Posts Tagged clients
The Dude Abides: A Bit of Boutique Branding
Posted by Craig in case studies, new projects on March 16th, 2010
One could argue (as my friend VonSchtiffler is so fond of saying) that Gladiator is one of the greatest movies of all time. Starring Russell Crow, with the late Richard Harris, directed by Ridley Scott, featuring men with nets and tridents trying to kill men with swords, exotic locations, wild animals, a chariot scene, a vexed bi-polar antagonist and a forbidden love interest. I mean, really, what more could you ask for? Gandhi? Chil’ please.
One of my favorite lines from the film, besides “Hello, my name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, you killed my family, prepare to die” is when Cicero (Maximus’ valet) says: ”Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to do.” It’s a great line and I often use it on my children when explaining why my idea of time management may differ from theirs. It also turns out to be a useful way to categorize incoming client requests. Let me explain.
Most of the time, our clients call because they need our help with something they have to do. Sometimes, they call because of something they want to do. Once in a great while they call with something they both have and want to do. That’s when we get excited because usually that means something cool.
Case in point is a project we recently did for Blink Eye Care. It’s worthy of attention for the finished product alone but I bring it up because it all started with somebody seeing something they thought was cool. The something was something they both wanted and had to do and the somebody was Dr. Charlene Henderson.
Dr. Henderson was in the process of starting an eye care practice here in Charlotte with her long time friend and fellow optometrist Dr. Tracy MacIntyre. While surfing the web, she somehow came across what we have come to call the “dude.” The dude is a three dimensional sculpture designed by Skills Division for a retail application in Belgrade, Serbia. She thought it would be a perfect icon for the new practice. We loved the dude, and since Bojan (the Held in Hand Held) is a Serb, we knew we would get on with the design firm like a goat with a glass of red wine. (That’s actually a Serbian idiomatic expression that loses a little something in the translation.)
We did a big dude for the entry way, it’s acrylic in an aluminum frame and has sections inside and outside the practice, so it looks like its coming through the window. We also did a bunch of little dudes for a cityscape in a window in the rear of the space, some more little dudes scattered throughout, and a dimensional logo for behind the reception desk. The pieces are unique, fun, and really help to the brand the practice, setting it apart from your run of the mill Eyeglasses To Go.
If you are in need of new glasses, contacts or anything else eyeball related, we highly recommend you check them out. If you need a design group , with mad skills, check these guys out. If you want some help with your wants to do’s, your have to do’s, or both, check us out.
Are you not entertained?
(In the interest of full disclosure, the thing about the goats was not a true Serbian idiomatic expression. I was writing this when it was late and couldn’t get a hold of Bojanius for a real one.)
Buffing Up Some Buff Seasoned Babes.
Posted by Craig in case studies, new projects on January 18th, 2010
Managing client’s artwork files is consistently one of our biggest challenges. The proliferation of different types of files contribute to said challenges. When it comes to understanding file types, we cheekily divide most people into three categories. Those who understand the difference between vector and raster files, those who don’t and those we call The Digitized. They think that anything that has been digitized can be blown up and printed at any size they want. (“Don’t worry, it’s DIGITIZED!”) Throw ad agencies into the mix and things get even more interesting. Multiple parties, from multiple camps, all participating in the process, all insisting they know what can be done and all sure their expectations are reasonable. Phew!
Recently one of our clients came in requesting a 20′ display backdrop from a single image. Expecting the worst we were pleasantly surprised when the original file actually seemed scalable to the size we needed. The display is a fabric backwall, and fabric tends to be a little more forgiving when it comes to resolution, so we were feeling pretty good. “One more thing,” the client added (here it comes, wait for it, wait for it…) “we want you to remove the text on the banner and replace it with different text. “No problem, I’m pretty sure we have a magic eraser around here somewhere…
Buff seasoned babes aside (Shades is my personal favorite), we set to work and the results were, dare I say… Impressive. Following are the images before, during and after the alteration.
Here is the original image with the original text:
The client requested we remove the the text from the banner and insert new text. A bit of a challenge considering the wrinkles and the shading (on the banner, sheesh). It’s one thing to do a little photoshop work on a small image that is going to only be viewed on a screen. Making it look good at 10′ X 20′ is another.
This is what it looked like once we removed the text:
And finally, the finished product with the new text:
Here are some close ups of the before, during and after stages:
We have yet to receive the show shots of the finished display in all its glory. When we do we will follow up with a post to show what the finished product looked like. It turned out really cool and the client was pleased.
If you have a project requiring digital manipulation of artwork and large format printing, please consider giving us a call.
HHS in the Catbird Seat.
Posted by Craig in case studies, new projects on September 23rd, 2009
One of the greatest things about our jobs is the fact that we have no target market. Not saying everybody needs what we sell but in just about every industry, there is somebody who needs portable visual branding of one sort or another. This can also be a major headache when we are trying to figure out who to contact next, but the cool part about it is that we get to work with people who do and make all sorts of interesting things.
