Blog

Every tale starts with a beginning…

2 April 2022 Stuart Nimmo

I’m a pendant for getting the best. I think we all like “the best”. However, race to the bottom and “I want it now” culture, drives a very different mantra of “will do”. It amazes me how some people talk the talk and say one thing and what they actually want is miles off from my benchmark.

My background in repro, better described as the bit before it hits a press in print, was all about, maximising the end result and the quality of what we were going to print. So, what does this actually mean, and why does it make a difference.

Images, best resolution, sharp throughout, in focus and properly taken. I have a background in professional high-end grade scanning, not just looking at the colour balance, but tonal curves and a lot more. Yes, I use pro digital Nikon DSLRs these days for photographs, but also use exceptional scanners to capture art pieces, drawings and historical materials which need digitising with the utmost care and attention. We’ve retouched historical photographs for magazine covers. The supplier/owner of the image has been amazed at the results. With a bit of careful attention, referencing, considering composition, lens characteristics and a lot more whilst re-constructing and enhancing the image to create a sharp, well-balanced end result. We know when we have scanned medium format transparencies and had a reference image of the same location, taken on a good DSLR, the traditional colour transparency held more detail than it’s a digital counterpart. A great example was being able to pick out blades of grass, with some definition.

Logos and technical drawings, scalable artwork is everything. Ensuring the artwork is sharp and the detail is defined is essential. We will re-draw up artwork in a vector format to ensure it meets the needs of reproduction regardless of end size. I started my career artworking in a vector environment every day. It delivered quick results in a fast-moving environment of promotional print. It’s stood me in good grounds for everything I’ve done since.

Typography, in my early years in the trade, whilst I was at College, I was lucky enough to have a placement at Warwickshire Illustrations in Cheylesmore in Coventry. They were a high-end design agency working with clients like Jaguar and Rank among many names. The senior staff in the studio there were meticulous, for the kerning (spacing of characters), ligatures, typeface elements for characters, and fine-tuning of all typography to be effortless for the reader to read with ease. Hence why now, I do like, love and ooze pride when I see proper typography, well-executed on a page.

That work experience placement also taught me a lot about, concept creation, the scamps, visuals and idea development, even before you start to layout the item in any technical format, to artwork the job.

With over 3 decades in print, specifying is so important, getting it right for the job, thinking through what the end-user is going to think as they handle or engage with your piece of print. Materials, the where and how are so important when thinking about the brief, and yes every job should have a brief. Recently I’ve kicked a job back to the client, so we can have a brief that will get the results, he is expecting.

We are so different than other providers, well the online ones anyhow, as we care, want to support you in your project. To get to my position in this trade is through experience, education, and graft. It’s why I proudly describe what I do as artisan, boutique, craft-based print, with the culmination of the aforementioned. Yes, you can have cheap print, when you pay a little bit more, for #properprint with real engagement. No job is ticket number running through our studio, it is all about the customer, the joys of being small and paying attention to detail is at the heart of what we do.

Thinking about others…

26 March 2022 Stuart Nimmo

It’s at the heart of building effective relationships, if the last few years have taught us anything, compassion, consideration and understanding go a long way. However, everyone’s benchmark of expectations vary differently. Inherently these are formed as parts of people’s value sets, which if you understand generational theory are established in the pre-teenage years.

Recently in a drive to grow the business, building connections has been at the heart of many actions around establishing the right meaningful relationships. It’s very apparent some people form bonds, through shared common experiences or backgrounds. This really has come to light in the fact that we’ve seen business come from connections we made 3-4 years ago, and time wasn’t right at that moment, circumstances change, and we’ve developed and click, things start to happen. Talking of business networking, we’re very aware of individuals who seem to be there for the “me, me me” scenario and miss the purpose of building relationships, and short term wins are their only objectives.

Networking happens everywhere and at every opportunity. Fortunately, we don’t just get ourselves out there in b2b environments. A recent event for West Yorkshire Scouts, allowed us to meet, build and form relationships with a whole raft of different people. Common bonds and understanding is something that drives understanding and respect. Sharing ideas and concepts to make life easier is often what builds that special connection with others.

Being ordinary is just enough, and if you’re like us, you’re far from ordinary. We’re pretty passionate about what we do, and geared up to make a difference when people need it. If we can help, we do. A couple of instances in the last fortnight where at short notice people have needed jobs quick, and we’ve gone yes. Thankfully a few customers have flexed to allow us to achieve this, but we like a bit of communication with everyone as it makes it easier. We’re hoping that these new relationships will blossom, into more meaningful long term partnerships. In both cases, the physical meeting and seeing made a huge amount of difference.

