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GRAND FORMAT PRINTING | LARGE FORMAT PRINTING
2.11.08
Event graphics add sizzle to CityScape
Bozell choose Commerce Color to print three 40 foot event graphics banners that dramatically unfurled at the Grand Opening celebration announcing the CityScape development in downtown Phoenix. CityScape, developed by RED Development and CDK Partners, is a $900-million, 2.5-million-square-foot mixed-use development combining residential, retail, hotel, office and public park space that will ultimately span three city blocks of downtown Phoenix.At a key moment in the celebration, the event graphics were unfurled from the ceiling and dropped dramatically into place, offering a real-time/in-perspective view of what the city of downtown Phoenix will look like.
Bozell's Michael Pitzer found Commerce Color through a search on the Internet and selected them after visiting their website and seeing the size and scope of their previous work. What he saw gave him confidence to move forward with this project, which involved some things that had never been done before with printed vinyl banners. Says Pitzer, "Commerce Color did a great job. They worked really hard, got the event graphics done in an insane amount of time and the banners worked perfectly. The whole thing came off beautifully."
Visit our event graphics page to view the full sized banners.
A carefully calculated catastrophe
This wonderfully unexpected and unnatural disaster came on the scene earlier this year in a quiet downtown parking lot in Columbus OH. Our friends at Orange Barrel Media coordinated with the uber-creatives at t:m of Irving, TX on this calculated catastrophe for Nationwide Insurance.It's an innovative concept that reaches well out of the normal confines of outdoor advertising. We printed the three 110 foot wallscapes and provided color swatches that were then used to mix the paint that strategically covered a select assortment parking spaces and automobiles as well as the parking attendant's lonely ticket booth.
Including the strategically painted spill, it was a full seven day installation that has culminated into one of this year's most talked about pieces of outdoor advertising. The creative team manged to capture the entire installation on this video. Enjoy!
Enviromental graphics perform at Touhill
The fabulous Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center is located on the campus of University of Missouri in St. Louis. Designed by world-renowned architect I. M. Pei of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, the Touhill Performing Arts Center has become a mid-western performance landmark, drawing an A-list of celebrity performers.
In an effort to promote the celebrity talent in this season's schedule, environmental graphics were printed and installed along the sweeping lobby area window wall. The visuals were expertly designed by Toky Branding and Design in St Louis. To get closer look at a few of these environmental graphics visit our banners page. Want some for yourself? Call us toll free anytime. 888 781-7702
NeoCon winner uses custom wallpaper
Milliken Carpet's 2007 showroom won the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) Best of Show at NeoCon 2007. Q Studio, an architectural firm based in Chicago, designed Milliken's showroom using custom digital wallpaper. Principal Catherine Severson found Commerce Color through a search on the Internet.
The project presented some unique technical challenges: Q Studio worked closely with Milliken's in-house design group in designing the wall murals, which depicted carpet patterns from Milliken's line. There was some difficulty translating Milliken's electronic files--originally configured to print on carpet--to print accurately on vinyl.
Severson has high praise for Commerce Color: "They were able to guide us through the process, coaching the graphics group on how to translate their carpet patterns into custom wallpaper. We went through many rounds of samples to get the color right and Commerce Color was so patient with us. The final product looked fabulous and Milliken has had countless inquiries about the wallcovering."
To see more photos of the project visit our wall graphics page. Or check out our brand new You Tube video featuring Milliken's custom wallpaper.
Wall graphics on a larger-than-life scale
St. Louis's recently opened MOTO Museum chronicles the evolution and design of the motorcycle. This rich history spans 100 years and showcases 100 motorcycles manufactured in more than 20 countries across the globe. The Lawrence Group Architects, the museum's designers, needed an innovative way to divide the former printing company's voluminous warehouse with wall signage that would provide dramatic graphic backdrops for the actual motorcycles.
Commerce Color printed large and grand format vinyl banners that we're strategically positioned to help categorize the manufacturers and their countries of origin. "This was the first time we have done something this large using this material for an interior application" according to Christa McCall of the The Lawrence Group. "We wanted graphics that were on a larger-than-life scale." For some cool photos visit our specialty graphics page.
Double-wide banners tell a bigger story
The downtown St. Louis Post Office wanted to use pole banner signage to showcase some of their newest postage stamp images. The visual space limitations of traditional pole banners made that task difficult though. Our internal grand format printing specialists came up with a custom full-width configuration that allowed the designer to use graphic images that span the full-width of the banners across the pole. Now the new postage stamp pole banners tell their story up and down the avenue. Visit our light pole banner page to see more photos from the street. Do you have a need for full-with pole banners? Contact us toll free at 888-781-7702 anytime or email us here.
