We help organisations that want to make a greater social impact, respond to change and meet the needs of their communities.

• Home
• About OPM
• The work we do
• Ideas, areas and approaches
• Publications and events
• Forums/blog

W3C-validated transitional XHTML

W3C-validated CSS

Pages change and sometimes invalid code can creep in, so we re-validate our pages regularly. Please tell us of any errors you spot.

The examples on this page are of documents that were designed for print. In most cases we also produced an electronic version that our client could use on their website.

Published reports

OPM publishes many books, booklets and papers, in a variety of formats. Examples below give some idea of the range of work that Design and Editorial can produce. We can also turn all kinds of documents into PDFs for electronic publishing, to be uploaded to a website, saved on a CD or emailed.

Involvement for Real Equality: The benefits for public services of involving disabled people

This report describes the benefits gained and lessons learned through involving disabled people in the development and implementation of disability equality schemes (DES) in a range of public organisations.

We ensured that the publication was edited carefully into plain English and chose font sizes and colours to make it suitable for people who find most printed publications difficult to read. The PDF version that we also produced was designed to meet accessilility standards.

---

London 2005 Mental Health Summit

CEGoL held a mental health summit, bringing together representatives of public, independent and voluntary sector organisations to explore ways of improving provision for service users.

We edited, designed and printed the report of the summit. View sample pages here

Time needed

Thorough editing of 20-page report: 1 day
Design, cover design and layout: 2 days

Additional costs:

printing, picture research, distribution

---

OPM's own published books

OPM has a long back list of publications, written either by individual OPM members or by members of a group. We can do the same for an important publication you wish to produce. Design and Editorial will take the original draft text, edit and re-write where necessary, illustrate, design the layout and cover, lay out the final publication, get it printed, and can also play a role in marketing or disseminating information about it.

We may need a few weeks to take the work from your draft to final copy. And then we'll need to allow time for printing - up to two weeks - and, if you wish, for producing materials to market it (a flyer, advertising, website material etc.).

See also 'A5 booklets' for an alternative publishing idea.

---

Reports and other documents designed in Word

Reports designed on DTP programs produce the highest quality documents, especially for print. Nevertheless, in some cases there can be good reasons to use Word instead: if a client is likely to make further amendments, for instance, or wants a Word version for their website.

Lincolnshire community strategy

We formatted Lincolnshire's community strategy, using colour, photographs and a clear layout to improve the appearance of the document, while keeping it in Word. View sample pages (as a PDF).

Time needed

Formatting a 20-page Word document: 1 day

Additional costs:

editing the document, photo research

---

People management self-assessment tool

HEFCE funded the UPA and SCOP to develop a self-assessment tool for human resources staff in higher education institutions, to monitor their own performance.

This was a large piece of work. The tool consisted of seven sections: the first part explained clearly how to use it and the following parts consisted of questionnaires on the different aspects of people management, such as leadership, recruitment and retention, development performance management and welfare.

The tool had to be clear and easy to use. We designed and edited this in Word, so that it could either be printed out and filled in by a group of people, or filled in electronically. A prototype tool was tested by six institutions and we incorporated the findings into our final version.

View sample pages as a PDF (the original document was interactive)

Time needed

Design and formatting time for a 70 page document: 10 days

Additional costs:

printing costs if needed

---

Annual reviews

As part of a large project that would involve much contact, mainly by electronic means, with members of the public, we prepared a mock annual review of the first year's work of the fictional organisation, 'Transform'. View it here.

Design and Editorial was called on to: • research images • design an appropriate layout • edit the text, and • put it all together in the form of a 24 page booklet which we then had printed. We also prepared supporting documents in the same style.

Time needed

The most time consuming part was researching and preparing the images - 2 full days.
plus 2 days on design, edit, layout and preparing for print
total 4 days

We also produce OPM's own annual reviews: you can download a copy of the most recent one here.

---

Printed A5 booklets and loose-leaf ring binders

Managing projects to a successful conclusion

A format that we often use is the A5 booklet. It's relatively cheap to produce (typically £1—2 per copy) and provides an attractive option for people who want a short report, briefing paper or handbook published. It's a good way, for instance, to give workshop participants something more substantial and long-lasting than a set of Powerpoint handouts.

Time needed

Editing and design of text pages for a 20 page booklet:
2-3 days
Design cover to meet client's requirements (including obtaining photos from their PR dept and all contact with client over approvals, printing, etc): 1-2 days
Total = 3-4 days
(work spread over about two weeks)

---

Governors’ handbook for Addenbrooke’s NHS Trust

Addenbrooke’s required an easily updateable, loose leaf, A5 handbook for their governors to use, with an accompanying CD ROM. We worked closely with one of OPM’s researchers to produce this in Addenbrooke’s corporate style, using their fonts and house colours. We had binders made to the client’s specification and designed the covers, using pictures supplied by their art department. View sample pages

Time needed

Editing text, designing pages and cover: 5 days

Additional costs

cost of binders and printing.

