Lazzaro Designs is happy to announce the delivery of Movement Disorders News, a combined publication of the Robert and John M. Bendheim Parkinson and Movement Disorders Center at Mount Sinai, and the Alan and Barbara Mirken Department of Neurology Movement Disorders Center at Mount Sinai Beth Israel.
This newsletter will be published twice a year and mailed to patients, families and the movement disorders community. The publication provides information on treatment breakthroughs, patient profiles and program updates, as well as important information about clinical trials and support groups and classes.
The design, which meets the Mount Sinai Health System branding criteria, features photography originally shot for the publication, as well as manufacturer images and patient-supplied photos, along with infographics. The newsletter was written with original copy and was project-managed by Lazzaro Designs, as well.
> If you need a newsletter, give Lazzaro Designs a call or shoot us an email.
Whether you are creating a newsletter, brochure or blog entry, no one likes to read too many pages of just text. But images cost money, lots of money if you hire a professional photographer or turn to expensive stockhouses. We’ve got some tips to help you unearth interesting images for a lot less (and sometimes for free!):
• Check your archives, both digital and hard copy. Often in the bottom drawer of the file cabinet in the office’s back room, you can find site shots when the ribbon was cut on a new wing or nice head shots when staff was newly hired.
• If you aren’t in these departments, ask Public Relations or Marketing or Community Relations if they have photos that pertain to your subject matter.
• Ask the department itself that you’re highlighting if they have photos on hand. For instance, we find that the Therapeutic Recreation department of many long-term skilled nursing facilities have tons of images from all their fun happenings. Maybe not all are perfect shots or at the highest resolution (and, while you’re at it, you can show them how to set their camera to the highest resolution), but a collage of many of these smaller ones can capture something authentic and wonderful for the right project.
• Does your story involve equipment of some kind? Manufacturers are always happy to share professional, quality digital images of their wares for your use. Just call up their Public Relations or Marketing department.
• Think all stockhouses are expensive? Think again! Here are some of my favorites that are more reasonably priced ones or even FREE: Pixabay is a repository for public domain pictures. It’s a FREE source for royalty-free stock photos and copyright-free vector graphics. You can use any Pixabay image without attribution in digital and printed form, even for commercial applications. I have also found great images for as low as $5-$10 at Shutterstock and Canstockphoto.
• Gooogle the type of images you’re seeking. If you find an image you like, contact the source to see if you can use their image free of charge if you credit the source.
• If you are going to purchase from a stockhouse, stick with royalty-free images that once purchased can be used again and again without incurring additional fees.
• Absolutely want a photographer? Consider asking a nearby university or art school’s photography department for recommendations of talented student photographers who may be happy to work for reduced fees if they can get a photo credit.
> If you need design consultation of any kind, give Lazzaro Designs a call or shoot us an email.
If your organization produces a regular newsletter or publication, we have one golden rule for you: Get it out and get it out on time!
It’s tempting to hold the publication up for the latest development—a photo of an important hire or finally being able to announce a new service. But don’t do it or, at least, do it with great caution and not often. The printed version of The New York Times does not try to compete with CNN. The most important thing about the Times is that it arrives on your doorstep or digitally on its website every single morning. If you want breaking news, you turn on your computer or TV. If you want regular, insightful, DEPENDABLE news, you turn to the Times or your newspaper of choice.
TIP: You should be using your website’s blog or news page, intranet, LinkedIn page and newsfeed, Twitter feed, and Facebook page to keep your internal and external audiences up to date on breaking information or quickly changing events. But, your regularly scheduled print or online publication should present the bigger picture with engaging copy, lively graphics and photos in a reliable way. And that means coming out on time as promised.
> If you need help getting your projects out the door, give Lazzaro Designs a call or shoot us an email.
Lazzaro Designs has been retained to create a Movement Disorders newsletter for the entire Mount Sinai Health System. For several years, we produced a similar publication for Continuum Health Partners before its merger with Mount Sinai in 2013.
The newsletter will feature patient stories and resources, clinical research information, as well as be a vehicle to foster donor relations.
