Doyle Cryer (National Azon) listens to Joe Cushing describe Sepia Studio.
Editor’s Note: The IRgA Workshop in Newport Beach in April included two topics, scanning/EDM and color. The previous edition of IRgA Today included an article on what we learned at the workshop about scanning/EDM (click here to read that), and today we offer five take-aways from the color graphics part of the program.
Succeeding with color graphics means a lot more than having the right equipment and skills – an additional key component is the ability to guide clients through complex color graphics projects. That was the overall lesson of the color graphics portion of the IRgA Workshop last month.
Here are five specific things we learned:
Raul Cuevas from Crisp Imaging shared information about his company's graphics program.
1. Create Brand Standards. With some clients, especially small ones, the relationship will be stronger if you are able to create the brand standards – such as the approved fonts, specific colors, logo specifications, etc. -- for them. For example, Raul Cuevas from Crisp Imaging, who was one of the panelists, said that sometimes they create the brand standards for small school districts. Small clients generally don’t have the capacity to create standards on their own, so if their repro shop can do that, it adds an important customer service. And it helps lock in the shop as the graphics supplier, since they obviously know the standards and have the equipment and expertise to match them.
2. Offer Design. Sepia Studio in Chicago sounds like it’s an independent design studio, but in fact it’s part of Cushing, a long-time reprographics shop. Joe Cushing, who was on the panel at the workshop, explained that Sepia Studio offers design services for clients who then turn to Cushing’s graphics printing and installation services for execution. The Studio, naturally, creates a stronger bond between the client and Cushing than a normal printer/client relationship.
3. Do a Site Survey. When Cushing receives a complicated graphics project, they don’t just rely on the client’s specs and plans as they prepare the project. Instead, they do a site survey to get accurate measurements and to examine the surfaces where graphics will be applied. By doing that they can determine the best materials to do the job; create a more accurate quote; and overall help ensure that the finished project will match client expectations.
4. Lean on Project Managers. Complex graphics projects don’t walk themselves through completion – they require a skilled project manager. Cushing uses trained project managers to guide projects and be the sole point of contact for customers. Joe Cushing gave an example of a graphics project for a golf tournament – when a contestant won the tournament, Cushing had to print a graphic that night and have it installed by 5:15 a.m. the next morning. Only with a skilled project manager could that type of job get done right.
5. Growth comes from feeling uncomfortable. Crisp Imaging’s Cuevas made that point at the end of the workshop. Crisp has grown steadily over the past decade – in color graphics and traditional reprographics – and they have done that by stretching their abilities and saying “Yes, we can do that” more often than not, even if they still need to figure out how they will accomplish a given project.