In my years as a designer (and frankly, as a human), I've discovered that communication is one of the most important tools you can have.
"What are you looking for?"
"When do you need the finished product?"
"Did you have a particular design direction in mind?"
Good communications between a designer and client can help set expectations for both parties, ensure everyone is on the same page, and make for an overall smooth process while working on a project.
Language is an essential part of communication, and it’s difficult to understand one another if you are speaking different languages. As is true with every profession, designers have their own language – vector, InDesign, PMS color, high res, sans serif.
When you know a language so well, it can be easy to forget that not everyone speaks it. I have been guilty of this, and occasionally I’ve forgotten why clients have no idea what I’m referring to when I ask for a high-res tiff – and why should they? It’s my job to know these things, not theirs.
However, it can be extremely helpful in terms of communication if you understand a few basics of design language, particularly the differences among file types. What final file type do you need for a project? What file type should you send us for your logo? Knowing these answers and other file type information can help ensure your website loads faster, your poster prints clean and crisp, and your logo always looks sharp.
Here are some details about the most common file types we deal with at image.works:
Native file (.ai or .psd or .indd) – True to its name, this is the native/working/original document file. Given the option, working from these files is almost always preferred.
Vector (.eps) – A vector file is the preferred format for logos or illustrations. A vector file is made up of mathematical curves – meaning the image can be scaled to any size without losing resolution or making things look pixelated. Sending a vector file of your logo will ensure it always looks its best.
PDF (.pdf) – PDFs are read through Adobe® Acrobat®, which can be downloaded for free on any computer. PDFs are an amazing file type due to their versatility. High-resolution PDFs can be used for print images, while low-resolution PDFs can be used for web, interactive forms and proofing purposes (something we do a lot of at image.works!) due to their small file size and ease of emailing. If you’re trying to determine whether you have a high- or low-res PDF on your hands, the file size is often a good indication.
TIFF (.tif) – TIFFs are the preferred file type for images. They are “lossless,” meaning you don’t lose any quality by saving a file as a TIFF. TIFFs work best for print images and should never be used for web images, since the files are often very large in size. Additionally, most web browsers will not display TIFFs.
Jpeg or JPG (.jpg) –Similar to PDFs in their versatility, Jpegs can be used for print or web images. High-resolution Jpegs (300 dpi) are ideal for print, while lower resolution (72 dpi) Jpegs work great for web usage.
Ping or p.n.g (.png) – Pngs are similar to TIFFs in that they are lossless and a good format for images. Pngs, however, are much smaller in size and therefore, another good file format for web usage-- but not print. Pngs also preserve partial transparency.
Now that we are all speaking the same language, I hope the lines of communication continue to flow between you and your designer.
Resources:
http://resources.printhandbook.com/pages/file-types.php
http://www.katalystsolutions.com/newsletter/59-which-file-type-is-best-for-your-graphics.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vector_graphics
http://users.wfu.edu/matthews/misc/graphics/formats/formats.html