Imagine this. It’s Monday morning, you’ve got your mug of tea in hand, and you’re ready to tackle your day with gusto. Then your boss waltzes unannounced into your office and surprises you with the news. You’ve been tasked with managing the entire sign project for your company. No pressure. It’s only a massive undertaking that could make or break your career if details don’t go according to plan, within the deadline and on budget. Your mind starts racing - how will I get this done? Where do I even begin? I literally don’t know what I don’t know!
To show management what you can do and get noticed by the top people in your company, you need a reputable partner who can easily guide you through creating ideas and solutions. Project Management is necessary when tackling a sign project, particularly those that are more comprehensive and expansive in pieces and scope. With many moving parts, it’s evident that your sign partner must have Project Management in their service offerings:
The 4 Phases of Project Management
The Ideation
From start to finish, a great sign partner will thoughtfully guide you throughout the entire process. They meet you right where you are, whether that’s at the concepting phase or further along in your sign project journey. Powered with creativity, graphic designers enter the scene to solidify your logo and brand. Using a consultative approach, a team of experts work to understand unique needs and you bring your brand vision to life.
“Project management is a differentiator between an average sign partner and a great sign partner,” said Simon Slee, franchisee at FASTSIGNS® Hammersmith. “The value that we, as experts, bring to our customers is to fully manage the process including organising any required permits, coordinating with various departments within their organisation, dealing with supply chain issues and installing the final product. We also help them meet all deadlines, eliminate mistakes and bring aspects of the process to light that a customer might not have even considered.”
Laying the Groundwork
From deadlines to budgeting and considering any possible challenges, this phase involves working out all the details of how to get your sign where people can view it. It involves task allocation, timelines, and supply resources all the way to deliverables. All in all, this is where the foundation of bringing your project to life begins.
Getting it Done
This is usually the busy part of the project management phase. Production specialists, an installation crew and suppliers all play a vital role in the project journey. A project manager works regularly with all the moving parts to be sure all permits are filed and approved while keeping you up-to-date in the process.
Sometimes, they wade into the details of compliance and permitting, so you don’t have to get your feet wet. As the project begins to wrap up, they are actively involved with the installation, the final step in the process of turning your vision into a reality. Without proper project management, you risk delays, added costs, and possible fines. Be sure your project runs smooth and is more than what you imagined with great project management.
The Big Reveal
This is when all signs have been installed and deliverables are handed over or shown to the client. Additional services that a team might manage include continued content management, and shipping and storage. A reliable sign partner believes in the value of project managers being active throughout the life of the project, so you can focus on your job while they focus on the sign transformation journey.
So how does it work in real life? Here’s one example of how this end-to-end solution worked for Signia Hearing:
End-to-End Services Transform a Blank Space into Vibrant Office Environment
Moving into a new office location, Signia Hearing had a completely blank canvas and was unsure of what they could achieve in their office space with their available budget. They wanted the office to showcase elements that underpinned their branding and create an environment that empowered staff.
Starting from scratch, the designers and sign experts took the current website branding and developed design concepts, which cleverly utilised fixtures and fittings whilst positioning the brand prominently throughout the building. FASTSIGNS were involved in working with onsite contractors to finalise installation timelines and onsite requirements.
Once approved by the customer, the logo design and brand elements were developed into sign concepts. Using a bold colour palette of red and black against a primarily white background, FASTSIGNS installed an illuminated panel in the business reception. The lightbox provided instant impact and acted as a backdrop to a large acrylic sign showcasing the brand's logo. Moving through the building FASTSIGNS used a number of vinyl substrates to create a wall graphic that continuously ran around the interior walls of the building. This wall graphic depicted an unbroken sound wave which strongly aligned with the brand's purpose, to provide quality hearing support to their customers.
Finally, multilevel and sized acrylic letters, combined with vinyl lettering were used to create wall graphics which positioned company mottos prominently within the workspace.