Big Picture - August 2019 - 29

IS THERE SOMETHING A PSP CAN DO (OR HAS DONE)
THAT WILL LEAD TO ENDING THE PARTNERSHIP?
COUR T E S Y OF IM AGE CEN T ER .

Yes! And it has happened. Changing a spec or printing
something on a piece of equipment different than what was
specified. Or missing a deadline and not communicating
what is happening.
IN YOUR EXPERIENCE, HOW IS THE SIGNAGE AND
GRAPHICS MARKET EVOLVING RELATIVE TO THE
ENVIRONMENTS YOU ARE CREATING?
The technology is evolving significantly! When it comes to
digital print technology, we can now do things for exterior
environments that are of a high quality and will have longevity.
The digital print technology of "yesterday" was only for
short-term applications. The work we do requires at least
three to five years of durability for exterior application.
AT EVENTS AND IN CONVERSATIONS WITH
INDUSTRY EXPERTS, THE BIG PICTURE TEAM
FREQUENTLY HEARS DIFFERING VIEWS ON THE
STATUS OF RETAIL BRICK AND MORTAR. IS IT
DYING OR IS IT JUST CHANGING?
Retail brick and mortar is definitely not dying, but it's changing
and evolving rapidly. It's all about creating an "experience."

Rank the
IMPORTANCE
of the
FOLLOWING FACTORS:
* Customer Service: Very important
* Print Quality: Very important
* Price: Important, but not the most important part. When
there's something complicated and it has to be done right,
we understand that it may be more expensive, but needs to
be within reason.
* Sustainability: Somewhat important. Would love to have
more sustainable materials, but when longevity is sacrificed,
it becomes less practical.
* Turnaround Time: Important, but this is almost the "price
of admission" amongst good PSPs.

* Innovation: Very important. We're always looking for PSPs
who innovate and can show us new and inventive ways of
doing things.

HOW HAS E-COMMERCE AFFECTED YOUR INDUSTRY?
Not too directly with the work we do, other than the evolution
of companies that start out as online-only and then need to
have a brick-and-mortar presence.
CAN YOU SHARE AN EXAMPLE OF A PROJECT THAT
CHANGED THE WAY YOU BUY PRINT?
We had a project for a large-scale, national client that required a
very complex, wide-format graphic with layers and multiple
gradations, based on color values of one specific color. This was
originally achieved by using the print equipment the existing
vendor pool had on hand. The complex graphic required multiple
layers being built up, laminated together, with perfect registration.
It was very, very difficult and expensive. When we originally tried
to do this with one-pass (we required color/white/color), the
PSPs that said they could do this wound up having banding and
poor print quality in every test. We (incorrectly) were relying on
the print equipment that various PSPs had (and every one of
them told us they could do it, even when they could not). We
wound up conducting an independent (and agnostic) research
assessment to analyze different types of print equipment that
could handle the assignment and then conducted tests. We
worked directly with the printer OEMs (various brands) to
develop a very comprehensive print performance specification
and then identified PSPs who had this equipment. Minor tests
included printing a small watermark at the bottom of the graphic
(not visible) to ensure substitutions were not happening.

KRAIG KESSEL is a licensed architect who has
spent the majority of his 32-year career specializing in the development of branded environments and international signage programs for
numerous industries, including convenience
stores, quick-service restaurants, financial
services, specialty retail, and petroleum.
Kessel co-founded his own company in
2010, called Kraido, which creates branded environments and develops
customer experiences that are strategic, innovative, and practical. Key
clients include Wells Fargo, Public Storage, Chevron, and Google.

BIGPICTURE.NET

* Ability to Customize: Depends. Not necessarily important
on large-scale, multiple units, but sometimes print projects
require site-by-site customization, and it becomes very
important to be able to adapt.

Kraido integrated biophilic-design stairwell graphics for Google to "activate an
otherwise boring space and to encourage people to use the stairs," says Kessel.

http://www.BIGPICTURE.NET

Big Picture - August 2019

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