Working on large-scale projects can definitely seem overwhelming at times. Nothing impossible, just moments when you’re wondering how you’re going to find exactly what you need to finish a certain panel or flip door graphic. There might be moments when you thought you found the perfect image of a saw-whet owl, only to find out that it’s not the correct species. The best cure, more often than not, is the client. They are usually able to help us by sending images or information we need.

As helpful as this might be, there have been times when we’ve received files from the client that aren’t always usable. It’s best for the client to keep in mind that we’re usually working on large-scale graphics. A lot of times we are sent images that are great for posting on the web or for printing on a small 6″ x 6″ graphic instead of an image that is high-resolution and shot at the highest quality possible. As a rule of thumb, any graphic that’s 72 dpi is usually meant to be shown on screen only, not printed.

Another issue we’ve run into on occasion is receiving images embedded in a Microsoft Word document. It’s generally not a good way to send images, unless they are for reference only. Pulling images from these documents is not only difficult, but it results in a lower-quality file.

The last bit of advice I have for clients sending us images is to please make sure you send us the raw, original file. There’s nothing worse than opening up what could be a perfect image only to see that the client (or whomever they had take the photograph) has altered the image in photoshop or some other program. The picture below may look pretty at first glance, but the colors are not accurate and the use of filters makes the image look unnatural.