Skip to content
WhatTheChart

Press-week method

How An Issue Moves Through The Studio.

A plain working method for editors, art editors and production managers who need to know what happens after the spreadsheet leaves their inbox.

Briefs and availability checks: hello@whatthechart.com.

Five-stage rail

From Brief To Final Artwork.

  1. 01

    Brief Check

    Same day where possible. Mara checks data condition, source notes, trim size, deadline and whether the proposed chart is honest for the numbers.

  2. 02

    Data Tidy

    Day 1 for clean charts; day 1 to 3 where research tidy-up or messy supplied data is involved. CSV, XLSX or sheet exports are cleaned, labels are regularised, totals are checked and gaps are sent back as questions.

  3. 03

    First Proof

    Day 2 for clean charts, day 4 to 6 for infographics, day 7 onward for full-page data features. Proofs arrive as PDF for editorial markup.

  4. 04

    Corrections

    One structural revision and two text or data correction rounds are included. Extra rounds are billed at £65 per hour.

  5. 05

    Final Artwork

    Packaged InDesign, PDF/X-1a or outlined Illustrator artwork is supplied, with PNG, SVG or JPEG web crops if agreed.

What to send

The Useful Brief Is Boring In The Best Way.

  • Copy direction, headline draft and any standfirst that frames the graphic.
  • CSV, XLSX, Google Sheet export or clearly typed source material.
  • Source links, survey question wording and any named report title.
  • Brand pages, house colours, typography guidance and previous issue PDFs.
  • Trim size, column width, bleed needs and whether the page is left or right hand.
  • Colour requirements for print, including any black-only pages.
  • Publication date, internal proof date and final artwork deadline.
  • Editor responsible for signing off interpretation, rounding and caveats.

What comes back

Proofs First, Artwork After Approval.

Proof stage

PDF proofs for checking numbers, labels, source notes, page fit and the reading order. These are deliberately easy to mark up.

Final stage

Packaged InDesign, PDF/X-1a or outlined Illustrator artwork, depending on the receiving production workflow.

Web crops

PNG, SVG or JPEG versions can be supplied from approved artwork. The studio is print-first and does not build animated social explainers as the main deliverable.

Accuracy practice

Small Checks That Stop Large Embarrassments.

Sources are named on the proof, not hidden in Mara's notes. Totals are checked against visible labels. Rounding is made consistent across captions, table cells and pull-out numbers. Axes are checked at print size. Cropped scales are challenged, and if a crop is retained for good editorial reason, it is marked clearly on the graphic.

What The Chart will not make medical, financial or legal claims graphics without named source material and an editor signing off the interpretation. The same applies to any chart where the data source is basically a rumour with a spreadsheet attached.

Revision policy

Correction Windows Are Part Of The Schedule.

Included

One structural revision and two text or data correction rounds are included in quoted work.

Check dates

Extra rounds

Additional rounds are billed at £65 per hour, especially when new data arrives after design approval.

See formats

Rush work

Jobs inside 24 hours carry +35% where the brief and data are complete before 11:00am.

Email first

Work we turn down

Not Every Chart Deserves Ink.

Desk detail

The Brass Ruler Test.

There is an old brass ruler on the desk for checking printouts against 188mm magazine text columns. It is scratched, slightly too heavy, and still better than guessing whether a source note will survive the final page proof.

188mm text column check