How does the first introductory meeting with the designer proceed?
Before a designer gets to work, you first get acquainted by phone to discuss your preferences. In this article, we explain how this conversation proceeds. In a previous article, we also explained how you can best prepare yourself. preparing for the entire design process. On our website you will also find an overview of the formatting of your thesis.
As soon as you have chosen Persoonlijk Proefschrift, the introductory meeting with your designer will take place as soon as possible. First, you will receive an email stating which designer you will be working with. Following this email, the designer will schedule a telephone appointment within two days. During this call, you will not only meet your designer but also discuss the design and the schedule directly, which is very efficient.
Tip: Our designers can certainly call you outside office hours upon request. We understand that you are already busy enough at the end of your promotion.
1. Getting acquainted
We are called that for a reason. Personal Dissertation: before we get to work, we would like to get to know you and are curious about the research you have conducted. We would also like to hear what you are currently working on or what you are planning now that the PhD trajectory is coming to an end.
2. Planning
When you are well prepared, you naturally know exactly which deadlines apply to your schedule. In many cases, the designer will already be aware of this. However, it is always good to review the schedule one more time. Are there any special circumstances, such as holidays or absences, that need to be taken into account? (Not sure if you are well prepared? As mentioned earlier, you can find more tips regarding the preparation for the design of your dissertation in our knowledge base.)
You can also indicate at this stage that incomplete texts should be submitted later. If, for example, your thank-you note is not yet finished, that is not a problem, but do let your designer know. The designer can help remind you when the final texts actually need to be submitted.
3. Design
The third and final point concerns the design. We advise against discussing every detail and recommend giving the designer as much freedom as possible. By discussing only a direction—for example, a modern, minimalist, classic, or cheerful style, etc.—a designer can unleash their creativity, and (in our experience) the final result is of better quality. Examples are also always a good starting point; you can always refer to a colleague's thesis or to ours. examples of dissertations on the website.
Get started
After these three topics have been discussed, the designer knows everything needed to get started. First, a designer will create a design proof. This is a PDF in which the layout of your dissertation is clearly displayed. Read more about the design proof of your thesis in our knowledge base.
