A last-minute request came from a client on a Thursday evening, the day before we were scheduled for a weekend road trip to Chicago.
“Can you do an ad for us quickly tomorrow morning? I don’t yet have specs but expect to get them soon. This is just a heads-up. I’ll follow up with more info tomorrow.”
I replied, “Send ASAP, and I can do it tonight. We are traveling tomorrow morning.”
“Shoot! I don’t have the specs. No worries. We’ll figure something out. Thanks.”
My next reply: “We will take our laptop and do it when we get to Chicago. (We’ve done it before for other clients!)
Send me specs in the morning. Is it due on Friday?”
“You’re awesome! Yes, it’s due tomorrow. I’ll forward the specs as soon as I have them. Thank you!”
Since I didn’t have the specs, I packaged (gathered files for printing) two previously designed ads, one in black and white and the other color. The packaged folder contained the InDesign file, fonts, and links (photos and logos). These were easy program ads to flip; I would simply change the ad size and text. It wouldn’t take long.
The drive to Chicago took longer than expected. Heavy rain and construction slowed the highway traffic to a crawl. Then, we encountered volumes of cars moving at a snail’s pace.
Fortunately, when we arrived, we were quickly able to set up the laptop when the client called. “Were you able to send the ads?” she asked.
“Traffic was awful, I’m just getting started and looking for your email. Did you say two ads?” I scoured my inbox but could only find the first message.
I finished the first ad quickly, although working on the laptop vs. a desktop computer felt awkward and slowed me down a bit. The specs for the second ad came through, and I sent both ads to the client. I followed up to be sure she had received the files but landed in voice mail. Perhaps she was in a meeting. I assumed everything was ok and moved on to enjoy our weekend in the Windy City.
Bottom line, we go the extra mile (literally!) to help make a deadline.