Signs of the Times - July 2016 - (Page 70)

STATE of the INDUSTRY Five industry minds weigh in on demanding clients, disruptive technologies, digital printing and more. Compiled by Robin Donovan What are the sign industry's top challenges today? Demanding clients KEVIN: There seem to be more and more revisions (changed designs) requested than ever before ... and we accommodate more than ever, creating a vicious cycle of what is often wasted time in the process. JARED: The sophisticated client knows what they want, the others look to us for guidance. The more sophisticated the client, the more info, drawings, solid work files, Rhino files, CAD files and sketches we get. CHRIS: The Internet and superstores (e.g., Costco, Staples) seem to set customer expectations for fast, inexpensive signs and banners. Differentiation is the only way to compete. ... Before, you competed with other shops and maybe a big-box store like Staples, Costco or Walmart. Now, you have to be concerned with net-savvy users price-checking everywhere. Small staffs JARED: Marketing, sales and operations are very distinct skillsets - and most signshops are too small to have experts staffing all areas. Regulatory issues KEVIN: We're still facing too many uneducated planners and sign regulators developing and administering antiquated sign ordinances and regulations. BILL: There are increasingly strict and often misguided local sign-code regulations governing allowable types, sizes and placements of signs ... [as well as] more extensive and costly requirements for complying with various state or national codes and standards. Which industry segments are growing the fastest? KEVIN: Digitally printed graphics for multiple substrates and seemingly limitless uses have become a huge part of the industry. We are now heavily invested [through acquisition] in wide-format and other printed graphics capabilities. VINCE: I'm seeing more demand for flexible [soft] signage. JARED: Cabinets, custom displays and letters [are primarily driving our growth] - along with a big increase in large-format-graphics applications. Which new markets are you targeting? JARED: Healthcare, beverage and communications (Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon) are all going gangbusters for us right now. Big markets are where the dollars are coming from. 70 SIGNS OF THE TIMES July 2016 KEVIN: The retail market segment, across many industries such as department stores, big-box, grocery businesses, petroleum, etc., is very dynamic these days. They have lots of focus on finding ways to get more competitive and engage their customers, which involves many forms of visual communications. Both the exterior and interior of their sites are being used for this retail-customer engagement. I think this is where the heretofore relatively slow [growth] in developing static and dynamic digital signage as part of our industry's offerings will explode. Petroleum sites and convenience stores in particular will be high-volume, looking ahead. What disruptive technologies have impacted you - or are on the horizon? JARED: Specialty films, leather, suede, chrome, carbon fiber, reflective, [architectural surface], wood grains and rock surfaces ... very cool stuff. KEVIN: The technologies involving retail customer engagement are powder keg-like in their potential for explosion. Here, I'm talking about not only dynamic digital-signage systems, but also things like beacon technology, near-field communications, personal wayfinding devices, GPS-activated options, virtualreality applications, cooler-door videos, mobile-device apps and even scent/smell products. VINCE: More smart signs (however, privacy issues will impact these). Electronic IDs, Internet-connected signs and 3-D enhancements will engage viewers. I also anticipate having greater involvement with printed conductive materials for circuits and RFIDtype antennas in the next few years. JILL: I am curious about 3-D printing and whether it would help to incorporate that into our concept development. [And] there is definitely a big move toward digital content, whether it be on a smaller device, touchscreen or billboard-sized display. The content is more interactive. Graphics-design packages are becoming a blend of both. CHRIS: Cloud services seem to be the future, but it will take more web-savvy clients for this to really take off. As millennials become the decisionmakers, doing things over social media will be more prominent. I also think sign shops may be relegated to fabrication and production as more and more intelligent and easy-to-use design tools become available to end users. We may become endpoints who just print and finish work. In 20 years, we may finally see holographic-projection signs and virtual reality will

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Signs of the Times - July 2016

Signs of the Times - July 2016
Columns & Departments
ST Update
Technology Update
Integrating High-End Effects in Your Design
Vinyl Apps
Strictly Commercial
Lighting Techniques
Moving Message
Technology Review - Computerized Cutters’ Accu-Form
Technology Review - Cyrious software
Design Matters
New Products
Signs that Invite
Horseshoe-Shaped Window Graphics
Driving West
State of the Industry
Returns to Glory
Enter ST’s Vehicle Graphics Contest
Advertising Index
Editorially Speaking

Signs of the Times - July 2016