The Process of Beauty

Creativity is not a limited asset. Most of us have the capacity for producing interesting, compelling ideas. Yet for brand owners, creative design is the lifeblood of commercial success. Tremendous resources go toward producing and testing designs that will connect with consumers. Too often, this initial intent is diminished as an image moves through the printing process.

Gary Brown, Vice President and Process Consultant, leads clients through a unique process to reliably create the highest quality images in the industry. Deceptively simple, this approach to creativity and beauty begins and ends with data.

“We know that the full potential of an image lies in the workflow that creates it,” said Brown. “We shepherd our clients through a customizable, templated process that begins when the image is created and endures to provide measurable, repeatable results even after the final deliverable is complete.”

Over more than a hundred years of refining this compact, condensed, coordinated graphic workflow, we have streamlined a process that shortens cycle times, raises quality and improves speed to market.

“Speed and accuracy are just as important as image quality because the marketplace is increasingly competitive and fast-paced,” said Brown. “Accomplishing that isn’t complicated, but it does require taking the time at the front end to outline every step.”

Printed success begins when the brand owner submits their image files, but things can go wrong when this is all that constitutes the kick off for the project. The files are useful in clarifying design intent but are insufficient to guarantee ultimate accuracy, efficiency, and quality of the final artwork.

Hundreds of steps and multiple owners must work in harmony across a holistic process. With a consultative, solution-oriented approach that begins with a full project overview, we eliminate chaos and alleviate possible failure points in graphics creation and reproduction. We begin the process by understanding the printed image and taking into account every detail.

Our team outlines a project timeline and expectations with all stakeholders to clarify responsibilities and put the right information in the right hands – right from the start. Everyone involved, from designer through printer, come together on the intent and expectation for the design, including the color palate and graphic expectations. This first step solidifies the understanding of how color and image will interact and work with compliance factors.

With file type and print goals identified, the next step is to understand printer expectations and abilities so the process of readying the artwork aligns with the capabilities of the printer. This step addresses each production element from print technology capabilities to press file formats and ensures that the reproduction process accurately prepares the artwork for highest fidelity, beautiful, repeatable images.

Bottom line, in any kind of creative process, success relies on having the right information organized in the right fashion. With print reproduction, that approach serves as a powerful template that structures and guides design.

Framing creativity with process creates beautiful results.