Ordering the Banner

After weighing the pros and cons, I finally decided to go with the Skyline banner. While it might stand out as different the one time all the banners are up together, I think it would be a better choice in the long run because it is lighter to carry and, most importantly, the material is durable fabric that will not get dented and dinged like the unforgiving stiff plastic banner offered by Lafayette Printing. The glossy look of the Lafayette Printing product was very nice, but the plastic was easily dented, instantly ruining the overall effect. Lisa was pleased with my decision, saying that she would have chosen the same, but that she had wanted to leave the big choice to me, the “project manager.” With that taken care of, I met with Kathy Lantz to get the stock photo ordered, and once I got the image I plugged it in to the banner design and got the file prepped and ready to be sent off. I came into the office on Tuesday with the file and Lisa called our sales rep at Skyline, but she wasn’t in, and wasn’t able to get back to us before break, so we’ll order the banner when we get back next week.

Choosing between the two printers was very difficult. This banner will be an expensive investment that will last for years, so I took it very seriously. The difference in cost was very slight, so it didn’t really factor into the decision. While other departments in the College of Liberal Arts got their banners printed through Lafayette Printing, the fact that our banner would be lasting for years led me to choose Skyline’s more durable product. As a designer, I will have to choose printers and product options for almost every print project, so getting experience with weighing in the purpose of the project and what is most important to the client when making big decisions like this one will help me in the future. I’m glad that I was given the authority and responsibility to make the important decisions on this project; this is exactly the kind of experience I was hoping to gain from this internship.