Say you need to estimate the design of an annual report and you have never done one before. Based on the client's past a.r.s, you know there will be around 48 pgs of information in the document. But all you have ever designed is an 8 page brochure. Well, estimate how long it would take you design a 'look' for the cover and two or three various interior spreads. Then figure what time it would take to produce the a spread based on those three looks. Multiply that by the number of spreads likely to be done in each of those styles, and you'll have a good ballpark figure to estimate with.

Need to give a print estimate when you have absolutely no idea what the project is going to be like/entail?

Not something that happens all that often, but occasionally it is important to a potential client. When we have to submit an estimate like this, in order to provide some wiggle room, we think up an elaborate print object - one that utilizes several fancy and expensive print techniques - and submit that for an estimate from one of the best (read: most expensive) printers in town. Something elegant and lavish. This buys room for more unusual print concepts which, more often than not, still come in under the original estimate.

Concepting and you're coming up dry?

Take a look at these clever little idea-generators from Derrick Cruz (created for one of his drawing and painting classes):
Get Unstuck

A nifty plugin - Scriptographer
They say:
"Scriptographer is a scripting plugin for Adobe Illustrator™. It gives the user the possibility to extend Illustrator’s functionality by the use of the JavaScript language.

The user is no longer limited to the same tools that are used by most graphic designers around the globe. Scriptographer allows the creation of mouse controlled drawing-tools, effects that modify existing graphics and scripts that create new ones.

But Scriptographer is also a webpage on which users can exchange scripts and ideas.

Scriptographer gives the tool back into the hand of the user and confronts a closed product with the open source philosophy. And the best thing is: It is all free."

We say:
One of the coolest tools on the free market (or any market for that matter). Made by people who know way more about JavaScript than we ever will, this fun little tool will at least make you appear like you know what you are doing. And for those of you who are script savvy, Scriptographer is customizable (sharing is the future).

Since this is still relatively new and in beta form there are several bugs, which is a bit frustrating. However, Mr. Lehni (creator) has been doing a fabulous job of keeping his machine well oiled by posting better versions periodically.

Consider this a revolution.

One of the many tricks Scriptographer can do - this one converts a low-res JPEG of Paul into a halftone screen made out of the Blue Plate's EAT logo. On the left is the entire image scaled down. On the right is a detail of the left eye. In the lower left is the actual logo that makes up the scripted 'halftone':

Several variations Joseph made using Scriptographer:

Wish you could letterpress print but you live and work in the 21st century with 21st century deadlines? Try these typefaces:

Wood Type Impressions from withoutwalls.com