Media Consultations

What is media consultation with SpeedPro?

Sometimes a marketer simply has too much to do for the amount of bandwidth in their day. Usually signage—SpeedPro’s specialty—is only a small part of what a given company’s marketing department needs to handle. Knowing all of the ins and outs of large format printing and all of the many types of signage—from soft to rigid, substrates to mediums, inks to plotters and everything in-between—is more than enough for a full-time job on its own.

There are several stages to media consultation that SpeedPro can offer you when the time comes to kick-off your large format printing project:

Electronic pre-press
Graphic Design
Project Consultation

For large format print projects, pre-press generally involves a couple of steps. During the pre-flighting step, SpeedPro’s team of printing specialists work to sync up colors between your design and our in-house color management system, check for the right format, resolution and include all of the right fonts and printing effects. In the next phase, we create a proof of your product that will be your initial sample of what your final product can look like.

If you need some tips or even direct suggestions on your designs, SpeedPro’s experts can help with that, as well. Printing is a mixture of art and science. Your designers may be excellent artists, but it also requires a deep understanding of the printing process and all of the materials behind it, from inks to substrates, in order to end up with a beautiful final product.

Overall project consultation is perhaps the biggest phase. A printing project consultation with SpeedPro generally has three steps:

Project management: We can help you with organizing and running your project from start to finish.
Site surveys: SpeedPro experts are available to help you analyze the location(s) where your will be using your new signage and marketing materials.
Product recommendations: Based on your goals and results of the site survey, SpeedPro consultants will be able to give you great recommendations on what the best products may be for you to use in order to achieve your goals.

How else can media consultation help you?

A SpeedPro consultant will be able to suggest the most appropriate signage types for you to use based on a number of different factors, such as:

Budget— what do you have to spend vs. what do you need to spend?
Area, where signage will be placed/mounted — you can use different products on a wall vs. a floor or a window.
Available space — Some products look best in a wide-open area vs. more enclosed areas.
Your sign’s message — a specific appearance may be called for if you are creating directional and wayfinding signage vs. marketing signage.
Indoor/Outdoor — some substrates are better suited for exterior locations.
Weather conditions (if outdoor) — you will want high durability if there is a lot of rain.
Building location (if indoor) — some signage materials look best in a lobby vs. in a hallway.

While the above are suggestions that a consultant can help you with based on your overall needs, the results of your site survey will lead to a few other important insights that you can use to optimize the effectiveness of your signage. These observations can include:

Lighting— your signage needs to be well lit both for its location in your space and for the times of day in which you want it to be seen. This could mean situating it near natural light sources to take advantage of daylight or creating digital signage that is vibrant and noticeable at all times.
Contrast — contrast is what creates that “eye-catching” appearance in your sign’s design. Not only should the graphics on your signage take advantage of light/dark colors and complementary colors, but the sign itself should have an overarching design that helps it stand out from whatever background it is placed against.
Readability — the content of your sign needs to be sized properly so that it can be easily read and understood. Text that is too small may be too difficult to read at the distance where the message you want to get across is most effective, while text that is too large can distract from the message or make it impossible for someone to take in all at once.
Placement — every bit of signage that you plan on using has its own purpose, and a sign’s purpose is tied directly to the audience that you want to see it. Signs need to be situated correctly in order to be seen by your various intended audiences, whether that be foot traffic, drivers on a highway, or customers perusing the furnishings department that you want to advertise a footwear sale to.

SpeedPro’s consultants and large format printing experts are available along every step of your journey. Helping you deliver a successful media campaign is a measure of our success, and we take it very seriously. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us when you are ready to dive in.