Colors speak loudly when it comes to brands. The professionals responsible for brand color from concept to final product need to speak the same language to ensure colors are communicating the correct message. You may think that ideal is hard to achieve. Take a look to discover how you can get the color management skills from leading companies to communicate brand color, maintain its integrity through the workflow, and save costs. For some real-world insight, in the comprehensive rebranding of American Airlines, the iconic brand’s red, white, and blue signature colors were reinvigorated. A product of extensive market research, the update was made to evoke a “more modern, vibrant, and welcoming spirit” that represents modern American ideals. Leading the project was Chief Creative Officer Sven Seger of FutureBrand, a creative branding agency that helps companies like American Airlines use color to enhance their brand. Seger, one keynote at the 2013 Color Management Conference, modernized the brand, creating a new livery and logo. The first in the last 40 years, this update effectively communicates the brand and remains consistent across different aircraft composite materials, ticketing kiosks, credit cards, and other substrates as well as online. Seger goes in depth at the conference as to how his team defined the American brand’s core message and created a design that saves their client resources by being repeatable across multiple substrates.  A further example of how the rebranding experts of FutureBrand approach critical color consistency is in the creation of a new visual identity for UPS that was carried across all of the brand’s products from vehicles to uniforms to packaging. They also helped their clients communicate the revamped look through the workflow of design, production, and implementation of the new brand. The rebrand included a “color palette designed to both complement and energize brown—the company’s signature color for over 100 years.” According to this FutureBrand case study, the rebranding resulted in 13% increased earnings and ranked in FORTUNE Magazine’s Top 50 in brand recognition in 2011. Creative software company Adobe is one that is constantly putting out more innovative products to help designers maintain color from screen to print like Creative CloudTM, Photoshop® CC, and Illustrator® CC. Adobe Senior Creative Director Russell Brown is an Emmy Award-winning instructor, Adobe Photoshop virtuoso, and host of a popular Web tutorials series, “The Russell Brown Show.” Brown utilizes creative Photoshop design techniques to get the most precise colors. Another all-star keynote at the 2013 Color Management Conference, he offers aesthetic and technical tips to maximize software for consistent color management. Passionate about adding real tangibility to his work, he states that “projects aren’t real until we have something we can touch, like a print,” said...

Colors speak loudly when it comes to brands. The professionals responsible for brand color from concept to final product need to speak the same language to ensure colors are communicating the correct message. You may think that ideal is hard to achieve. Take a look to discover how you can get the color management skills from leading companies to communicate brand color, maintain its integrity through the workflow, and save costs. For some real-world insight, in the comprehensive rebranding of American Airlines, the iconic brand’s red, white, and blue signature colors were reinvigorated. A product of extensive market research, the update was made to evoke a “more modern, vibrant, and welcoming spirit” that represents modern American ideals. Leading the project was Chief Creative Officer Sven Seger of FutureBrand, a creative branding agency that helps companies like American Airlines use color to enhance their brand. Seger, one keynote at the 2013 Color Management Conference, modernized the brand, creating a new livery and logo. The first in the last 40 years, this update effectively communicates the brand and remains consistent across different aircraft composite materials, ticketing kiosks, credit cards, and other substrates as well as online. Seger goes in depth at the conference as to how his team defined the American brand’s core message and created a design that saves their client resources by being repeatable across multiple substrates.  A further example of how the rebranding experts of FutureBrand approach critical color consistency is in the creation of a new visual identity for UPS that was carried across all of the brand’s products from vehicles to uniforms to packaging. They also helped their clients communicate the revamped look through the workflow of design, production, and implementation of the new brand. The rebrand included a “color palette designed to both complement and energize brown—the company’s signature color for over 100 years.” According to this FutureBrand case study, the rebranding resulted in 13% increased earnings and ranked in FORTUNE Magazine’s Top 50 in brand recognition in 2011. Creative software company Adobe is one that is constantly putting out more innovative products to help designers maintain color from screen to print like Creative CloudTM, Photoshop® CC, and Illustrator® CC. Adobe Senior Creative Director Russell Brown is an Emmy Award-winning instructor, Adobe Photoshop virtuoso, and host of a popular Web tutorials series, “The Russell Brown Show.” Brown utilizes creative Photoshop design techniques to get the most precise colors. Another all-star keynote at the 2013 Color Management Conference, he offers aesthetic and technical tips to maximize software for consistent color management. Passionate about adding real tangibility to his work, he states that “projects aren’t real until we have something we can touch, like a print,” said...

