by Cammie Jones April 11, 2023

Published once a year, The Scout Guide Augusta is a classic publication that Augustans and local businesses look forward to getting a hold of. If you aren’t familiar with the Guide, you are sure to be impressed. The cover itself, which varies each year and is always kept a secret until the official launch party, never disappoints. This year was no exception with the debut of a hot pink cover with a light pink stripe and metallic gold lettering.  Not only is the outside of the Guide impressive, but the clients featured inside are by far some of the best small businesses in the area.

We know that The Scout Guide Augusta doesn’t just show up in March without a little elbow grease and time involved. What is the process to get this unique publication ready to launch?

Ann Knox, The Scout Guide Augusta’s editor and owner, starts “scouting” for the upcoming volume in July, meeting with current clients to see how things are going and to see if they would like to renew. “We start with renewals first and then I also meet with new businesses that have reached out to me or ones I have called on that may be a good fit for The Scout Guide Augusta,” explains Ann. This process last from July – October.

Once officially signed on, the next step is to schedule a creative meeting. Ann sits down with the client to decide the look of the spread, the location of the photo shoot and what message they would like to portray to their audience. A great example is Design Images & Gifts, which is celebrating 50 years in business. “When I sat down with Alice Salley we knew from the beginning we wanted this photo to be a celebration and wanted everyone else to celebrate alongside them with this huge milestone,” says Ann. “We thought to go somewhere to show Alice’s skill and design and also show the team celebrating 50 years.” You can see the spread in this year’s guide with the team at a client’s home enjoying champagne and cake. It’s a great example of how a message can vary from year to year to keep it fresh.

Photo shoots begin in September led by local photographers Richie Iannacone and Natalie Thompson. “They have been with me since the beginning and do such a great job — we are lucky to have them,” says Ann. After the photo shoot, the client receives a large gallery of photos, narrowing it down by choosing just the right photos for the Guide. Photo shoots are completed in early December when everything goes to the graphic designer at The Scout Guide’s headquarters in Charlottesville, Va. This includes photos, text, logos, etc. The graphic designer creates the spread and after some back and forth edits, final approval is at the end of January.

As for the cover of the guide, there is a color library from which Ann can choose. Some cities will do a pattern using a cover color and stripe color one year and the next year their stripe color is the cover color. “I like to switch it up and change it each year,” says Ann. Styles can differ from city to city with more of a  traditional versus contemporary look, but for the most part everyone is held to the same general brand standard. 

Once the client is happy with the spread, Ann goes through a final approval process through The Scout Guide’s headquarters. It starts with a soft proof approval process where the main office compiles all approved spreads into one so Ann can view and edit it online. She then receives a hard proof in the mail to make sure all coloring is correct, all text is lined up correctly, etc. By the second week in February, The Scout Guide Augusta goes to print. “We print 15,000 Guides with 5,000 delivered here by mid-March and 10,000 directly mailed from the printer to our consumers’ homes,” she adds. 

Once the volume is finalized and off to print, the party planning begins.  This year, the Launch Party was held at the Morris Museum of Art on March 23. “This is the big reveal for our clients,” adds Ann. Ann chose hot pink for Volume 4’s cover with a light pink stripe and gold lettering. The next day, March 24, was distribution day for our audience when guides were dropped to all our local businesses and distributors, according to Ann.

From the end of March until July, Ann takes a little time to breathe and enjoy the latest volume. This is a great time to let the clients enjoy the publication as well instead of jumping right in to planning the next issue. However, Ann’s wheels are always turning and she is excited about planning Volume 5, which will launch in March 2024. 

If interested in the next issue or know of a local business who may want to be a part of Volume 5, please email [email protected]. FYI – below the timeline: 

Sales – July – October 2023

Photo Shoots – September  – November 2023

Launch – March 2024