My short answer is, in some circumstances, yes.

Now, the more detailed answer.

It’s not uncommon for me to have a new magalog client suggest that the layout work will  go quickly because I probably use a template.

However, for most of my clients, I don’t use a template. I treat each client’s product as unique and don’t try to shoe-horn their copy and graphics into something else I’ve already done.

Like any smart designer, there are certainly basic elements that I may use over and over… not only because they save time, but because I know those elements work.

Copy and design requirements are usually unique for each magalog I do. Trying to force it into a template would probably take more time than it does to start from scratch and build a magalog based around the uniqueness of the copy.

Yet, as I mentioned, there are some circumstances where a template can be helpful. This is especially true where businesses are using magalogs to build and enhance their branding and not necessarily selling a single product.

Think of monthly magazines you see at the book store. The cover and contents may be different each month, but there is generally a foundational look the magazine retains each month. That’s especially true of the cover. Most magazines use the same font or logo for their name to make it easy to spot on a rack full of other magazines.

If the look of the magazine was radically different in its look each month, people would have a harder time finding it. Once you’ve trained your audience to look for something specific, you don’t want to mess with it haphazardly. So in that case, consistency counts.

A great example of a magalog that uses a template effectively is my friend Dale Beaumont’s Business Blueprint Magazine. Dale’s magalog template was actually created in the Pages word processing program.

Just looking at the covers, you can see a consistency in the look. There’s also a consistency to the interior pages.

By using this template for their marketing magazine, they save a lot of time each month and know pretty-much what amount of content they’ll need for each issue to fit within their template. They also have the flexibility to add more pages if necessary.

Even more important, they’re building a recognizable brand with their magalog.

Coaches and consultants would benefit from this style of magalog because it would help  with that recognition factor among clients and prospects.

Companies that lean more heavily on using their magalog as a catalog of products (along with lots of articles) would also benefit from a consistent look.

But for a more classic, sales letter type of magalog that is focusing on single products or services, a template might not be worth the trouble.

If you’re like a lot of my magalog clients, the products or services you sell, while perhaps having a common thread, need unique copy and graphics that will change each time. Sometimes you’ll need a different page count, other times you may want to try different physical sizes.

And, believe it or not, most of my magalog clients don’t want their magalogs to look anything like what they’ve used before. In other words, they don’t necessarily want it tied to a specific brand. They want it more like a standalone piece so there are no preconceived notions when the reader looks at it for the first time.

Like any marketing piece, you need to be clear on your goals. That will help you decide whether a template is worth considering.

The other thing to keep in mind about a template is whether or not you’re going to be the one to fill it in each time.

Most magalogs are done in higher-end software programs like InDesign or QuarkXPress.

However, as Dale’s magalog shows, a lot can be done with Pages. By the way, that’s a Mac program created by Apple. I’m not sure if Word or Publisher are up to the challenge for you PC folks as it’s been years since I’ve used them to do any serious layout.

The question becomes… If you have a template made so you can do your own magalog, how comfortable will you fixing something if your template goes out of whack while you’re moving things around?

It’s incredibly frustrating to feel that, despite saving money doing your own layout, you’re wasting so much time to get the template to do what you want that it’s not worth it.

But, the option is there for you if you feel a template is the route to go.

If you’d like to talk further about whether or not a magalog template is a viable option for you, feel free to contact me so we can schedule a time to talk.

For any type of layout project – magalog, sales letter, book, brochure, etc. – your designer likely is using some professional-level design tool like InDesign, QuarkXPress, Photoshop or Illustrator.

When he/she sends you a proof, it’s usually a PDF that’s easily viewed on just about any computer. Sending you the actual source (or native) files from those professional level tools would be pointless if you didn’t have that software yourself. You wouldn’t be able to easily open the files, if at all. And most projects are made up of many source files.

That’s why PDFs are so great… one file to see the completed project. That makes your life easy.

Print shops sometimes want to print your project from source files. Other times they’re just as happy with a press-quality PDF. It depends on the printer and the project. Designers are happy to provide the printer with source files if required. (If they’re not, they’re not doing you any favors. Consider finding another designer.)

But quite a number of designers will do just about anything not to hand over source files to the client. This is a very controversial subject and I don’t make many friends in the design community when I discuss it because I’m very pro-client on this.

