and insight into the retail sales industry made it easy for me to follow his lead.
Martin clearly understood what it means to shepherd massive, complex projects from conception to completion, and he knew more about the book's subject than anyone else on our team, including the writer.
Refreshingly, however, he had equal clarity about the fact that he had never developed, designed, or produced an illustrated book, which made him especially excited about what he would learn from us. The time we spent working with Martin was peppered with lively exchanges of ideas, information, and skills of a kind that can occur only if all parties relinquish fears of appearing ignorant and the pride that so often comes of having "expertise."
This was also one of those rare projects in which both manuscript and design developed simultaneously. The writer's rough draft for one section would inspire and inform Martin's new design layouts and picture choices; in turn, his work did the same for the writer as he delved into the next section of the manuscript. This is my notion of an ideal illustrated book: every aspect of the story is conveyed through the integration and collaboration of words and images.
With each project we complete, we realize how much we have learned about our client's industry or institution. Thanks to Martin's zeal for learning from us, this time we also gained new insights into our own work and profession.