Color, Color, Color
As mentioned in previous posts, Interior Designers have a specific level of expectations when it comes to color matching as compared to the print professional. Color match is usually done with a Pantone book, a hard match, fabric samples, tile samples, etc…. Custom mixed spot colors for everything. As you and I know, this is NOT the case for the digital printer utilizing a 4, 6, 8, or even 10 color printing system.
Unfortunately, as a print professional, it is required that you help your client understand why certain colors can be matched, and why, certain colors, cannot.
Provide samples, early and often. Provide guidance, and feel free to suggest alternate color schemes that may not be the exact match, but more correctly compliment the overall design scheme.
Dimensions
As mentioned previously, it may be in your best interest to press hard about actual sizes, but to reserve final design finishes till after actual measurements are received from the installation team. Designers don’t always think in absolutes of size and shape – their responsibility is more often to make things LOOK good. Lead your clients with confidence and don’t be scared to reask- ‘Are you sure it’s that high?’
I had a job that was for a ceiling mural within a trendy restaurant in Pittsburgh, PA. I received drawings, and a real painting via FedEx. After scanning the artwork in, and examining the drawings, I made several calls to the designer in charge of the effort. I was calling because I was worried that the strangely shaped drawing was a top-down view, and not a bottom-up view. (I didnt know if I was supposed to reverse the drawing, and the mural, or not) After three “No, it’s fine, do it the way we sent it to you”, I received a frantic call a couple of hours later saying “WAIT WAIT! You were RIGHT! Make it in reverse!” I saved a customer that day.
Multiple Murals
When dealing with multiple murals, and often, mural counts that change, it’s good to make sure that you as the printer have a grasp on what sizes and images go where. It is the designer or architect’s expectation that you will handle that match up. Always put together an overview sheet that outlines the name of each mural location, the actual image, and the size (with or without bleed) of the mural. This is to protect you, the printer- and is a value add that the customer cannot live without.
I’ve had several instances where providing such a document has forced the designer to reassess their expectations, and to truly look at how the entire project plays out. I’ve caught a number of problems this way too. If a mural is intended to wrap around a corner, is that one mural, or two?
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