Pitch Book

Front/Back Cover

The cover is the first thing that a person will see of your pitch book. Make this clean and attractive. Before opening the book it should be clear what the book contains, and who put the book together. The following need to be included on the

1. The product name
2. The product logo
3. The designer’s name (Can be on back cover)
4. The designer’s logo (Can be on back cover)

Table of Contents

The table of contents will outline the content of your pitch book. This can be numbered or un-numbered, but all pages must be visible and in the correct order. This page doesn’t need to be over designed, nor does the content need to fill the whole page. Take a look at some table of contents that others have designed to help you make the page content small and simple.

Redesign Plan

Write a one-page plan and include the following: product name, target group, brief history, and a big idea to advertise and redesign the package (Include how you plan to increase sales). Write this in Microsoft Word to gauge the length and catch any obvious grammar and spelling mistakes.

This plan is meant for inclusion in your printed book. Do not use phrases like “I feel” or “I believe.” The printed book will be given to your potential client. Be bold and definite. A client won’t hire you based on your feelings or beliefs.

Fonts & Colors

You will create a basic style guide that outlines the use of colors and fonts for the new package design, advertisements or other publications. Confusion can result from a poorly written style guide. Take a look at a few well know company style guides:

• walmart_brand_guidelines
• CampbridesIdentityGuidelines
• 50 Meticulous Style Guides

This page should include, but is not limited to, the following elements:

• Title font name (written in the font), style (bold, italic, etc), and size recommendations.
• Copy font name (written in the font), style (bold, italic, etc), and size recommendations.
• Color swatches with color names and color codes (CMYK, RGB, Pantone, and Hex)

Photoshop is the easiest place to find all of the color codes needed for this activity. Use the eyedropper to select the desired color and then double click on the foreground/background swatch to reveal this menu:

Logo

The logo page is the second half of your basic style guide. This portion of the style guide deals with the logo color, size and placement recommendations. These recommendations will be given to anyone that needs to use the product logo on the packaging, advertisements or other publications. It is important that your recommendations/instructions are clear and precise.

This page should include, but is not limited to, the following elements:

• Color logo (If the logo is in color)
• B&W version of the logo
• Make sure that your logo has a copyright or trademark icon
• Logo size recommendations
• Logo placement recommendations

Know that you don’t have to recreate your logo. You do however need to find a high quality version of your logo. I would suggest searching for the words “vector” + your company name + “free download”. You could also search for PDF files that might have the logo. Often PDF files will have vector images that you can extract using Illustrator. Finally I would also check on https://www.brandsoftheworld.com/

Flat Package Design

Add your flat package design into your pitch book. The flat package design in your pitch book does not need to be scale. Size and position the design nicely onto page four of your pitch book. Add a page title that describes the content of the page (ex. Package Design.)

Photography

It is now time to take some photos of the before and after packaging. Hopefully you remember the skills that you learned in Digital Imaging. We will not be covering the basics of capturing good images. Though, you will be required to produce images that have good lighting, focus, and composition.

Your photos should have the same lighting and background, so it may be easier to photograph them side-by-side in the same shot. You do not have to show the old and new packages in the same photo (It is just sometimes easier to get the lighting right). Here are some resources on helping you capture good product photography:

• Better Small Product Photography
• {Photography} Backgrounds For Indoor Photos

Advertisement

You will now create an advertisement showcasing your new package design. Changing the package design and placing it on the self will catch some eyes, but some sort of advertising is needed to really boost awareness and sales.

“Doing business without advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark. You know what you are doing but nobody else does.” ~ Steuart Henderson Britt

You can create any type of advertisement for this part of your pitch book. Make sure that the ad appeals to the target audience. Here is a list ad suggestions:

• Magazine print ad
• Billboard
• Post card
• Poster
• TV commercial storyboard (high quality)
• Bus wrap
• Web banner (show several key frames)
• Etc.

Call to Action!

A call to action is a very important part of your advertisement. Without a call to action your ad is just a pretty poster, that cost you a pretty penny. A call to action is a prompting for your reader to do something. This could be visit the website, pick one up today, like us on Facebook, etc. Here are a few suggestions to make an effective call to action:

• Be bold, tell the reader what to do (Strong verbs)
• Tell the reader what is in it for them (Ex. Free delivery)
• Give an expiration date (Make it urgent)
• Don’t make it too small (Make it noticeable)
• Use contrasting colors and white space (Make it stick out)

The advertisement, in any form, should meet the following requirements:

• The advertisement page (pitch book) includes a title describing what type of ad is being displayed
• High quality images
• Free from spelling and grammar mistakes
• Coincided with the plan to increase sales
• Include a Call to Action!