One of the key elements in developing and maintaining a strong institutional image is consistency of visual elements. Any brochure, advertisement, poster, banner, letter, T-shirt or other representation of the university should reinforce a positive visual image of Dakota Wesleyan University through appropriate use of color and graphics. Repeating strong images creates impact and develops familiarity with Wesleyan, its name and its identity. Using outdated Wesleyan logos and symbols or creating new icons to represent the university only hinders efforts to build a consistent image for the university.

Publications
Because of our commitment to a consistent, positive institutional image, all publications intended for distribution outside the campus community are to be channeled through the university relations office for design, editing and production.

By working with UR, it is possible to maintain a standard of quality and appearance at the best price possible. Also, the possibility of misunderstanding between the initiator of the publication and the printer is minimized. These guidelines are designed to help you and the UR office work together effectively.

Planning a schedule
Allowing enough time for planning, writing, designing, editing and printing is essential to receiving the best quality piece in the most cost-efficient manner. For any piece of printed material, university relations needs a minimum of four weeks lead time. If the items are larger brochures, catalogs, booklets or other pieces with four-color photography, three to six months is a more appropriate notice.

Keep in mind that printers usually print one color per day and a folded piece takes at least one additional day. It may also be necessary to give the printer some extra prepress time, which could add an additional day or two to the press run.

Allow additional time for any publications that have a mailing deadline. The university contracts with Qualified Presort (Brian Shaw, Sioux Falls, S.D.) for bulk mailings. It is the responsibility of the individual department to make arrangements for mailing, transfer of mailing lists and payment to Qualified Presort.

Preparing copy
All copy must be supplied electronically in Microsoft Word to the university relations staff. The only exception is when the job is simply an update and the UR office already has the piece stored in the computer system.

It is the responsibility of the staff or faculty member requesting the project to provide accurate information, including the spelling of names, titles, dates, etc.

Style requirements
When preparing copy for a publication, please observe the style found in the Associated Press Stylebook. You will find standards for abbreviation, capitalization, use of punctuation and many other helpful items to encourage consistency. A copy of the stylebook is available for reference in the university relations office.

Cost and budget
Because all printing jobs are different, there is no quick answer to the question, "How much will it cost?" The university relations office will solicit bids on larger jobs or those requiring four-color process printing. In most cases, the lowest bid will be selected. However, if the staff or faculty member initiating the project has a relationship with a printer, the university relations staff should be made aware of that fact.

When the order is placed with the university relations office, the staff or faculty member should be prepared to give the account number which should be charged for the printing project. University relations will add a four percent production charge to all printing bills to help cover the cost of paper, toner, disks, photography supplies and travel to and from printers. (Printers typically charge a $20 per page design fee, so the four percent charge is quite minimal.)

Photos
The university relations office has photos available for use in publications. If specific photos are needed, a photo shoot can be arranged with UR. Two to three weeks should be allowed for scheduling, shooting and developing special photos. The photos will be the property of the university relations department and may be used again for other projects.

Proofs
The staff or faculty member initiating the project bears the responsibility for proofreading print projects for accuracy. Each proof must be signed and returned within one day in order to meet the production schedule.

University relations will provide camera-ready copy to the printer on a zip disk. Any changes made after that point will affect the cost.