TAGA’s Annual Technical Conference is where the latest in global technological research and development for the printing and graphic arts industry is presented. The environment here is alive with active discussion on what’s new, innovative, and has the most impact in our industry. If you want to be the first to know what technologies will be emerging and changing the way we operate, this is the forum to attend. Attendees experience technical presentations from business leaders, scientists, academics, and professionals, and all are full of excitement as new ideas and solutions are revealed after months or even years of development. Some of the brightest minds in the industry, including students, research scientists, engineers, and the world of academia converge here for three days of dissertations, learning, and some serious networking. Take a look at what you can expect from the 66th TAGA Annual Technical Conference, happening March 23–26, 2014, in Fort Worth, Texas. Innovations That Rock the Industry Conference presentations provide insight into the future of the industry, making them highly valuable if you want to be an early adopter of the technologies. Presenting companies highlight their research and technology to their peers. Keynotes gather from leading companies around the world. In 2013 the conference welcomed top minds from Heidelberg, Landa Digital Printing, Kodak, and many other organizations and universities. Two types of papers are presented. Scientific Papers are based on emerging science, technology, and the application of all forms of graphic technology and printing processes. Technical Innovation Papers cover topics where a broad technology perspective is needed, focusing on issues that are current to the industry and critical to its development. Abstracts are submitted, and the top papers are chosen for presentation. More information can be found in the 2014 Call for Papers (PDF download). Intelligent Idea Swapping It’s impossible not to learn something in a room concentrated with intense intellect. This conference attracts a diverse group of professionals and students who come together from around the world to discuss industry innovations. Attendees have the opportunity for unparalleled networking. At next year’s event in Fort Worth, Texas, expect to make connections in both quality and quantity. Student Involvement Few other technology-centered events promote such strong student participation. Eager college students conduct research and can present the results of those projects during the student portion of the conference. These student papers and journals add great value to their future careers and can even earn them awards, as the TAGA Board of Directors judges all student papers. TAGA Past President Paul Cousineau described student members as, “The best and brightest students in our industry and our up-and-coming stars.” Find out more about TAGA Student membership. Learn more about TAGA and...

TAGA’s Annual Technical Conference is where the latest in global technological research and development for the printing and graphic arts industry is presented. The environment here is alive with active discussion on what’s new, innovative, and has the most impact in our industry. If you want to be the first to know what technologies will be emerging and changing the way we operate, this is the forum to attend. Attendees experience technical presentations from business leaders, scientists, academics, and professionals, and all are full of excitement as new ideas and solutions are revealed after months or even years of development. Some of the brightest minds in the industry, including students, research scientists, engineers, and the world of academia converge here for three days of dissertations, learning, and some serious networking. Take a look at what you can expect from the 66th TAGA Annual Technical Conference, happening March 23–26, 2014, in Fort Worth, Texas. Innovations That Rock the Industry Conference presentations provide insight into the future of the industry, making them highly valuable if you want to be an early adopter of the technologies. Presenting companies highlight their research and technology to their peers. Keynotes gather from leading companies around the world. In 2013 the conference welcomed top minds from Heidelberg, Landa Digital Printing, Kodak, and many other organizations and universities. Two types of papers are presented. Scientific Papers are based on emerging science, technology, and the application of all forms of graphic technology and printing processes. Technical Innovation Papers cover topics where a broad technology perspective is needed, focusing on issues that are current to the industry and critical to its development. Abstracts are submitted, and the top papers are chosen for presentation. More information can be found in the 2014 Call for Papers (PDF download). Intelligent Idea Swapping It’s impossible not to learn something in a room concentrated with intense intellect. This conference attracts a diverse group of professionals and students who come together from around the world to discuss industry innovations. Attendees have the opportunity for unparalleled networking. At next year’s event in Fort Worth, Texas, expect to make connections in both quality and quantity. Student Involvement Few other technology-centered events promote such strong student participation. Eager college students conduct research and can present the results of those projects during the student portion of the conference. These student papers and journals add great value to their future careers and can even earn them awards, as the TAGA Board of Directors judges all student papers. TAGA Past President Paul Cousineau described student members as, “The best and brightest students in our industry and our up-and-coming stars.” Find out more about TAGA Student membership. Learn more about TAGA and...