Case in point is a project we wrapped up today for a company called VS America. VS America is a US subsidiary of a German company that makes, among other things, chairs for educational institutions. You can learn more about what they do here. I do not know all the technical reasons why their chairs are the bomb, but I like their design and they are actually really comfortable to sit in. Their office, in the South End area of Charlotte, has a very Teutonic aesthetic to it and staffed by interesting people with German accents. It’s like working in an Audi. Very cool.
Portable display and banner stand for VS America
The displays we provided fall into the portable category with two 10′ units that can be used separately for two 10′ spaces or together for a 20′ space. In the picture above you can see one of the displays set up with the second display, collapsed down, on the left. On the right is one of the banner stands behind one of VS’s chairs.
The displays are incredibly lightweight and can be set up in seconds. They have interchangeable graphics which can be swapped out depending on the requirements for the particular show. In this case they were designed primarily as a backdrop for showcasing the furniture. The banner stands, are also lightweight and are retractable for easy assembly, storage and shipping.
Portable display and banner stand for VS America from a slightly different angle.
If you want to spend more time at your next show selling and less time setting up (and crush the competition with your sharp looking display) then call us and we will hook you up. If you need some really cool furniture for your office or school, call VS and they will hook you up.
(For those of you still with me and interested in the etymology of the term catbird seat, click here.)
Suspending Sweet Sintra Signs Southpark Style.
Posted by Craig in new projects on June 15th, 2009
Today we installed another set of signs for our favorite care care, travel and insurance providor.
This is a new location in Sharon Corners, near the intersection of Sharon Rd. and Fairview Rd. The store is located right underneath Jesse Browns. This location is the new location for the office that used to be located on East Blvd. near the intersection of East Blvd. and Scott. If you are in the area and looking for some AAA love, we highly recommend you stop by and check it out. Remember, no one can get you to Disney cheaper than AAA!
The signs are direct print on sintra and should last as long as the store does, if not longer. Direct printing on Sintra is a visually appealing and cost effective way to get large format prints on the wall and not have to worry about them getting dented or dinged. When hung with our super secret mounting system, they are straight, level and can easily be removed or replaced with newer images. Cheaper alternatives exist (the dreaded foamcore) but we refuse to use them because they are fragile and the edges usually come out looking like crap.
Sintra is also a great choice for interior signage because it can be contour cut on a router. This adds some design flexibility and can really spice things up for relatively little in additional cost. We often use Sintra for low cost dimensional lettering, whether plain, painted to match a pms color or laminated with one of the approximately one billion plastic laminates available from companies like Wilsonart or Nevamar.
Stay tuned for future posts on Sintra where we will try to imbue this most boring of all sign substrates with the street cred it deserves for being a great component of any large format signage production.
(Yes, I used the term street cred and no, we were not sucking up to our client in paragraph two. I have it on good authority that the word combination “street cred Sintra” is one of the most heavily searched terms in search engine history and we happen to really like our client. Really.)
Liquid Evil
Posted by Craig in tips and tricks on June 3rd, 2009
I’m going to start a new group called People Who Understand The Evils of Liquid Nails When It Comes To Hanging Graphics That Someday May Need To Be Changed, or PWUTELNWICTHGTSMNTBC. Ok, the acronym needs a little massaging, I’m open to suggestions.
Before you fire up the flamethrower, let me explain. I love Liquid Nails as much as any red-blooded American. It’s an awesome product to use when you need something PERMANENTLY stuck to something else, like someones keys to their desk. However, using it to attach graphics to a wall is bad idea number 38 on the list of the worst ideas in history.
Three things can happen when you have to remove a graphic that has been attached to a wall with Liquid Nails; all of them are bad. You either a) destroy the wall, b) destroy the graphic, or 3) both. This is especially true if you are using a cheap substrate like foam core. If you plan on having the same graphic on the wall in the same place for as long as you are in the space, then maybe, maybe, Liquid Nails is a good idea. If you are confident that the installer can locate it correctly and level it properly, because it is going to stay where it is, forever.
We recently removed some graphics for our favorite auto repair, travel, and insurance providor and ran into this problem. The walls in the old space will need to be patched and painted and none of the graphics came out looking good enough to be reused in the new space. Fortunately we have a solution to this problem and in the future, our client will be able to change or move graphics with no damage to the graphic and minimal damage to the wall. It adds a small amount to the cost of the graphic but is well worth the investment.
If you’d like to know this closely guarded secret for hanging graphics, call us (800-515-7058) or shoot me an email (chand at handheldstudio dot com) and I will share it with you.
The Vendor Client Relationship…
Posted by Craig in general interest on June 2nd, 2009
All things considered, we are blessed with awesome clients. I suppose that is exactly the sort of thing you would expect me to say when I am getting ready to post a video making fun of the vendor-client relationship. Never the less, it’s true. On rare occasions, we do run into clients who want a little more than they are willing to pay for, or who want us to teach them how to do something for free. The creators of this video understand, and what follows is a hysterical, dramatic portrayal of situations not unlike those we have found ourselves in from time to time. Enjoy.
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