By Olivia Cahoon
Part 1 of 2
Brands continually look for new and effective ways to advertise. While traditional signage is found on billboards or vehicle wraps, corporations take advertising to the next level with custom airport graphics. Offering high visibility in dense traffic areas, applications include banners, backlit displays, floor graphics, vinyl lettering, and wall art.
InView Graphics
In January 2007, InView Graphics Corporation started with five employees in Chattanooga, TN. The company originally operated with one roll printer and minimal finishing equipment from a 1,500 square foot workspace. The print service provider (PSP) primarily served retail customers and produced backlit advertising signage, mall directory maps, banners, kiosks, and retail signs for local and nationwide customers.
With attention to detail, quality work, and respect for customers, InView Graphics quickly grew. “Organic growth came in steadily—in spite of the great recession going on around us—to the point that we had to move within a couple of years,” says Brian Haley, account representative, Chattanooga Regional Airport, InView Graphics.
The PSP’s move to a 5,000 square foot location welcomed its first flatbed printer and two roll printers with three additional employees. InView Graphics then expanded its work scope and target customer base to include manufacturers, hospitals, banking, schools, and businesses. The PSP’s growth continued and in 2012 it purchased a 10,000 square foot building with additional presses, an Esko router, and added several employees.
In 2013, it acquired a small sign business, which placed InView Graphics in the market for more local sign work such as the Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport. “We began doing various sign projects for airports, which offers high visibility and helps our business grow,” comments Haley.
For its most recent move, the PSP purchased a 40,000 square foot building on four acres of land in January 2016. Since then, the company enjoys steady growth. It currently has 24 employees and 11 printers, which include four flatbed presses, two large banner printers, a fabric press, and four roll printers. “This gives us the ability to print on virtually any printable substrate from fabric to metal,” adds Haley.
Airport Displays
InView Graphics produces and installs a variety of signage for local airports. Its interior displays include cut vinyl lettering for windows and doors, backlit advertising, banners, wayfinding signs, and adhesive graphics for floors, columns, walls, and raceways. Its exterior signage is primarily monument signs identifying the airport, jetway signs, parking lot wayfinding signs, pole banners, and temporary event signage. Currently, less than five percent of the PSP’s work is digitally printed signage for airports.
InView Graphics prints rigid board with Fujifilm North America Corporation UV inks on Fujifilm Acuity Advance Select presses. The PSP selected Fujifilm for its quality and production speeds. For adhesive and backlit production, it uses HP Inc. HP Latex 570 Printers as well as HP backlit film and 3M Commercial Solutions adhesive products. “The HP latex systems give us fast turnaround times and still maintain extremely high quality,” offers Haley.
Software includes ONYX ProductionHouse from Onyx Graphics, Inc. Finishing is completed with an Esko router for cutting, Miller Weldmaster welding equipment for banners, and SEAL laminators from ACCO Brands.
Thanks to its digital technology, InView Graphics is very successful with airport signage. Occasionally, it experiences challenges with local sign ordinances. Additionally, Haley says heavy traveler traffic also poses issues for installation.
Airport Security Advertising
In 2018, SecurityPoint Media approached InView Graphics for adhesive graphics displayed in the Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport. SecurityPoint Media is an airport passenger security checkpoint advertising agency that provides end-to-end solutions to improve efficiencies in the security screening process while delivering high-impact advertising opportunities.
The advertising company needed printed adhesive graphics for its client, CHI Memorial Hospital based in Chattanooga, TN. According to Haley, it was important that the graphics were consistent with CHI Memorial’s branding requests.
For this job, InView Graphics selected the HP Latex 570 with latex inks. The HP Latex 570 features a 64-inch maximum roll width with speeds up to 980 square feet per hour.
The PSP printed the graphics on Avery Dennison Graphics Solutions film, which Haley says provides easy application and enhanced adhesion qualities. After printing, the graphics were laminated with the SEAL 65 Pro MD and trimmed to exact specifications.
In two weeks, InView Graphics created 1,000 square feet of large, adhesive graphics that featured the hospital’s logo. They were applied to interior walls, columns, and stanchion divider panels within the airport.
The PSP experienced little challenges. To avoid traffic, team members scheduled late shifts to not interfere with any TSA security processes.
Overall, SecurityPoint Media and CHI Memorial Hospital were satisfied with the graphics. “The sheer size and color scheme of the creative really helped this project pop,” says Haley. “The client was thrilled with the end result.”
Steady Demands
Airport signage is the ultimate advertising tool, allowing companies to promote their brands in high-traffic areas. Used as banners, runway signs, and wall graphics, airport signage is in steady demand.
Click here to read part two of this exclusive online series, Prepare for Takeoff.
Apr2019, Digital Output
