1. Give up your ego.
NEVER assume you have caught everything. You have not. You are too close to it. And everyone makes mistakes. Be willing to admit there may be blunders in your final draft, or printer’s proof. Take criticism with grace. Realize that others’ comments, even if you disagree, will contribute valuable feedback that will eventually improve the overall quality of your work and save you embarrassment and the cost of re-printing.
2. Image is everything.
In the end, when you put forth your best possible professional image, you will instill greater confidence in anyone who reads what you have written. The better the impression you make, the more you will appear to your audience, and the more success you will garner from your endeavor.
3. Do it just one more time!
Double proof, triple proof, proof again… and proof one last time. Besides someone who collaborates with you, always try to have someone else proofread for you—someone who has never read your document before and preferably someone who knows nothing about it. The idea is to get someone who can look at what you have written with a fresh, objective eye.
4. Neatness counts!
As you proofread, you need to communicate the errors, omissions, and problems you discover. Use a good, thin, red pen or a sharp red pencil. Do not use a regular pencil or a blue or black pen. They are extremely difficult to see and read.
5. Graphic design is about creating workable, functional solutions to a variety of problems and always happens with a particular goal in mind. Many will say that if a design cannot be “interpreted” at all, it has failed in its purpose. The fundamental purpose of design is to communicate a message and motivate the viewer to do something. “Art exists and has existed in every known human culture and comprises objects, performances, and experiences that are intentionally endowed by their makers with a high degree of aesthetic interest.” Miklos Philips, Lead Design Blog Editor.
Learn the standard Proofreaders’ Marks at Grammarly or do your own search. Mark changes in the margins and the text, so that the typist’s eyes are ready to capture mistakes.