How do you measure an event’s success? If the answer is by growing audiences and high attendee satisfaction, then the recent Continuous Improvement (CI), Binding Industries Association (BIA), and Printing Industry Financial Executives (PIFE) Conferences, co-located in Indianapolis, were a phenomenal success! Thanks to the diligent work of many people at Printing Industries of America, and our partners for CI, the Flexographic Technical Association (FTA) and Specialty Graphic Imaging Association (SGIA), and our Affiliates, these events saw record numbers of attendees in April 2013. CI attendance, which has been growing over the past decade, increased again. BIA experienced an even larger increase, and director, Justin Goldstein, remarked that, “one of our biggest goals for the 2013 BIA Conference was to attract a wider variety of attendees so that they could be immersed in not only industry-group-focused BIA sessions, but also well-suited CI sessions.” Exceptional content for ultimate learning “Continuous Improvement requires a unique mindset. It can’t be looked at as just a task or project, but more a way of life.” — 2013 CI Attendee, Russ Palm, Continuous Improvement Manager, IWCO Direct Any great educational event needs relevant, superior content to keep attendees coming back. These conferences were no exception with knowledgeable presenters, valuable networking sessions, and exceptional plant tours. With a combined attendance of more than 450, attendees reported that they were impressed with the CI keynote speakers. Here is a sampling of what they learned: Alan Robinson, author of Ideas Are Free, explained how to put in place an idea system that will generate multiple implemented improvement ideas from each employee each year.  He challenged attendees to have at least 12 implemented improvement ideas per employee before the 2014 CI Conference in Dallas. Mike Wroblewski, director of Kaizen Institute USA, reviewed exactly what front-line supervisors should be doing every day—hour by hour—in order to sustain an improvement culture. Jim Lancaster, CEO of Lantech, a manufacturer known for its use of Lean Manufacturing concepts, spoke about how he changed his leadership attitude, behavior, and activities in order to support the improvement efforts of employees.    Dan Marx, SGIA’s Vice President-Markets & Technologies, also learned that, “innovation and efficiency go hand-in-hand.” As he stated in a recent article in What They Think, printers “need to invest in innovation as a planned part of their business approach and to benefit from the strong benefits that innovation can bring.” Enhancements Many BIA and CI attendees took the opportunity to participate in local plant tours and networking sessions for experiential learning. The BIA conference was highlighted by tours of Great Lakes Graphics Association members D.E. Baugh’s and Eckhart & Co.’s state-of-the-art facilities. As Goldstein reports, BIA plant tours, along with peer and supplier...

How do you measure an event’s success? If the answer is by growing audiences and high attendee satisfaction, then the recent Continuous Improvement (CI), Binding Industries Association (BIA), and Printing Industry Financial Executives (PIFE) Conferences, co-located in Indianapolis, were a phenomenal success! Thanks to the diligent work of many people at Printing Industries of America, and our partners for CI, the Flexographic Technical Association (FTA) and Specialty Graphic Imaging Association (SGIA), and our Affiliates, these events saw record numbers of attendees in April 2013. CI attendance, which has been growing over the past decade, increased again. BIA experienced an even larger increase, and director, Justin Goldstein, remarked that, “one of our biggest goals for the 2013 BIA Conference was to attract a wider variety of attendees so that they could be immersed in not only industry-group-focused BIA sessions, but also well-suited CI sessions.” Exceptional content for ultimate learning “Continuous Improvement requires a unique mindset. It can’t be looked at as just a task or project, but more a way of life.” — 2013 CI Attendee, Russ Palm, Continuous Improvement Manager, IWCO Direct Any great educational event needs relevant, superior content to keep attendees coming back. These conferences were no exception with knowledgeable presenters, valuable networking sessions, and exceptional plant tours. With a combined attendance of more than 450, attendees reported that they were impressed with the CI keynote speakers. Here is a sampling of what they learned: Alan Robinson, author of Ideas Are Free, explained how to put in place an idea system that will generate multiple implemented improvement ideas from each employee each year.  He challenged attendees to have at least 12 implemented improvement ideas per employee before the 2014 CI Conference in Dallas. Mike Wroblewski, director of Kaizen Institute USA, reviewed exactly what front-line supervisors should be doing every day—hour by hour—in order to sustain an improvement culture. Jim Lancaster, CEO of Lantech, a manufacturer known for its use of Lean Manufacturing concepts, spoke about how he changed his leadership attitude, behavior, and activities in order to support the improvement efforts of employees.    Dan Marx, SGIA’s Vice President-Markets & Technologies, also learned that, “innovation and efficiency go hand-in-hand.” As he stated in a recent article in What They Think, printers “need to invest in innovation as a planned part of their business approach and to benefit from the strong benefits that innovation can bring.” Enhancements Many BIA and CI attendees took the opportunity to participate in local plant tours and networking sessions for experiential learning. The BIA conference was highlighted by tours of Great Lakes Graphics Association members D.E. Baugh’s and Eckhart & Co.’s state-of-the-art facilities. As Goldstein reports, BIA plant tours, along with peer and supplier...