Streetwise signage
From small rural townships to major metropolitan areas, smart marketers all over the country are discovering new and different ways to utilize light pole banner signage to create unique promotional opportunities. Avenue and street light pole banners are an easy and economical way to bring your brand message into the streets. We've had the opportunity to produce pole banners that promote sporting events, condo rehabs, charity events, citywide celebrations and more. The only limit to these workhorse banner programs are the imagination of their designers. To learn more about this growing segment of outdoor promotion, visit our Metropolis to Main Street press release in our media center.
Signs of the times
We've seen an incredible surge in rehabilitation throughout the downtown St. Louis area. Our friends at The Downtown St Louis Partnership report that through 2006, nearly 4 billion dollars has been invested in new construction, condominium loft rehabs, restaurants and shopping destinations. And where there is construction, there is construction signage.
We understand how important signage is to the marketing of these construction and rehabilitation projects. And we're proud to have the opportunity to work with the architects, developers and designers on the construction signage that is posted all throughout the downtown area. Visit our wallscape and construction signage pages to see samples of the grand format printing projects we've been a part of.
Event graphics take center stage
The 2006 Taste of St. Louis event held downtown over the October 1st weekend was an exhilarating convergence of St. Louis' own creative community. The colorful combination of fine artists, musicians and restaurateurs made for an exciting and fun-filled weekend. We were happy to print much of the event signage and large format graphics used throughout the event. Download our Taste of St. Louis case study pdf to see some of the graphics and signage used throughout the grounds.
Event planners go to great lengths to make sure the sponsors are well represented in this kind of venue. "Signage is everything at an event like this," says Mike Kociela, Managing Director of Entertainment St. Louis, the event planning company that organized Taste of St. Louis. "This is how we repay our corporate sponsors. It is absolutely crucial for their branding purposes that we provide them with a strong onsite presence."
The entrances and exits, surrounding barricades, stage backdrops, banners and graphics are fitted with large and grand format sponsor messaging that make a big impact and provide a lasting memory. Visit our event graphics page to see some of the signage used throughout the grounds.
Feed the monster
We realize your appetite for large format printing news content is voracious. Never fear... Commerce Color's RSS feed is here. RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication". It is a way to easily distribute a list of headlines, update notices, and sometimes content to a wide number of people. It is used by computer programs (aggregators) that organize those headlines and notices for easy reading. There's a good list of web-based aggregators here. Load us into your favorite and you'll never miss a beat.
The Color of Money
Many scientific studies have been conducted that measure the psychological effects of color on consumer buying habits. The experts at Color Matters have gathered a boatload of information about the effect of color on every aspect of daily life. Take advantage of their findings to help you improve the power of recognition and persuasion in your outdoor signage and promotional efforts. Research conducted by Xerox Corporation and International Communications Research from February 19, 2003 to March 7, 2003 resulted in these interesting findings.
- 92% Believe color presents an image of impressive quality
- 90% Feel color can assist in attracting new customers
- 90% Believe customers remember documents better when color is used
- 83% Believe color makes them appear more successful
- 81% Think color gives them a competitive edge
- 76% Believe that the use of color makes their business appear larger to clients
"Bold and bright color makes the biggest impact and leaves the best impression with grand and large format projects like billboards, wallscapes and banners", according to Vince Croghan, President of Commerce Color, Inc. "With outdoor signage, keep your message short and pour on the color if you want people to notice and, more importantly, retain it."
Super-size your signage.
They're everywhere. Super-sized vinyl signs that hang on building faces, drape in sports stadiums and wrap construction scaffolds. These larger-than-life wallscapes and building wraps promote everything from loft developments to tennis shoes to retirement insurance. They're big, colorful and effective and although they are a spectacular medium for reaching your customer, having them designed, printed and installed isn't always a simple matter. For anyone who's interested in conveying their marketing message with super-sized grand format printing, we've prepared a checklist that should help you sidestep some of the potential pitfalls associated with these monster signs.
Glass in the garden.
If your looking for an unforgettable outdoor experience, Missouri Botanical Garden's "Glass in the Garden" exhibit is for you. The extraordinary glass sculptures of Dale Chihuly add an unexpected twist of fabulous color and form to an already terrific horticultural experience. These striking glass ornamentations are strategically placed and installed throughout the garden with several outstanding pieces nestled within the plantings inside the Climatron. For an added thrill visit the garden in the evening to see how carefully placed lighting adds to these magnificent sculptures. We're proud to have printed the vinyl billboards you've been seeing throughout the St. Louis metro area promoting this summer's exhibit.
One of the best.
The St. Louis Zoo is most definitely one of the best zoos in the country. As a matter of fact, most experts say that the St. Louis Zoo ranks second in the country, right after the San Diego Zoo, according to an article by About.com. One thing that is unique about the St. Louis Zoo is that admission is free. That's right, you can roam among the hundreds of animals and exhibits without paying a penny. It's a really nice way to spend an afternoon. While you're there don't forget to visit the 'Animals Always' sculpture at the southeast corner of the grounds. Created by famed sculptor Albert Paley, it's the largest sculpture at any public zoo in the United States.