The Tecnological Advantage of Promoting Your Business with Signs 

Rich Cruz

I used to absolutely despise computers. I would joke with my colleagues at the University of Chicago that I was like a caveman who just discovered fire, and didn't like it--I'd rather have been left in the cold than to be burned by technology. In fact, my angst against computers was heightened when I took a dead Mac programming language (one of the many dead languages taught at the U of C), and I received a less-than-stellar grade.

After all, I was a visual art major--a sculptor, painter, sketch artist, installation artist. In short, a fine artist. However, there came a time when I had to face facts... I needed to get a job and hone my skills to survive. Therefore, I attended Columbia College for graphic design.

Why to I tell this tale? I recently read an article in the Business Ledger, the Chicago Suburbs' answer to Crain's Chicago Business. You can ead the article from the Business Ledger HERE.

Basically, what it talks about is how the sign industry has been affected by the economy lately. But, along with that, it discusses the incredible strides which have been made in technology to get your message across.

When I was a silk screen printer working my way through college in the early 1990's, we still did most things by hand. It was labor intensive, and many of the signs did not have that vibrant "polished" look.

With today's digital print technology, the days of trying to compete with 1-2 color hand-painted signs (as was customary up to the 1980's, and is still widely practiced at a great many stores) are virtually over. Computerized gadgets and gizmos, such as the large-format print technology Behold! Signs uses to manufacture graphics, are being used to create signs, and the companies that are using these signs are the smart money. They know that they can use most effectively the psychology of color and the emotion of art and photographic renderings to set themselves apart from the competition.

Don't get me wrong, I have a great deal of respect for the letterheads, muralists, and hand painters. Sign making using hand lettering is a craft and and art which stands the test of time. However, if you want to cost-effectively get to the head of the marketing class, large-format digital printing can meet your needs.