It was the worst of times, it was the worst of times. When my hard drive had an unrecoverable crash this fall, much was lost. I thought all would be lost, but during a sleepless night, as I pondered the question of why I hadn’t been backing up (sheer stupidity was the best I could come up with), I had an inspiration. Most of my older projects have been sent to press already, I thought. I bet the printers have an archived copy of my files.

I work with many different printers — some I choose, some are my clients preferred vendors. Each printer received a variation of this email or phone call: “Hi. I recently had a total computer crash, and I’m trying to reconstruct some of my old projects. If you could dearchive a project, I would be thrilled. I’d be happy to pay for your time and any material or shipping costs you have.”

All of the printers I contacted did have backups of my work. How they handled my request is a study in how, and how not, to run your business.

The best. Printing for Less (a large online digital printer) and Red Sun Press (a Boston based worker owned shop) were totally sympathetic. Printing for Less emailed my files back within the hour, at no charge. Jenny at Red Sun sent me a CD with not only the job I’d asked for, but ALL of my past jobs included, also at no charge. I was blown away at their excellent customer service, and you can bet I’ll be back and that I’ll recommend them to my clients.

The good. 4 by 6 is the company I use to print my business cards. They dearchived my work and emailed it back to me for $20. I think that’s fair — it was extra work on their part. I’m thrilled to have my logos back. (Yes, that’s right. I didn’t have archived versions of my own company ID. Backing up is my new religion.)

The ugly. I try to use local printers when I can. I’ve used one local printer for quite a few years, with a variety of clients. I called my contact at this printer and asked for one fairly recent job to be dearchived. I was assured that that could be done. No files. Another call. No files. A third call. No files. Someone else I work with called. No files. At this point I would have given up, but I needed a photo that was a part of the job I was trying to get a hold of. A job, I should mention, that I have printed annually at this printer.

Finally, the files were sent, to the wrong person. It took over two weeks. I will not be using this printer again if I can help it.

After much thought, I’m not going to include the name of this printer in this post, but email me if you really want to know, and I’ll spill.

How are you doing with customer service? Do you go above and beyond to keep a client or customer happy? Have you ever written off a company because of bad customer service?

It’s you, Tina! Congrats.

I have your address already, so I’ll get the book out to you shortly.

Thanks for entering, everyone. February’s contest should be a good one…

Leave a comment on this post to enter for a chance to win the book Area (thanks for the idea, David).

A little bit about the book:

Following in the footsteps of Cream and Fresh Cream, 10×10, Blink, and Spoon, Area is an up-to-the-minute, global overview of graphic design. This image-filled book presents the work of 100 of the world’s most innovative emerging graphic designers, showcasing work from such wide-ranging projects as corporate identity, poster design, book design, packaging, typography and CD cover design. The 100 designers were selected by a distinguished group of 10 curators from around the world- all highly established and influential figures in the field of graphic design. Each curator selected and wrote about 10 exciting talents whom they consider to have made a name for themselves on the international scene over the last five years.

Why Area? I love design books, and this one was recommended all over the web. It can be very inspiring, or at least thought provoking, to look at what’s considered “the best”. And since I wanted a copy, I figured, hey, why not offer a second copy as the monthly contest?

Mention a design you’ve seen that you think is either very, very good or horrid and be entered twice!

Good luck! Contest ends on Friday, January 25th at 5pm.

A couple of months ago I was contacted by Create Magazine, wondering if I’d be interested in being a “guest designer” for their bi-monthly magazine. I’d be responsible for two spreads and the text and some art would be provided, although I could supplement if I wanted to. I jumped at the chance — I love to do magazine design and it felt fabulous to be recognized in a magazine for my peers. (more…)

A few times a year I find the need to post a job opening, and it’s always an education for me. I found an amazing designer recently on Creative Hotlist (which is free), and I’ve also had luck posting on AIGA’s job board (which is expensive). Below, a list of dos and please don’ts if you’re looking for a job in design (and especially if you’re looking for a job with me). (more…)