Why some designers don’t want to give you source files

Some designers are afraid that if you have the source files, you’ll simply do future projects yourself, or hand over those files to someone who will work cheaper. By having the source files, it may save another designer lots of time creating similar projects. Personally, I don’t want clients to feel they have to work with me. If a client doesn’t see any of the extra value I bring to a project, we’re probably not a good long-term fit anyway. So if it’s just a single project and they’re going to use that as template for years to come without using me, so be it.

Other designers fear that the client will muck up the files and create a mess that either makes the end-result look bad (with the blame being unfairly placed on the designer), or cause the designer extra work to fix the mess. To be honest, that’s a valid point; I’ve seen it happen. My personal method of dealing with that is to be clear what the results may be if the client does alter files. If they insist on tampering with the files and causing me extra headaches, I simply stop working with them. (I value my sanity.)

And then there are designers who are happy to hand over the source files… for a price. That’s not something I do – I give them to the client for free if they want them – but charging extra for source files is very common in the industry. It’s a discussion to have with your designer before the project starts and have that included in your agreement.

How I came to my “You can have the source files” policy and why you should care

Unfortunately, “stuff” happens. Real life experiences opened my eyes to why clients should get their source files.

Let’s say you have a magalog that’s working great for you, but you change your company’s phone number, address or a URL. If you’re still working with the same designer who created the magalog, no problem.

But what happens if the designer went out of business and you can’t get in touch with him? (Freelancers going out of business is an unfortunate reality.)

What happens if you have a falling out with the designer and they refuse to talk to you or do anything to help you? (That happened to a client of mine with his previous designer.)

What happens if you’re unknowingly working with a designer who has a terrible back-up policy? Computers crash, files disappear. Happens all the time. I’d like to say that most freelancers are good about making regular back-ups. Experience tells me that not everyone does. How safe are your files with your designer?

What happens if you want to print more copies of the magalog with a new printer, but your designer is out-of-business (or not speaking to you) and you have nothing but a low-quality PDF proof?

Well, here’s what happens: A quick, inexpensive change turns into a brand new project for a new designer. That costs you, the company, more money and takes extra time.

It didn’t have to come to that if you had the source files to hand over to someone else. Or could hand them back to your original designer if something bad happened on his end.

The argument that should cause you to consider finding a new designer

If a designer ever gives you the old “Well, does a restaurant give you the recipes for meals on their menu?” argument for not handing over source files, kindly remind them they’re not a restaurant. But if that’s how they want to be judged, ask them if you’ll get “free refills” on certain design services or get “Happy Hour” pricing.

It’s a silly argument and any designer that uses it on you should be embarrassed. Consider whether you want a long-term relationship with a designer like that.

Here are some things a designer may not be able to hand over

1. Fonts – Most fonts have copyright restrictions of some kind. It’s usually OK for the actual fonts to be packaged and sent to the printer for printing along with the source files. But sending you, the client, the fonts with the source files can be a legal no-no. Your options are to simply take the source files without the fonts, or get a list of the fonts used by your designer and buy them yourself.

2. Unique creations – For this article, my focus is really on copy layout projects. I am, however, sensitive to designers who create logos or other unique pieces of art. But designers can “flatten” an image so that you can still have the source file, but are prevented from editing the pieces that make up the final result.

A logo is a good example. You may need to give that logo file to another designer for a different project. Having the flattened source file allows that designer the maximum flexibility to add the logo to a letterhead, banner, business card, or some other project that the logo designer doesn’t handle. Most logo designers understand that and will provide you with the appropriate file(s).

3. Plug-ins – Plug-ins are software extensions that designers can add to their design tools to help automate tasks or create some unique design element. It’s likely that the plug-in has copyright restrictions that prevent the designer from handing it over to someone else. That might mean that while you have the source files, you can’t edit some portion of the project, or even open it, because you don’t have the plug-in. That’s another case where you may need to buy the same plug-in assuming you have the same design tool your designer is using.

There may be other valid reasons, but I simply want to make you aware of some common situations where it truly is an issue.

Beyond that, it’s always in your best interest to get source files and store them in a safe place on a company server or back-up DVD.

Boring, I know, but essential.