Large Format News

Leverage the power of custom wallpaper murals

2009-12-03T19:40:40Z

Custom wallpaper and wallpaper murals have enjoyed steady usage by architects, interior designers, graphic designers and corporate brand managers. Retailers use custom wallpaper to educate, energize and motivate their customers.

A casual stroll down your local shopping mall should convince you of the power of these oversized brand messages. Clothing retailers feature desirable models wearing this seasons finest apparel. Home furnishing stores display warm and happy family images in order to reinforce our feelings of comfort and security. Jewelry stores display beautiful young couples in love. Sporting goods retailers use top level sports murals to stir up feelings of exceptional sports achievement.

Department stores utilize designer wallpaper and vinyl wall covering to modify shoppers moods as they move through different departments and sections. Men's clothiers might utilize rugged textured wallpaper patterns to create the sensation of masculinity while ladies lingerie areas use soft pale wall coverings to reinforce a feminine ambiance.

Even shopping mall management companies use the power of wall paper murals. Covering construction barricades help inform shopping traffic who the next retailer is and when they'll be open for business.

Custom wallpaper promotes corporate brand messaging

Many corporate giants promote their various brand messages in headquarter lobbies and corporate conference areas. Even small boutique companies brand their offices with custom wallpaper murals.

Hospitals use wallpaper murals to help calm patients and help take their minds to happier places. Museum and exhibit designers choose custom wallpaper murals to inform, explain and demonstrate a variety of complex and entertaining subjects.

Capitalize on consistant messaging with vinyl wall covering

National retail chains are able to maintain consistant brand messaging with closely managed custom wallpaper programs. Consistantly designed restaurant interiors give customers a feeling of home even when across the nation. These strategically designed interiors leverage their consistant core brand message that can be rolled out at any location.

To learn more about this powerful and effective medium, visit our custom wallpaper murals page. If you need help with a specific mural wall paper project, contact one of our wallpaper experts toll free at 888 781-7702.

Thanksgiving's magnificent excess

2009-11-20T16:16:11Z

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, most Americans are preparing to settle in for a day of excessive consumption of their favorite foods, family and football. It’s one of our greatest American traditions.

And in this time of ‘economic recession’ it would be wise to remember these quietly alarming statistics that were taken from a recent issue of Newsweek about the vastly generous and entrepreneurial nature of our great nation.

Rich people buy the most goods and services. Households with more than $200,000 in annual income earn only 3.4% of the total income but contribute 14% of the consumer spending. This is a real and sustainable force that creates jobs in this country.
The rich pay the majority of taxes. In 2006, the wealthiest 1% paid 28% of all federal taxes and the richest 10% paid 55%.
The wealthy dominate charitable giving. People whose incomes reach the top 10% account for nearly 50% of all charitable contributions. Give special thanks to those who build hospital wings and donate to research groups
Wealthy people are an important source of venture capital. They poor their money into start-up companies. Robust new business start-ups are necessary to replace antiquated and fading industrial businesses.

So as we sit down to our own magnificently excessive Thanksgiving feast this year, remember those courageous entrepreneurs who risk money, invest years of time, struggle to manage, learn high level skills and ultimately achieve an above average lifestyle. We have so very much to thank them for.

And note the striking similarity to the Pilgrims who struggled against incredible odds to survive their first year in Plymouth Colony. It was those courageous Americans who set the earliest standard for thanks-giving.

video provided by Creative Candle Holders Blog

Building Wraps for Rehab Construction

2009-09-15T15:14:19Z

Vinyl wallscapes and building wraps have become an integral component of rehabilitation construction project advertising campaigns. Savvy marketers know how to use building wraps to make big impressions.

Outsized building wraps and banners are an essential part of the advertising campaign. Fifty percent of customer response comes from a loft or condo development’s signage. It’s what they remember when they are surveyed as to how they heard about the project.

Gretchen Floresca, Principal of Werremeyer|Floresca, a St. Louis-based creative firm.

A well designed and strategically placed building wrap can be seen for miles. These attention grabbers display project names, phone numbers and web addresses. Oversized wallscapes capture the public's attention with unusual imagery and lifestyle messaging.

Building wraps are a huge driving force in marketing a construction or development project. They enable you to use the building as a billboard for the duration of the construction project right on through the leasing phase. They capture the public’s attention and drive traffic to your website.

Christa McCall, graphic designer for The Lawrence Group, an architectural, design and development firm headquartered in St. Louis

Leave the driving to us...

When you're ready to take your project's message into the world of wallscapes and building wraps, visit our How to buy wallscapes and building wraps Squidoo lens for a simple and quick tutorial.

