Digital printing and signage show, September 2008
by Marc Levy, Signs360
As leading sign manufacturers and sign designers in the Australian market, we need to be constantly looking for new ideas in this industry, to increase our knowledge regularly and to stay abreast of the changes in the signage world.
Just as doctors and specialists travel all over the world to conferences and events in order to further their skill in the field, signmakers and sign designers need to attend all sign and graphics shows worldwide in order to remain informed of the ever-changing technologies that push the boundaries of excellence in the signage business.
I recently traveled to Johannesburg for the Signs Africa 2008 show, which incorporates signs, graphic design, technology, marketing, branding and visionary creativity. This experience made me realise that to be on top of the signage game, one needs to have a vast understanding of all the above spheres, as well as a firm grasp of how a business creates sales and generates profit. After manufacturing signs for decades, I still maintain the same passion for it I had when I first completed my university studies and chose this as my business.
I enjoy the opportunity to visit or display at a signage event such an event the way a child enjoys the excitement of the circus, or a teenager revels in the electric atmosphere of a rock concert. The world renowned Signs Africa 2008 show was a three day rock concert-equivalent, with a full schedule and a long to-do list. Time was precious and I set off immediately to soak up the mood of this outstanding sign show and the expertise and knowledge that awaited me.
Once I had navigated my way through the heavy Johannesburg traffic, I eventually arrived at the entrance of the Sign Show. The first thing I noticed as I approached the entrance was the cardboard barriers which led one to the registration area. The cardboard barrier signs were used as directional signs to the entrance, and the space on the boards was utilised by displaying digital printing of various companies that were displaying at the show. As always, the leading brands in the business dominated the advertising area on the directional barrier signs to capture the attention of the target consumer. I was amazed to see how long the registration queue was; yet another reminder of how significance and popularity of the sign and graphic industry in modern world today.
I have attended numerous shows all over the world, from kitchen shop fitting to décor marketing, to name a few, but have never seen interest like this before. The reason for this is perhaps twofold:
Business people of today realise that, as the world economies experience a downturn, innovative improvements will have to be made in order to increase the marketing and branding of products to reach a wider audience. This will enable them to grab a greater share of a shrinking market. Visual signage and branding plays an important role in this marketing process and is a must when it comes to putting the product in front of the consumer, trying to instill the company’s image in the consumer’s mind and keep sales at an acceptable level. This branding principle is reiterated by the advertising and marketing gurus of the business during times of a stifled economy.
The second possible reason for the long queues is a testament to the organisers of the Sign show. Being marketing people, the planning of the show organisers and their execution of the entire event, reaching such a large audience and bringing so many people to the event, was extremely impressive.
I approached the Reception desk and asked the assistant if these queues were like this all the time throughout the three day period. I was surprised to hear that the queues were not actually that busy in comparison to the occasions whereby visitors have queued all the way around the block! After filling out the registration form I eventually entered the first hall of bright lights and glitz, with stands in all colours of the rainbow popping out every where as I absorbed the general ambience of the hall.
The first stand I visited was a signs and graphics company promoting their products and services. Ford Panel Van stood at the stand, displaying a very well executed vehicle wrap, which created a very strong visual appearance as well as a clear indication of all the company’s activities. The colours chosen for the Ute were beige, yellow and green, well balanced, with art work that was professionally delivered and installed. This type of signage is a smart investment for any company because well signaged vehicles in main cities create strong mobile billboards that convey the company’s messages day and night. Also featured on the visual graphic of the van was a life sized human image, which of course reeled in plenty of attention, and cleverly featured the company’s name and website address. In my opinion, website addresses today should be more dominant in marketing and advertising, as most consumers use the Internet to get to the source of products and services.
On top of the Ute was a well constructed roof rack made of anodised aluminium for storing and moving signs, ladders, equipment, and so on. On this large roof rack, individual cut stainless steel letters were mounted on to the railing of the roof rack featuring the company’s name. This type of signage produces a very good visual appearance and makes the vehicle, in addition to a moving billboard, a showroom for the sign company’s ability to produce unusual and impactful signage when on the road or in a big city.
