Ice Cream Man

Yes, fun on the job! Recently we had a photoshoot of some ice cream for a customer. It seemed a shame to throw out the (now) inedible ice cream - there was a snowman inside, just crying out to be created. Packaging takes many forms, doesn't it?!

Reading for Package Color

Have you ever wondered about the color bars on the bottoms of our printed proofs? For this particular printer, these are the tools we use to ascertain accurate color after the package design is printed. So far we have been right on!

Packaging Color Accuracy

We take color seriously at Red 7 Packaging. Can you tell? The color our customers want in their designs need to be able to be translated exactly into what is printed on their packaging. It takes effort on our part, but accuracy is worth effort. What you are seeing is the result of some color testing we are doing to make sure our colors are in syn with the variety of printing companies we use.

The Real Thing

We were fortunate to be able to quickly obtain one of the finished cartons - Ta Da! There you have it - from beginning to end (except for the ice cream part).

I'm certain that they printed more than one carton but we are grateful whenever a customer sends us a finished product, which Gifford's Ice Cream was so kind to do. Now that our mouths are watering, let's take an ice cream break!

Keyline Completed !

After that slight detour to the Asphyxiation Shop, we are returning to our project, as we should.

You've watched this project progress from design options to the breathtaking contest wondering which one would win. Next we took the chosen design and laid it out on the correct dieline (no small task).

Aroma Therapy at Red 7 Packaging?

To our surprise, upon arriving at work many days over the past year, we would smell a strong aroma of gasoline or paint thinner. We could not figure it out since our nearest neighbor was a knife marketing sales office. Well, recently they moved out....all except for the tell-tale signs of what was going on in a back room.

Apparently we were smelling paint thinner as the aroma rose into the rafters throughout the entire business complex. Mystery was solved! But now we know who to contact if we have any customers who need some motorcycle art done for them. We are always on the look-out for good resources (if we don't die from asphyxiation first.)

And The Winner Is . . . .

This one was our favorite, too. Now we are ready to proceed with the package keyline aspect of the project.

Designs Galore!!!

When a client requests a new packaging design, we spring into action, kicking up our heels, anxious to begin something new and fresh for them.

First, during the Discovery Phase, Cory conducts an extensive interview with the client to determine the exact brand positioning and design elements they want included.

Second, the Design Phase begins. Much thoughtful intent is activated during this phase to provide options which the client can review to see if we 'hit it'. Because there are so many variables in a design, many options are provided. For example, the above 5 options were only a small portion of the color prints which were provided on presentation boards for the client's review. Each is a work of art, in our estimation.

Third, the design is then incorporated into the entire package design.

Art Work - Ice Cream Carton Packaging

Have you ever wondered what the art work for ice cream packaging (on a half gallon lock-end die) looks like? Well, here it is!

We can create a packaging keyline in approxamately 3 weeks - from the time the order is placed until the final contract proof is shipped to the customer for final approval. We keep our production schedule (and ourselves) on task and on time.


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How Do We Print the Color Proofs?

The color proofs needed for the customer's official approval are huge! Our Epson wide format printer can handle VERY large projects - even some to-be famous artists are asking us to print their work. And we do!


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Stickers vs. Labels?

Our magnificent looking labels!

A heated discussion arose yesterday when someone exclaimed "Yeah! Our stickers are here!" [gasp] STICKERS!?!?! We're a place of business we don't use stickers. We use LABELS! Besides stickers are not cool, whereas labels are VERY cool. Clearly this ill-informed person needed to be re-interrogated er..rather re-educated. So over the course of the next few hours we quarantined the said individual and subjected them to viewing a series of flash cards. Each flash card either depicted an image of something cool or not cool. It took repeated viewings but we finally coerced (re-educated) the said individual to renounce the fact that Strawberry Shortcake® stickers on Trapper Keeper®s are NOT cool. However, when one places one of our magnificent labels on a Trapper Keeper® the Trapper Keeper® becomes instantaneously very cool. That's the power of a label. Stickers can't claim that.







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Photojournalism

In addition to writing time management articles for the local paper, Dawn, our very own project manager, enjoys capturing our part of the world with a camera and sharing what she sees with the community.