Building relationships is around the elements of team building to an extent. The “form, storm, norm and perform” are critical to levelling the understanding between people. The recent process of doing accounts paperwork for on-boarding as a supplier etc, cause a little hiccup when payment terms needed to be agreed, as our approach is very along the lines of the small business commissioners approach of fast to our suppliers, however, it does mean we need or like fast payment to us, to maintain cash flow and operational stuff. It’s worth looking at https://www.smallbusinesscommissioner.gov.uk/ppc/. Being a champion to small businesses is appreciated by us, which shows all of the keywords I mentioned at the head of this blog.

Perhaps I am lucky that my background has always been geared up to thinking about others. Whether as a graphic designer, understanding your audience and how something is going to be used is at the heart of making the brief work. Yes, my scouting experiences do make big difference, compassion and empathy is something which is developed skill. I have realised perhaps my own abilities are somewhat limited, through recent experiences, which have tried and tested me. We do all need to show latitude and understanding in these times, unprecedented, previously unknown experiences are testing us all, so compassion, consideration and understanding. Above all be open, say if you are struggling, say if you are stretched, be open about things, we’re not here to take advantage, good people will support you.

Learning from a day at a major exhibition

27 February 2022 Stuart Nimmo

Stuart spent his Saturday at the Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show at the NEC. However, probably spent more time looking at the stands than some of the contents.

The world of exhibitions certainly has changed. The need is still there, the challenges and environment are very different. However, scrimping isn’t the way forward. Even if you are taking small space, make the most of it. Not like one 3×3 shell scheme where 9 pull up banners and literature stands were rammed, but think through what your message is. Less is more as some say.

***Stretched cloth graphic panels at the back.***

Big themes are this year’s Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show were the presence of printed fabric in use for banners and point of sale. Yes at this show the need for built stands is less, so the construction and thought processes and probably different. However, the presence of printed fabrics, not just in hanging fabrics, stretch displays panels, dividers and feather flags, was one trend that showed the shift in trends over the last few years.

***Hillside Leisure certainly created a good impression with this.***

The most outstanding one surely goes to Hillside Leisure for its stunning retro-themed stand. Where styling and design can create an impact that sets the tone of your business superbly. Utilising a stand designer to create such immersive visual experiences which tie together your branding, really shows this off as a pedigree in their marketplace. Plus it set the tone for the products, in the form of wonderful motorhomes.

For every highlight, you see cardinal sins against presentation, scruffy scrim banners loosely hanging on shell schemes. Firstly, if this was your business think about first impressions, that’s why you’re at a major show! The 11-second rule applies every time – people seriously make their minds up that quickly if they want to look and talk to you.

So even if you make a basic floor plan and wall plans and think through what you have, what your messages are and be concise, it’s all about attracting people to your stand! If you have a plan and objectives getting a design professional to input is then easy as this forms the brief. Simple inputs can make a big impression, as one Foundry business we’ve been working with recently has discovered, including materials and ease of doing.

If you are serious, exploring all the options around exhibiting at events should be considered. Talking to a stand designer like Wayne at Clarke Concepts will stand you in good stead for making informed decisions about maximising your impact and return on investment.

Canny tip… If you are utilising a smaller space nothing is stopping you from using the height to grab attention. A feather flag in these situations is a great tool for the job. Perhaps it goes with the territory with outdoor businesses maximising their display assets, but they worked well indoors, with plenty seen throughout the 5 halls.

The impact of environmental awareness is slowly creeping in. Great to see show signage now on thick corrugated stock which makes it fully recyclable. However, still, there is a lot more to be done to bring better environmental standards to exhibitions. Especially as some of the build practises need to incorporate more recycling and reuse, as the commercial standards or speed and time is money dictate how things are done.

As with any marketing opportunity like this is a major investment, making sure you get it right is so important. Savvy spending is an essential start if you’re new to exhibiting at events. However, if you’re a seasoned pro, the whole “plan implement review” cycle is still so important. When was the last time you properly reviewed? Things have shifted significantly over the last few years, not just with the pandemic but with technology and trends.

Why partner with us for your exhibition presence? A rounded approach, from stand to collateral and apparel, total solutions. We work with stand designers/builders, marketers, photographers, videographers and a lot more allied trades to bring together a rounded package, which will perform.