Choose experienced graphic designers who know their craft. Listen to their ideas about how to get the message across.

Keep it simple. The most memorable billboard ads have a single persuasive message. Don't litter your signage with clutter. Use big and bold color for impact. Soft and gentle color hues are better left for magazine ads. You don't have a lot of reader time so make a strong statement with strong color.

Never underestimate the value of a high quality installation. This is where the rubber meets the road for the lifespan of your sign.

And when it's time to print, check your printer's credentials. Let their experience be your guide. Then choose the best!

To learn more, visit our Wallscape page. If you need project costs, visit our Quick Quote page.

Nationwide Insurance Wallscape Install

2009-08-18T17:55:27Z

In case you missed it... here is a nifty timelapse video of Nationwide Insurance's Obie Award Winning Outdoor Wallscape installation.

Nationwide enlisted Irving, TX-based t:m, the advertising firm that developed the creative content for the campaign's other formats, and Orange Barrel Media (Columbus), a billboard-sales company that brought fabrication inhouse, to develop a wallscape for a building that faces High and Spring streets, two primary Columbus thoroughfares.

Commerce Color printed the vinyl wallscapes for Orange Barrel and provided color swatches that were used to match the spilled paint color. Vist our wallscape gallery page to see other wallscape projects we've worked on. If you need a price for your wallscape and building wrap visit our Wallscape page and complete the Quick Quote form. We'll get right back to you!

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Most watched All-Star Game since 2002

2009-07-16T17:49:38Z

The 80th edition of Major League Baseball's Midsummer Classic took downtown St. Louis by storm - begininng with MLB FanFest on Friday morning, and culminating with the All-Star game Tuesday night.

We were happy to be chosen as one of the suppliers of event graphics for All-Star week 2009. As a selected large format graphics printer we produced wallscapes, window graphics and floor graphics, as shown here with the lovely and talented Hardee's Burger Girls.

The 2009 Major League Baseball All-Star Game delivered an average audience of 14.6 million viewers, making it the most-watched midsummer classic since 2002

It's All-Star Signage Season

2009-07-03T12:02:41Z

Major League Baseball has decended on St. Louis and is literally painting the town red with All-Star event signage. The city is buzzing with cleaning crews, landscapers and signage installers, all getting ready for All-Star Week. We're seeing wallscapes, pole banners, window graphics, floor graphics and more. It's great to be a part of the festivities and we're looking forward to a fantastic celebration.

Show me the money

According to St. Louis Regional Chamber & Growth Association (RCGA) Chief Economist Ruth Sergenian, the total bi-state regional economic impact of 2009 All-Star Summer will be approximately $60 million. An estimated 230,000 people will attend the All-Star Summer events including Major League Baseball All-Star FanFest, the State Farm Home Run Derby, and the All-Star Charity Concert benefitting Stand Up To Cancer, a free concert under the Arch.

Out-of-town visitors are expected to account for 49 percent of overall attendance. Direct spending by visitors (dining, retail, and hotels) and Cardinals operations will be $33 million. The indirect impact of that spending in the region will be $27 million.

Stay tuned for more

We'll be printing lots more cool MLB signage in the next few days so stay tuned for the next installment of large format photographs. In the meantime you can browse a few of our wallscape, windows and wallpaper galleries.

What makes Tiger Woods the best?

2009-05-29T21:42:11Z

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to meet the great Tiger Woods? If, somehow this opportunity came to you, what would you say to him? He's become such an icon of our time that most of us regular folk wouldn't quite know what to say. And that's a shame because under the veil of his super stardom, I'm certain he's just a regular guy, who plays golf better that everyone else!

So what makes him so big? It all about the props around him. No doubt he can deliver the great game but it's really what the media says about him that makes him larger than life. You see him in every newspaper, magazine and TV channel. His fans have billed him the greatest in the world.

So what makes you great?

Wouldn't it be great to have people say great things about you? Ask your self these simple questions. Do we make a great product? Do we have good long term relationships with our customers? Would they tell you what they like about you?

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, you may have discovered your own opportunity for greatness. Let your fans make you great with their glowing accolades. You'll find they're happy to comply if you just ask them.

And now some shameless Commerce Color self-promotion.

Just in case you missed a few of our glowing testimonials I invite you to visit the middle column to catch a few. Then move on over to the Pole Banner and Wallscape pages for a few more. And if you're still looking for some pats on the back try our Event Signage and Environmental Graphics pages. These are the people that make us great and we're thankful for them.

Now's your chance to tell us what so good about you. Take the plunge and make a comment.