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Lemon Custard - Have it YOUR way

Color accuracy is crucial for food photography. We use all sorts of insanely complicated tools to make sure your lemon custard photography looks like...... you guessed it.... YOUR lemon custard.

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Barn Illustration

Red 7 Packaging capabilities include illustrating barns, trees, sky and grass.

If you prefer, we can also color outside the lines.

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Orchid Illustration

Not only does Red 7 Packaging have an Illustration Library, but also available for a client's use is an Ice Cream Image Library and a Character Library.

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Defeating Procrastination in the New Year

Happy New Year Everyone! Now listen up! We're throwing down some serious verbage below, compliments of our very own Dawn Ulmer (Red 7's Project Manager). These words, written by Dawn, affect everyone, so pay close attention... they just might change your life.

"Well, what if I don't want to change my life?" you say. Fine! Here's some pictures of goats in trees.




DEFEATING PROCRASTINATION IN THE NEW YEAR

All of us procrastinate at one time or another. Procrastination, however, becomes a problem when we find ourselves procrastinating over too many things over too long a period of time. Then procrastination insidiously invades our characters and we paralyze ourselves with our inactivity. We begin to notice that it is taking more time to evade a task than it does to actually do it. All of our 'to dos" begin to pile up. Then we notice ourselves becoming irritable, anxious and frustrated. We begin to lose our tempers and hate ourselves for how we are acting - all because we keep putting off doing something we know we should have done yesterday.

REASONS WE PROCRASTINATE
* We'd rather be doing something else.
* We magnify the time it takes to complete a task.
* We feel overwhelmed with too much to do.
* We hope someone else will do the job if we don't.
* We want to wait until we can do the job more thoroughly and perfectly.
* We don't have a deadline for the project so don't even start.
* We don't "feel" like doing the project.
* We don't know where to begin and sometimes don't want to admit that we don't know how to do part or all of the job.
* We over-commit ourselves.
* We fear failure.
* If truth be told, sometimes we just don't want to do the job.

When we determine why we are procrastinating on a chore, job or project, then we can begin to deal with the problem. Basically, the solution to any procrastination problem is:
DO IT NOW!

SEVEN TIPS TO GET THE JOB DONE
1. Begin immediately. Don't give yourself even a second to think about it, make excuses or try to talk your way around it. DO IT NOW!
2. Set a deadline. Decide when you want the task completed, then DO IT NOW!
3. Make time for the task. Set aside a reasonable block of time for the task, then DO IT NOW!
4. Do the worst part first. When the worst job or worst portion of the job is out of the way, all else looks easy, even inviting. DO IT NOW!
5. Break a major task into small steps. Estimate the time needed to complete each step, then DO IT NOW!
6. Be accountable. Ask a friend to help keep you accountable for what must be done. Then DO IT NOW!
7. Take advantage of free moments. Perhaps a meeting has been canceled or an appointment has been postponed. Redeem the time and DO IT NOW!

TIPS TO KEEP YOURSELF MOTIVATED
1. Work within your energy level. Determine at what time of day or night you do your best work.
2. Convert work into minutes. Often we think a job will take longer than it actually does. If we see a job in terms of minutes, we see the job as manageable.
3. Compete with yourself. If it took you 20 minutes last time to do a task, streamline the process and beat the clock.
4. Find a simpler way. If a task is to involved, try eliminating some aspects and combining the work. For example, it is easier to water one planter full of plants than ten plants spread throughout the house.
5. Revise your "to do" list periodically. Keep your priorities on track knowing what tasks need to be done first.
6. Establish a schedule. If you decide that the laundry is to be done on Mondays and Thursdays, there is no room for debate. Stick to your established schedule.
7. Make your working environment more pleasant. Treat yourself to a new plant, better lighting, a new table covering. Doing the task can actually become a pleasure.
8. Reward yourself. If you are successful in meeting your goal, give yourself a reward. Take a walk, call a friend, go out to lunch.

DO IT NOW! YOU DESERVE IT!

Words by Dawn Ulmer, our own Project Manager
Photos by Remo Savisaar

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