Flyer me to the moon. How to start thinking on flyers, on & offline

Post 23  of Dream, create and make money in the arts – My Series on becoming a Successful Creative

So hopefully we have a title we are happy with (see the last 3 posts Part One)  and the next step is to start thinking of the flyer artwork, both in email and physical form.

I have done postcards, A3, A4, A5 posters & also those DL double sided flyers for the various festivals & shows I have done.

It’s easy to go mad on promotional materials but that’s why I wanted to get you thinking about the flyer and what you thinking of doing marketing wise before we get really into the image to fit your event.
It is a bit chicken & egg but knowing, or having an idea what methods you are & aren’t going to use does help you with the next step. We will look at budgets & fund raising later but you probably now do have a clue if you have zero funds for marketing or a few hundred or maybe even a few thousand pounds, dollars or yen.

If you are planning to do email, web banners & thus web images only then you can get away with having the details of the event in smaller letters , not so bold as you can also add them below or on a separate section of your website etc as well.
Attaching a press EPK (electronic press kit) with downloadable images, short bio, links, relevant info and a one page press release including reviews you have from somewhere else & link to website /twitter/ Facebook fan page all helps.
All of the above you can set up now you have a title by the way 🙂

Plus you need to think about what images will work for small banner size ads in papers, festival newspapers & online ads.
Don’t get full colour if you can’t afford the ads – or at least you need to be thinking more about a simple strong title & image – too complex & it won’t be seen in small ads, printed or otherwise.

However if you are also printing out flyers to hand out & posters then you can think about a bit more detail in them.

It could be that you end up with 2 images – one for the medium that can take more detail eg a poster in a local shop or on the side of a bus (see I have big plans for you!) & a cleaner one using the same core colours & image that gets your message over in a small fast paced space. Or like David Bowie a white box that appears everywhere that is a hidden symbol for you. They even painted these obscure white boxes in front of London newspaper offices.

This might mean you need to focus on the size & typography of your title more than an image.
Yes a picture tells a 1000 words but not if its too crammed in.

I have had great success with my flyers as I have an amazing friend who is an art director for Hollywood movie posters and creates the entire packaging for film & theatrical releases. Hence he always has brilliant ideas and takes my initial ideas & runs with them, visualising them into places I could not have imagined. He also works closely with a brilliant painter/cartoonist so between the two of them my marketing always looks incredible.

However you can follow some of the things he does – as well as get a graphic artist in to help consult or create your image.

Try oDesk or Elance to get  quotes on great graphics or advertise locally or ask friends if they can recommend anyone. Be aware if you use someone that’s first language isnt the same as yours that you may have translation issues. However this is easily overcome, although there is always something wonderful about working with someone locally who loves your art anyway. I have outsourced both to Elance for transcription and to an out sourcing place in India, once the way you like to work is set up it is fine but you will need time to set this up. Although for graphic images the language used is largely the same and maybe an international flavour may bring an unusual spin you love.

I know some people have asked for images as a kind of competition eg a book character & then paid for the one they use. (They obviously clearly stated the terms & conditions so people did not think they were getting paid unless their image was chosen). I am a great believer in paying other creatives but in these competition cases it is obviously their own choice to enter if they chose. Others have described in intimate exhaustive detail what they imagine but please always allow the graphic artist to bring some of their own genius to play. They understand spatial awareness, the visual medium & have knowledge on what works in a way you probably don’t, unless you are a painter or work in a visual medium.

When I started though I did my own flyers with the help of a friend who could draw. I have no Blue Peter skills and I can’t draw at all. I still managed to make some initial great images though, if not as professionally produced.

In tomorrow’s post I will go through some of the ways I started generating image ideas.

Have a think overnight on the core of your show & it’s through line.

Do you have any experience in using overseas freelancers ans any good or bad experiences to share?

Main Article Image courtesy of Jetkasettakorn / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

About this series – Being a Successful Creative – The Business of Creativity by Marysia
This is a series of daily blogs for you on how to dream up, build, market and sell a creative event, gig, festival, book launch, cabaret night, exhibition of rude plastic cupcakes or whatever creatively inspires you. It is time to create and put on that play about your family, a series of drawings about hedgehogs, the album you have talked about making or the short film you always wanted to write and make.
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