All academic and administrative units at Illinois Tech are able to request a variety of services from the Office of Marketing and Communications free of charge, including but not limited to:
- Copywriting
- Graphic design
- Marketing analytics
- Marketing/communications strategy development
- Media and press relations
- Print pre-production
- Proofreading
- Online ad design and placement
- Social media strategy
- Vendor management
- Video and photo production
- Website management/edits including directory updates
Scheduling a Project
All work done by Marketing and Communications for the Illinois Tech community starts with a submission of a new project request through Asana, the project management system the office uses. You do not need to have access to Asana to submit a project request. If you have any questions regarding submitting a project please email the office’s project director, Marty Schalm, at mschalm@iit.edu.
Be sure to provide as much detail in your project request submission so we can fully understand what is being asked for. Attach all supplemental materials (written content, graphics, photos) with your form submission.
Once your job starts in Asana, should circumstances change on your end, we will adjust the delivery date to reflect those changes. Marketing and Communications will honor its deadlines.
If a unit chooses instead to forego these services and develop pieces/projects on its own or in conjunction with external vendors, Marketing and Communications must still review and approve the design and content. The vendor will receive payment from the university once the job is complete only if the purchase order has been approved by Marketing and Communications.
Marketing and Communication’s approval means that Marketing and Communications has approved the piece for dissemination based on two criteria:
- Inclusion of the university’s approved logo
- The copy/design do not harm the university’s brand
Marketing and Communications will then review within one business day and provide feedback/approval/recommendations for changes. A minimum of two business days must be allowed for Marketing and Communications review.
Proof Guidelines and Procedures for Marketing and Graphic Design Projects
All marketing and graphic design projects created by Marketing and Communications for Illinois Tech clients include a first design proof. This proof will represent Marketing and Communications’ first attempt to meet the client’s needs as discussed in the initial conversations about the project.
After receiving the first proof, if the client wants to make changes, up to two additional proofs will be provided. Edits can be made to either the design or text. Edits must be provided as annotated comments in the PDF proof that Marketing and Communications provides. Marketing and Communications will not accept handwritten edits, edits written in email messages or Word documents, or edits provided over the phone.
If the client approves the job after the first, second, or third design proof, the design file will be sent to the printer, posted online, etc.
If a client wants to make additional changes after the third design proof, please note the following will take place:
- The delivery/deadline schedule will be reviewed and updated based on the current production schedule of the Marketing and Communications team that is working on the project. Once a new deadline time is confirmed, work can continue on the project.
Project Lead Time
For most design jobs, Marketing and Communications requires a two-week (10 working days) lead time on any project added to our workflow. Any exceptions will need to be approved by either the vice president or associate vice president of Marketing and Communications.
Proofreading/Copyediting
All jobs coming into Marketing and Communications are subject to proofreading and copyediting. In the majority of cases, these edits are based on the Illinois Tech Editorial Style Guide.
Please build time into your schedule to allow Marketing and Communications staff to have adequate time to review any and all content you expect to include in your printed piece or in your ad/letter/email/report, etc. Marketing and Communications staff will edit for spelling, grammar, and style—as well as provide edits intended to help ensure that the piece “does its job” in terms of reaching your target audience and having the intended impact. You, however, are the subject-matter experts, and so we will assume that the copy we receive from you is accurate and cited appropriately and as necessary. If we have questions about content, we will direct them to you for clarification. Edits, comments, and questions will be provided as “tracked” changes in a Word or Google document. All changes will be made to the provided text.