Tag: custom wall graphics

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Steps to a Successful Design Process

Logos, signs, wall murals, vehicle wraps, and the list keeps going… all are pieces that require a successful and diligent design process in order to stand out while reflecting your brand and message. Many think that once the idea is put together, the design piece is almost completed. Not necessarily so!

Design is a process that offers solutions to specific problems. You want to strive for the best solution and focus your efforts on hiring a company that can meet your needs, and solve your problem, while creating designs that will leave a lasting impression on your target market.

Design is subjective and does not always come easy. There is no exact “how-to” manual for the process. Each designer develops his/her own process as he/she builds on experience. Your goal should be to identify a company that has a vast portfolio of designs and that could offer insights on the following:

  • Design approach for online versus offline pieces
  • Budget restrictions
  • Color versus black and white
  • Recommendation on size

These are considerations that will clarify your expectations while giving graphic designers a clear understanding on parameters within which they can work as they develop the design piece.

The design piece has to help your audience take notice of your message while supporting the sale of your product or service.  You also want to make sure that the company you are hiring will:

  • Be familiar with your industry
  • Be clear on who your target audience is
  • Understand what you are trying to accomplish through the design piece (sell, promote, announce…)
  • Provide you with many samples
  • Offer design adjustments
  • Be flexible if your needs change
  • Deliver in a timely manner to meet your deadline

Like many fields and industries, the design process requires a specific set of skills and knowledge but the most important place to start is by being clear on what you, as a business owner, are trying to accomplish through the design piece that you need:

  • Are you selling a building?
  • Are you announcing availability at a new property?
  • Are you revamping your office decor?
  • Are you running a promotion?
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Introducing the eco-friendly HPL26500 large format latex printer by Focal Point Signs & Imaging in Costa Mesa, CA

HPL26500 latex printer

It may seem counter-intuitive to think of  eco-friendly commercial printing, but the HP L26500 printer we use is exactly that.  This new technology not only is capable of reproducing photographic quality images in spectacular full color, but also uses inks that are not chemically based, but rather are water based.  Interestingly enough, the inks used by this technology last longer than those used in the past and are more durable too.  We also have the flexibility of printing on a multitude of materials including banner, vinyl, poster, polyester, nylon, and wall paper. What is more impressive is that the HPL26500 prints on PVC Free wall paper which is perfect for hospitals and schools and because this is latex based there is no residual ink or chemical smell. HP even makes a biodegradable banner material perfect for Green Companies.

Yes, I do sound a bit like a geekazoid getting all excited about what this “mother of all large format printers” can do…but, the color quality she rips out is absolutely stunning.  Recently I received a phone call from the property manager of a large business park here in Orange County.  She’s been using the same sign guy since Moses brought the tablets down from the mountain, so her guy is comfortable making her post and panel signs, but he’d not yet encountered this project.  She wanted a facelift for the leasing office which included a new lobby sign – which is to be the center jewel of the remodel.  Imagine the classy look of polished acrylic on a large scale, affixed to the freshly painted walls with 3/4″ brushed aluminum stand offs, and full color graphics of the complex with their logo proudly blazed across the bottom….a vision of loveliness.  However, her sign guy was using old technology that couldn’t reproduce the colors she wanted.  A big Lobby Sign (the first impression of the professionalism of the organization) is a big deal and this lady wants it right!  That’s where we came in.  We were able to exactly reproduce the gradient colors she needed and in such high quality, it was perfection.  So –  it’s a happy end to the story all because we use the HPL26500.

If you need super high quality graphics for your signage; lobby signs, vehicle wraps, banners, or any other sign – call us.  Focal Point “where your business is the center of attention”. 714-204-0180