---

Newsletters

Metropolitan Police Authority Safer London Panel

The Safer London Panel comprises 3,000 residents, recruited randomly from the population of Greater London, who are asked to give their views on a wide range of issues about how London is policed.

OPM created a brand for the panel, and produces a regular newsletter that is sent to all members. We also produce materials for panel workshops and events, and feedback for people who have taken part in them. Part of the work involves careful editing into plain English for a lay audience.

Newsletter November 2005 (pdf, 360kb)
Materials for workshop with small businesses (pdf, 500kb)
Feedback to workshop participants (pdf, 220kb)

Time needed

Creating a 'brand' and templates for materials: 2 days
One issue of the newsletter, including rewriting text, layout and liaison with client:1.5 days
One-page information leaflet, including rewriting text, design and layout: 1 day

Additional costs:

printing and distribution

---

Event/workshop materials

Running a workshop? Powerpoint slides, handouts and flip charts are good, but why not set your sights a little wider? A card game, perhaps? A table-sized map? Jigsaw puzzle? Building blocks? Or something — other than a sheaf of A4 papers — that people can take away with them. The ideas are endless, but they all take time and money. Talk to us about the value of adding 'something special' that will catch people's imaginations and help make the workshop topic come alive. A well thought-through, well designed 'product' can be used again and again. Here are some examples.

Jargon-busting game

A game comprising 22 pairs of cards, giving a healthcare-related term and a definition. Participants were asked to pair up the cards.

Time needed

Researching and writing definitions: 0.5 day
Designing cards, printing and cutting four sets: 0.5 day

---

'Mix and match' booklets

These booklets were designed for use in workshops with children's services departments, but could be adapted for other situations. They provide a way for people to look at different combinations of integrated services in order to decide what will work best for them. Like the 'heads, bodies, feet' books that children play with, the assembled pages are sliced horizontally, so that parts of different pages can be displayed at the same time.

Design and Editorial edited the text, designed and tested the layout, and organised printing. We have produced a number of versions for specific workshops and a higher quality, illustrated version with a more general application. Difficult to illustrate here – you can view a few sample pages – but please ask to see a printed copy if you are interested in pursuing this idea.

Time needed

For variations on the already established layout, allow at least a day.
Allow two or more days if you have a completely new idea along the same lines.

Additional costs:

Printing and assembly. These booklets need several days at the printers.

---

Branded materials for a citizens forum in Wrexham

We prepared a pack of branded materials for a citizens forum in Wrexham for the Welsh Assembly Government. This involved both writing from scratch and designing: •  a series of scenarios • a set of explanatory cards and posters and • a poster of headlines, to generate discussion. We also drew a set of cartoon illustrations to be filled in at the event, and designed Word and PowerPoint templates for the handouts and presentations. All materials were produced in English and Welsh.

Time needed

Writing and designing: 3 days

Additional costs:

translation costs and printing costs

---

Flyers

We produce advertising flyers for OPM's own marketing and programmes, and also for clients' events. Some examples follow. Click on a picture to see a PDF of the whole flyer. We have included some approximate printing costs for a very short print run. Larger print runs work out far cheaper.

We can produce a PDF at the same time as a printed flyer. This can be emailed or placed on a website, either for downloading and printing or, for event flyers, with an on-line registration form. See Interactive PDFs

2-page A4 flyer — or 4-page A5 flyer — full colour both sides

Design flyer, edit and format text, illustrate, amend, get approval, prepare for printers

Time needed

Approximately 1.5 days

Additional costs:

typical printing costs for 100/200 copies: £90/£130

---

6-page one-third A4 flyer, full colour

(printed on A4, both sides, and then folded in three)

design, write text, format and illustrate flyer, make amendments, prepare for printers

Time needed

Approximately 2 days

Additional costs:

typical printing costs for 100/200 copies: £90/£130

---

6-page CD-sized flyer, full colour

(a piece of A3, cut in half lengthwise and then folded in three)

design, research and buy cover image, edit and format text, illustrate, make amendments, get approval, prepare for printers

Time needed

Approximately 2 days

Additional costs:

typical printing costs for 100/200 copies: £120/£150

---

12-page A4 flyer, full colour, with commissioned photography

design, research and shoot local photos and prepare them for print, edit text and format pages, make amendments, gain client's approval, prepare for and organise printing.

We originally designed a front cover using a collage of local images; in the end, though, Brent decided to use one of their own designs on the cover to match their own corporate standard.

Time needed

Approximately 5 days (included a full day in Brent taking photos and a full day processing them)

---

Forms and survey questionnaires

We can design questionnaires to clients’ specifications. The most straighforward are usually Word documents, set up as forms, that can either be emailed or printed and posted. Recipients can fill them in and return them electronically or print and post them back.

See also the web and e-design page for examples of other formats such as HTML, PDF forms and SNAP surveys

Time needed

Editing and designing in Word: 1 day

 

---