Rhizome Learning Garden
Home Our Roots Portfolio Services News Learning Garden Contact Us
Learning Garden

Working with Rhizome Topics

Getting the Most from Rhizome ∼ Go
How to Supply Artwork: Getting Specifications ∼ Go
Nomenclature ∼ Go
Flowcharts & Comps ∼ Go
Web Maintenance vs. Complex Updates ∼ Go
Draft Copy & Final Copy ∼ Go
Proofing Your Work ∼ Go
Change ∼ Go
Technical Support ∼ Go

................

Getting the Most from Rhizome
Rhizome is dedicated to clarity in communication and making projects work. The following is a quick overview of some of the steps we take to make your project successful.

Understand the process: At the onset of any project, Rhizome develops a workflow process and identifies milestones along the way. Checking in with the progress of the workflow allows agency and client alike to know exactly where we are with the schedule and deliverables.

Hunting and gathering: Projects, regardless of how large or small, involve massive amounts of detail. Hunting down the essential copy points, logos and gathering input and approvals from everyone involved can be daunting. To make a project flow more smoothly and cost-effectively we encourage our clients to gather information and send it to Rhizome as a single "bulk" email so that all pertinent information can be accessed at the same time.

Find examples: We encourage clients to show us examples of styles or functionality that they like and we're happy to review any URLs or magazine clippings you wish to show us. This will ensure we are all on the same page from day one of the project.

Talk cost: Money can be difficult and we encourage our clients to talk to us openly and honestly about their budgets. We might not be able to accommodate all your needs for the budget you have, but we're wiling to work with you and come up with creative ideas that work for all.

Back to Top

How to Supply Artwork: Getting Specifications
Rhizome is a design agency, but we are also a vendor. This means we work under specific, vendor-like parameters that, when met, allows work to flow more smoothly and effectively. For example, if a client wants to place an ad in a newspaper, its not enough to tell us you want a half or quarter page ad because all publications are different. Clients need to find out the following:

Ad specs:

Tradeshows:

Back to Top

Nomenclature
One of the best ways to stay organized is to name your files logically.
At Rhizome our system is a very simple 4-step process.

  1. Start with a company acronym and an underscore. For Rhizome Design we use "RD"
  2. Name the project with a short title. For example: brochure
  3. Add a "V" for version and number. For example: V1
  4. Add the .dot extension to the end of the file name. Example; .doc

The file should then read: rd_brochureV1.doc

Version Control
If the above process is followed. Version control becomes a snap.

rd_brochureV2.doc

The file would then read: rd_brochureV2_ec.doc

Once all the changes are in on "V2" - a new "V3" can be created.

Back to Top

Flowcharts & Comps
Flowcharts are charts that organize content into various categories and subcategories and the structure of a project is "mapped" out. This is extremely useful for the creation of Web sites when clients are not exactly sure how many pages or where certain types of content should go. Once a flowchart is approved, the designer can then use this input to inform the design he or she is creating. Generally these take the form of design comps.

Comps are generally design concepts that imply potential direction for projects. It's a sampling of flavors, so to speak, where a client may choose ideas that appeal and resonate with their own vision. Once certain specifics become more apparent, the design is finessed over several rounds until final approval.
Back to Top

Web Maintenance vs. Complex Updates
The difference between Web maintenance and a complex update relates to the amount of time the programmer has to spend working on the site. Site maintenance generally takes between 1 and 3 hours. A change that involves database programming, administration tools, form, etc., is considered a complex update. In all cases, the client is informed if it turns out that a "maintenance" request is actually an "update," an estimate is provided.
Back to Top

Draft Copy & Final Copy
At Rhizome, we rarely, if ever use the word "final" with a piece of copy. We refer to text using version numbers (see above) and when copy is approved for print, we use the most recent version of the text. In a normal project, we show a client a first draft and make requested changes. As with design, three rounds of text changes is considered "normal" and within the realm of the project fee. Additional changes, unless deemed minor, will be charged an additional fee after three rounds.
Back to Top

Proofing Your Work
The devil is in the details. Not enough can be said about the importance of proofing work that is designed, written, or programmed for clients. Once you sign off on a project and the job goes to print or goes live on the Web, error's found after the fact are the sole responsibility of the client. This is why we provide proofs and require sign-offs from all our clients. In most cases we can fix any errors that are caught after the fact, but additional cost might be involved. Therefore:

Back to Top

Change
How changes to copy and layout are communicated between client and agency has a dramatic impact on the success of the outcome. As with hunting and gathering, changes should be delivered "in bulk" rather than "drips." We recommend assigning one person in your organization to be the point person and have all communications within your company sent to this person for consolidation. From there, all thoughts, ideas, changes, suggestions, and recommendations can be forwarded to the Project Manager at Rhizome at one time. This facilitates clear communication and ensures all requests for changes are received and responded to in a timely manner.
Back to Top

Technical Support
While we are always supportive of our clients, Rhizome does not officially provide tech support. We are happy, when time and expertise permits, to talk clients through problems, but for large, time-intensive issues, we recommend hiring professional help or researching issues via the Internet.
Back to Top