design files to send
You will have your preferred way of working & favourite design software. Not a problem.
I use Adobe software (as well as a number of other specialised products). My systems are all PC based however most files (with the exception of Mac only fonts and Mac Fireworks multi-layered PNGs) transfer seamlessly.
- Photoshop multi-layered PSDs up to CS4
Please also include maximum quality jpeg exports of each page to act as a reference.
If supplying final copy in the designs please do not rasterise main body text, though special fonts should be flattened. - High quality PDFs
These are especially good to extract vector elements. I have the full version of Adobe Acrobat and so can de-construct designs to suit.
Please convert any supplied files to RGB and check colours before sending! - Illustrator up to version CS4
PDF or jpeg exports of each page are ideal for reference. - Adobe Fireworks multi-layer 32bit PNGS up to CS4
Only if created on Windows PC systems. - InDesign
Please note I'm not able to work natively with InDesign files. Please export these as PDFs which are ideal. - Images
Having the original to edit ensures better control over optimisation for the web. Maximum quality PDFs and native PSDs usually negate this. - Copy
Usually the client or a copywriter will supply this as one document. Microsoft formats are accepted, along with plain text and copy embedded within PDFs and PSDs. - Other graphic formats
If you are using software not listed above, not a problem. Contact me and we can discuss the best way to approach this. - Audio files
Any digital format accepted - I have a professional audio post-production facility & can edit, master, repair and produce audio. - Video files
Most professional digital formats accepted. Basic editing (top and tailing & segment extraction) along with resizing and conversion possible.
How I work with your files
Building web sites from your designs is the process of taking all the elements and re-creating them as pixel-perfect as possible (unless already supplied as such). Where you have supplied pixel-perfect 100% to scale Photoshop designs this is simple. Where print design software is used with 300dpi resolution this may need a bit of processing - this is particularly true of designs produced with InDesign. For example, when scaled down, vectors are aliased - this affects the clarity of straight lines which I will repair to keep your designs sharp.
Although you see the design as a 'whole' I see it as a collection of elements and code! EVERYTHING is deconstructed and then rebuilt !
Website graphics are much more forgiving than print graphics. Ultimately I will create a master Fireworks document of your design because it is an excellent program for exporting graphical elements & was designed specifically for online content. The exception is when processing high quality photos - these are done with Photoshop simply because that's what it does best.
