Our Process

To deliver any project from initial ideas right through to final production requires tight, practical and proven working processes. The main stages in the whole process are set out below. 

Close collaboration and mutual understanding are vital to delivering the publication that our customer is expecting. Careful planning and transparent processes, coupled with clear communication and able administration, are vital to providing total peace of mind as well as a superb finished product.  

It's a 10-stage process, typically taking 3-6 months: 

1. Free consultation

We start by getting to know you. It’s a free consultation and there’s absolutely no obligation. This is an opportunity to discuss your aspirations and understand your budget and timescales. 

2. Estimate

Based on our initial conversation, we’ll provide you with an estimate. Yes, even at this early stage! We understand that it’s important not to waste anyone’s time over viability issues.

3. Visit

We’ll visit in person and spend time understanding the nature and qualities of your site and your creative vision. We’ll make suggestions and discuss capturing content such as photography and drawing on your own archives and in-house expertise. 

4. Proposal

We’ll take all that we have learnt from our visit and delvelop an official product proposal.  We’ll draw on all our creativity to present a template for a publication that’s as unique as your attraction. Furthermore, we’ll suggest a production schedule and provide a full and final quotation. We’ll even offer a variety of commercial scenarios to assist with your decision making. 

5. Contract

For mutual peace of mind. But it’s also flexible, to suit all parties. 

6. Product development

Let the fun begin! We can now start to realise our shared vision, engaging Memory Lane’s expert authors, acclaimed designers, experienced editorial team and industry renowned photographers. 

7. Drafts and proofs

Editorial excellence lies at the heart of every Memory Lane publication. This extends to the final stages of the project, when our enormously experienced editors and proofreaders will scrutinise and scour copy and content to ensure absolute accuracy and crystal-clear readability. We’ll share a series of drafts with you to ensure everything is taking shape just as you expect.  

8. Approvals

Throughout the product development process, we implement a series of formal approval gateways. This provides our customers with complete control of the project and the product. The full and final approval triggers the preparation of print ready PDFs and the printing process. 

9. Printing

We only print in the UK on sustainable papers. This provides us with complete control of quality and the printing process, and to avoid carbon footprint issues associated with shipping from overseas. We encourage our customers to join us at the presses to see their product printed and approve the pages one by one  and make any necessary final colour adjustments.   

Printing, binding and delivery typically takes only 2-3 weeks - many weeks faster than overseas printing.  

10. Delivery

Whether full delivery or part-delivery, we deliver on time and on budget. We can even store your stock in our secure and fully insured facility, allowing you to draw down piecemeal.  

Of course, our involvement doesn't end with delivery of your product. If you need assistance with marketing, merchandising, point of sale and sales, we're here to help. But we will ask something from you: candid, honest customer feedback, so we can review and reflect on how we can continue to improve and evolve.