By Dennis Brennan – Sr. Art Director

Everyone talks about corporate identity (well, not everyone…but those of us in the business do!). But just what is corporate identity?  Well, what it’s not is merely a company’s name or logo.

Corporate identity is a strategy that defines a company’s values, its personality…its brand. Done properly, it accurately communicates these elements to a company’s customers, providing a clear image that helps set the company apart from its competitors.

With the advent of the internet and its global nature, corporate identity has become more important than ever in ensuring that companies present a consistent image throughout all of their marketing materials. Consistency needs to carry through in the use of the logo, tagline, color, typography and a well-conceived system of design for all “promotional” materials.

This includes websites, direct email, banner ads, social media venues, etc. in addition to more traditional printed materials such as letterheads, business cards, sales brochures and catalogs, signage, packaging, investor communications, promotional items and magazine advertisements.

The logo is, of course, the anchor design element that visually identifies a company. It should be distinctive, uncluttered, easily recognizable and should attempt to graphically reflect the nature of the business.

Attention should be given to logo design to be sure it reproduces correctly in any application, from printing it on a ballpoint pen to huge trade show booth graphics. Today’s online uses can present specific challenges due to the resolution and limited color restrictions of computer monitors.

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Articles, Collateral & Printing Advertising, Branding, Marketing, Web

What to look for in a Large Format Printer
Outputting large graphics is not an easy matter. Digital printing technology may have made some aspects of printing easier, but for high-quality, brand-building graphics, trade show graphics and booths, packaging and point of sale items, museum wraps, the knowledge of printing technology is crucial.

These days, the three primary components in making great graphics notable are: people, computers and capabilities. As we all know, this can turn out to be a deadly combination if any of the planets, or the print heads, are out of alignment. Many things can go wrong at different points along the process.

This is where a production house can provide great value to its clients.Printing colorful graphics takes numerous detailed steps. All incoming work must be preflighted or checked for a myriad of issues.

• Proofreading the already-read copy…it’s amazing what is caught with a fresh set of eyes.
• Does the electronic file match what the graphic is actually supposed look like? Sounds
      ridiculous, but all too often the two are a mismatch. A good printer will insist upon a
      hardcopy to compare to the file.
• Is the file of adequate resolution to print a quality output? Graphics provided for a
      small brochure are not always usable for the larger size graphics and posters.
• Are the colors intended to be pleasing or a specific PMS color match? This issue is
      particularly important if there will be repeat graphics over the course of time.
• Consistency is so incredibly critical during an ongoing campaign and to
      overall company branding.

The key point is to seek a printer who specializes in graphic output and printing, especially if dealing with large graphics. Make sure to communicate often with the production house.

Questions from both parties are essential! Remember, the higher quality input from you at the beginning of the relationship with your printer means a higher quality product at the end of the process. Communication beforehand saves time, lets everyone meet deadlines and keeps waste and costs to a minimum. Make sure nothing unexpected occurs during the graphic production process by working closely with your printer partner.

Fine Art Graphic Imaging specializes in Giclée printing, a French word referring to a printing technology, using a machine called the Iris. The Giclée print process is achieved using high-end digital printers capable of producing small droplets of ink.

As a full color electronic digital output company, Graphic Imaging has always been the Designers’ Helper, a service bureau for any graphic output, to provide a comprehensive set of printing solutions for all graphic needs. The company produces graphic images for trade shows, events and retail operations and convention signage as well as prototypes for packaging applications and ‘one-offs’.

Our thanks to Katherine Keller, Owner & CEO of Graphic Imaging, Pipersville, PA. She can be reached at (215) 766-7927, or visit the website at www.graphicimaging.com.

Articles, Collateral & Printing Advertising, Marketing, Printing

Have you noticed the subtle shift in business models for mobilizing resources? No longer operating within a geographic niche in the supply chain, but rather in a worldwide marketplace, competitive organizations find themselves streamlining literature resources for more efficient delivery and cost effectiveness.

Push Method
Traditionally, companies print marketing and product support documents in mass quantities and then store them in a warehouse until needed. Companies must forecast the demand for printed materials (“push” model), then pay to print and store them until use.

But often companies need to update and reprint these documents before existing inventory is depleted. Return on investment decreases with the cost of printing and warehousing documents that many times go unused or become outdated and are then discarded.

Pull Method
A new model, focusing on a “pull” methodology, creates a strategy to mobilize appropriate resources only when the need arises. Pull models give users more control to creatively select and purchase literature, based on individual needs and specific opportunities.

One innovative pull strategy is the web-based Online Marketing Pro™ brochure-building software tool powered by media
off™ automated fulfillment from Ken Cook Co. (http://www.kencook.com/) Online Marketing Pro enables individual dealers, distributors or other personnel to customize pre-determined templates and create flyers, sell sheets, promo documents, even catalogs, that suit their needs, without compromising the company’s overall branding efforts.

Cost-efficient Control and Creativity
Templates, using pre-populated image, pricing and text databases, allow users to insert individual identification and location information, even a distributor/dealer logo, into the layout. The company maintains control of branding while users design materials for special sales, events, trade shows or major client presentations.

media
off streamlines the document print, inventory management and fulfillment processes by providing information and resources, just-in time and on demand. (Shipments typically go out within 24 hours of an order.) It eliminates the need to preprint mass quantities of literature by enabling an easy-access, user-friendly web interface for managing inventory, placing orders and replenishing materials. With media
off, you can dramatically reduce printing costs by eliminating outdated materials and warehousing charges. Distributed materials will always contain the most current information.

With this system, you can build your literature, purchase a quantity and have it shipped anywhere in the world – automatically – with one point controlling the production, branding, color and quality of your marketing documents.

Global Applications
Today’s best-in-class manufacturers are using technology solutions as a competitive tool to manage global expansion and connect remote plants, factories, customers and supply chain partners. Diverse and increasingly stringent environmental and safety regulations differ around the world and require sophisticated management of internal processes.

media
off enables the convenient delivery of technical documentation, as a PDF download, a printed document or a CD/DVD, that conforms to regulatory and language requirements. Anyone with access to a web browser – in your office or across the globe – gets an unparalleled degree of flexibility and ease of use.

Advancing the “pull” business model, Online Marketing Pro powered by media
off completely changes the way you can produce and supply documentation in the global marketplace.

Our thanks to Jean Tikusis, Marketing Manager for Ken Cook Co., Milwaukee, WI. She can be reached at jeant@kencook.com or (414) 847-1257.

Articles, Collateral & Printing Advertising, Marketing, Printing