STATE OF THE UNION #3 . News from The North State Design Studio

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Products of The North State

Bidding farewell to summer in The North State is always bittersweet. Goodbye pool parties, so long cantaloupe, adios cheap mexican beer...Oh, how we’ll miss that unavoidable sound of Los Lonely Boys cranked on a lakeside radio. Still, Summer ‘09 will be remembered fondly for treating us well. A few months ago, The North State headquarters moved to an inspiring new location along Central Avenue resulting in a heat wave of indie-cred. If you and your fellow scenesters bump into us around this side of town, we’ll be sure drag you over to the new studio. No jacket required. While taking full advantage of air conditioning, our summer has been loaded with great projects. The ever-growing output of design successes charged the Heads of State to coordinate our official comprehensive design archive. Select pieces will be featured online with our upcoming new site.

Print Preferences – Online vs. Local Vendors The rise of digital printing has created a boom of online printing resources. Their success and budgeting trends have presented local, traditional printing shops with stiff competition. There are countless websites that tout bargain basement pricing and like nearly anything else, you can find some unbelievably low prices online. However, due to the cost benefit, designers and their clients make compromises such as waiving their right to a hardcopy proof or settling for a final product that is simply adequate. Also, one shouldn’t ignore the billable hours spent on hold for “their next available representative.” In the end, some may argue that accepting such compromises are simply part of the game in today’s economy. Conversely, a premium may be paid with a local printing resource, but the benefits are great. Customer Service - Calling a dedicated print rep rather than a customer service hotline is priceless. Plus, a good rep can provide tons of insight to ensure the finished product exceeds expectations. Options - The paper stock matters, the binding matters, the finished cut always matters and a good local printer certainly understands this. Proofing - What you see is what you get. By conducting a routine press check, a designer can proof the exact color and quality of the actual printed piece to avoid surprises on delivery. Most importantly, building a sustaining relationship with a local vendor provides a valuable resource for feedback and attention with future projects.