The ad approval process: how not to lose a week to revisions
A layout can be ready in a day, yet getting it approved can take two weeks. Usually not because anyone is slow, but because feedback arrives from five directions at once.
The layout itself is often the quickest part. What takes longer is getting it approved: marketing, the board, legal and someone else all weigh in, and each of them sends their notes separately. Here's how to keep the process short.
One person collates the feedback
Plenty of people can comment, but the designer needs it all in a single list — with no contradictions. If one person wants "a bigger logo" and another wants "more white space", that has to be settled on the client's side, not in the layout.
Comments on the file itself
Notes made directly on the PDF, or an arrow on a screenshot, are far clearer than "that blue thing at the top, slightly to the left". It saves time and avoids misunderstandings.
All changes in one round
It's better to go through the layout carefully once than to send comments one at a time all day long. Every new round means a new version, and every version means another check.
Clear names for every version
v1, v2, v3 and the date in the file name. Then nobody has to guess which file is "final_final_NEW.pdf".
Copy is approved before design
Prices, dates, legal small print and contact details should be checked in the copy before it goes into the layout. Changing text in a finished layout often knocks the whole design out of place.
The final check — with fresh eyes
Before you write "approved", read everything again — slowly. Phone number, web address, date, price. Fixing a mistake on screen takes a minute; in print it costs the whole run.
Sign-off in writing. A short email saying "Approved v4 for print" protects both sides and heads off questions later.