With my plastic bag in hand, ready to grab any printed information or useful giveaways, I ventured on to the next stand which, unbeknown to me, was the stand that won the award of the event. Raised illuminated floors with full graphic backwall and two banners included, promoting new products presented themselves. The digital printing in the background was very real and the graphic portrayed a subtle picture. The illuminated desk at the end of the illuminated floor, in conjunction with the skirting below the deck, was all illuminated in shades of blue.
When one stepped out from the display into the passages, all one could see were small, medium and large digital printers, from all over the world and represented by different cultures. An Israeli-designed digital printer was rolling out graphics of famous icons and branding images. Three-metre wide digital printers are the in-thing. These graphics are either printed on fabric or screened on to self adhesive materials.
As my fellow visitors and I moved along, we were surprised to find Hoechst promoting their ultra light, space age fabric. These fabrics are used in many applications and there are some new enlightening and innovative ideas coming out of the UK, with fabric tunnels in stadiums and walkways, utilising the space around the tunnels and reception areas.
There was also a very smart, renowned brand Sign company exhibiting. The owner of Midrand Signarama was an inspiration to spend time with as he has a passion for the sign business. I was impressed to see the use of digitally screened magnets on the sides of cars in various colours and sophisticated laminating machines were on display too. Illuminated Slim Light Box A Frames were also on display for their attention-grabbing and great marketing ability.
Other features at the show included perspex sign manufacturers displaying different thicknesses and colours of their Perspex and Polyurthethane display signs – as well as digitally printed, high resolution vacuum formed sheet-creating logos, signs and images. A variety of substrates can be used, from standard to high definition cast acrylic, polycarbonates, foam, PVCs or ABSs. Glass shelving suspended by stainless steel chains and held together with special engineered high tech bolts were displayed and there were also full display systems for complete walls: Fifteen properties were for sale on one wall, all beautifully photographed, well designed, printed and attached to the walls and ceilings via a cable component system. These systems consisted of ballister kits using steel cable and weights.
The highlight of the show for me was the Absen Optoelectronics. It offers the most effective signage product on the market today _ a high definition, full-colour LED screen. These are the screens you see around the football stadiums and on major intersections in large cities around the world. These magnificent, larger-than-life TV screens radiate brilliantly throughout cities of the world.
Also new on the market is an effective, mobile advertising medium that puts a company’s product ‘in front of the traffic’ and can currently be seen in Poland, Russia, Bulgaria, Saudi Arabia, USA, Rumania, Czech Republic, Columbia, China, Israel, France. With the World Cup coming to South Africa, this is definitely the product to use. The effectiveness of this type of advertising out shadows anything similar to it. I was also impressed to see the advancement in doming machines, which hold huge potential for grabbing market share and showing off any product with pride. The Jaguar 20cm die cut dome in clear against a dark background certainly stood out.
Polycom, who were established in 1985 and who are the leaders in LED display, had a magnificent sign with Coca Cola flashing across it. Just imagine this colossal Coca Cola LED signage in space … the impact was spectacular! I have to say that I have a definite passion for these LED screens dotted all over the world, broadcasting top brands in beautiful high resolution, providing television to passers-by on the streets. And as we have all seen in rock concerts and major sporting events worldwide, enormous LED billboards screening top quality products in high resolution are always a major feature.
Another stand that caught my eye was a company called Synchron Marketing. Their stand featured an eight-metre city graphic along the surface of a wall. The floor was the street and when you stood in the street and looked at the buildings, you felt as if you were in a city. The products on offer were shown all over the streets and buildings within the graphic, which worked very well for a marketing stand at the Sign Exhibition. It was great to see the foldable tunnel too. It is ideal for instant protection for sporting grounds, sporting events and providing links between two buildings. The branding possibilities of these foldable tunnels are enormous.
I look forward to the next Signage Exhibition!
