Ongoing graphic designer for newspaper
Budget: $8 – $15 USD
We are in need of graphic designer to build out our weekly newspaper and potentially help with ad development and social media graphics.
We produce an 8-10 page broadsheet weekly newspaper on a regular schedule using Adobe InDesign. You would work with our editor and sales team to assemble all of the components into a finished product. You can see archive of past issues at: https://discovermuscatine.com/category/print-editions/.
Rough schedule:
Monday (daytime, central time US) - prepare a template for the week using previous issues. Place already completed ads, stories. Place placeholders for known but uncompleted content. Provide draft to staff for review.
Tuesday through Thursday - place content as it is finished including obituaries, community calendar events, stories, pictures, etc. Keep data system up to date.
Friday (afternoon Central) - finish final product, upload individual pages to ftp site for printer, update data system
We have a very effective system, built over the last 8 years, to make effective use of everyone's time. Our editors and authors build all their written content in our website. All pictures and advertisements are stored in Dropbox. Checklists for ads are available in our CRM system.
To begin with, we have an issue of the paper that needs to be completed in the next 36 hours sure to an emergent situation with our current designer.
We'll with very closely in the beginning to get you comfortable with the work, the process and the team. As you get comfortable, you'll be able to work independently while communicating with the team. We'll provide full Dropbox access to templates, past issues and all client content so you have instant access to resources needed.
The only truly set deadline for the week is uploading the finished project on Friday.
Weekly time commitment - Like with any job/project, the first weeks will take longer. Most of the weekly product is cut and paste for the designer and getting it all to fit. By the time you become familar with the process, it will take about 5-10 hours per week.
NOTES FOR FREELANCERS
We've been partnering with freelance providers for over 15 years and love the relationships that can be built!
That said, we need to understand the time, energy and cost it takes for you to complete a project so we can bid on projects effectively. If you submit a low-ball bid to get our attention, expecting to ask our budget and raise your bid to the budgeted amount, we do not disclose a budget - because we don't have one!
We look at the total cost to achieve the results we need (whether it's project or hourly-based), including the time we have to invest in building and managing the relationship. To us, $100 per hour and billed for 1 hour is the same as $5 per hour and billed for 20 hours, so we don't place too much importance on either number individually.
Because we have done many of these projects, we have an understanding of how long it takes a new editor vs an experienced editor to complete a project. Our desire is to build a long-term, a mutually beneficial relationship that can continue with little management (not having to rebid each project, able to provide quick instructions/thoughts via text and video).
Our plan will be to create small, paid test projects like the one above (something that would take us about a couple of hours to complete) for freelancers to complete to test their skills, effectiveness and ability to deliver based on how we provide direction. Please provide an hourly rate that is indicative of what you would require to provide ongoing development services.
We produce an 8-10 page broadsheet weekly newspaper on a regular schedule using Adobe InDesign. You would work with our editor and sales team to assemble all of the components into a finished product. You can see archive of past issues at: https://discovermuscatine.com/category/print-editions/.
Rough schedule:
Monday (daytime, central time US) - prepare a template for the week using previous issues. Place already completed ads, stories. Place placeholders for known but uncompleted content. Provide draft to staff for review.
Tuesday through Thursday - place content as it is finished including obituaries, community calendar events, stories, pictures, etc. Keep data system up to date.
Friday (afternoon Central) - finish final product, upload individual pages to ftp site for printer, update data system
We have a very effective system, built over the last 8 years, to make effective use of everyone's time. Our editors and authors build all their written content in our website. All pictures and advertisements are stored in Dropbox. Checklists for ads are available in our CRM system.
To begin with, we have an issue of the paper that needs to be completed in the next 36 hours sure to an emergent situation with our current designer.
We'll with very closely in the beginning to get you comfortable with the work, the process and the team. As you get comfortable, you'll be able to work independently while communicating with the team. We'll provide full Dropbox access to templates, past issues and all client content so you have instant access to resources needed.
The only truly set deadline for the week is uploading the finished project on Friday.
Weekly time commitment - Like with any job/project, the first weeks will take longer. Most of the weekly product is cut and paste for the designer and getting it all to fit. By the time you become familar with the process, it will take about 5-10 hours per week.
NOTES FOR FREELANCERS
We've been partnering with freelance providers for over 15 years and love the relationships that can be built!
That said, we need to understand the time, energy and cost it takes for you to complete a project so we can bid on projects effectively. If you submit a low-ball bid to get our attention, expecting to ask our budget and raise your bid to the budgeted amount, we do not disclose a budget - because we don't have one!
We look at the total cost to achieve the results we need (whether it's project or hourly-based), including the time we have to invest in building and managing the relationship. To us, $100 per hour and billed for 1 hour is the same as $5 per hour and billed for 20 hours, so we don't place too much importance on either number individually.
Because we have done many of these projects, we have an understanding of how long it takes a new editor vs an experienced editor to complete a project. Our desire is to build a long-term, a mutually beneficial relationship that can continue with little management (not having to rebid each project, able to provide quick instructions/thoughts via text and video).
Our plan will be to create small, paid test projects like the one above (something that would take us about a couple of hours to complete) for freelancers to complete to test their skills, effectiveness and ability to deliver based on how we provide direction. Please provide an hourly rate that is indicative of what you would require to provide ongoing development services.