Masthead image of Tiger Woods is used by permission

Wallscapes: no longer just a quick promo

2009-02-25T15:42:26Z

In 2004 and 2005, the St. Louis region experienced the start of an explosive downtown housing boom that saw the rehab and renovation of dozens of historic buildings and warehouses. We printed a gaggle of wallscapes and construction signs that dotted the downtown landscape, all touting the delicious luxury of downtown living.

It was a fantastic growth period where builders, contractors and speculators came from all over to acquire these turn-of-the-century monoliths and sculpt them into modern living masterpieces. And as time pressed on, the economic barometer begin to point in a new direction. And just like that... the downtown building boom was over.

Today, St Louis boasts some of the finest downtown living spaces available in the nation. Choose from lush rooftop gardens, fabulous riverfront views and ultra fashionable cafes and bistros within steps of your front door. All in all, we witnessed a glorious rebirth in downtown living. It's a really good thing!

So what happened to all that extra large construction signage? Most of those spectacular building wraps are gone today. They accomplished their objectives and their life is over. Others remain, however. And it makes me wonder if some of those savvy developers didn't foresee an extended life for their gigantic wallscapes. Perhaps the smart ones realized that these super signs would continue grabbing their customers attention well into the future.

Some, like the one pictured here, have been up for more than four years! And by the looks of it, may stay up for another four. It just goes to show how durable these giant vinyl banners are when they're printed well and installed properly.

Have you considered a giant wallscape or building wrap for your long term signage? Maybe you should.

We're new and improved

2009-02-16T18:34:49Z

After a significant time spent in development we've launched the completely redesigned commercecolor.com website! So, you may be wondering ...what was so wrong with the old one? Well, nothing really, except that as experts in large, wide and grand format printing, we wanted to communicate relevant information better via a blog. So here it is. Now you can speak your mind. And believe me, we're LISTENING!

We also wanted a better way to show you our sample projects. So we created some cool sample galleries. These show our projects better and faster. In this business we live and die by our most recent projects so it's important we give you a better way to browse them. Tell us what you think.

We also want to give you a better reason to choose us as your ongoing large, wide and grand format printing partner so we're trying to give you more info about out specific products. We've got a lot of capacity and we want you to use as much of our experience and expertise if possible. Have a look at our custom wallpaper page. Then pop over to our pole banner page. And don't forget to visit the wallscape page. It's got all those super-sexy jumbo building wraps. They're not to be missed.

So have a look around, then come back and tell us what you think. And if you want some extra cool stuff, sign up for our occasional e newsletter. You'll be glad you did!

LEGO loves their custom wallpaper

2009-01-06T13:53:30Z

Sally Corporation, a leading animatronics, amusement park and retail entertainment development company chose Commerce Color to produce custom wallpaper for the newest LEGOLAND Discovery Center just outside Chicago.

LEGOLAND Discovery Center is a 30,000-sf. leisure destination combining LEGO model building with theme park-like attractions including a dragon ride, adventure trail and 4D cinema incorporating LEGO creatures and LEGO-based special effects. LEGOLAND Discovery Center in Chicago is the first of its kind in the U.S. There are currently two LEGOLAND Discovery Centres in Germany: one in Berlin and one is Duisburg.

Commerce Color created the 12-foot by 33-foot custom digital wallcovering that lines the entrance to Mini-land, a 1,500 square foot room housing a replica of the city of Chicago built entirely with LEGOS. In the Hall of Fame area, Commerce Color provided all of the backdrop wall graphics for the characters of Harry Potter and Hagrid Indiana Jones and Batman. Commerce Color also created wall murals in the Build and Test area, a do-it-yourself model-making area for children.

Commerce Color printed massive vinyl wall murals for the Factory Tour, an attraction demonstrating how Lego bricks are made. Standing 9 feet tall and spanning 110 feet, the custom wall murals depict the interiors of a factory, replete with gears, conveyer belts, electrical systems, pipes and safety tape. The client, LEGO Group, felt that accurate color had never been achieved in the wall murals for this room in the previous two LEGOLAND Discovery Centres and commented that the color accuracy achieved by Commerce Color is the best that they have seen. States Rich Hill, designer at Sally Corporation: "LEGO had a 'color universe' with which we had to work. LEGO Group was extremely happy with everything we and Commerce Color did, and felt that the color quality of the murals was incredible--the best of the LEGOLAND Discovery Centres to date."

Want to see more of LEGOLAND's interiors? Check out this video on You Tube. And when you need the best color reproduction on your custom wallpaper project, call Commerce Color.

Oh and one more thing... we would love to get your comments so feel free to tell us what you think.