Thought Leadership Video Series - JohnHenry Ruggieri

SunDance Managing Partner, JohnHenry Ruggieri was interviewed by Cary Sherburne as part of the Thought Leadership Video Series on WhatTheyThink.com. In this video, he discusses the varied uses of the variety of different HP equipment at SunDance, the company rebrand and a little backstory on the company.

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3 Easy Ways to Design Creative Workspaces

How much thought goes into your company’s workspaces? Before you pass the buck to the facilities management team and declare, “What’s done is done,” think about the impact that workplace design has on your business. In its Workplace Design Developments for 2016, SBFI reports, “poor workplace design costs U.S. businesses an estimated $330 billion in lost productivity each year.” That’s billion with a “b.”

In its Workplace Design Developments for 2016, SBFI reports, “poor workplace design costs U.S. businesses an estimated $330 billion in lost productivity each year.” That’s billion with a “b.”

So what type of work environment would inspire your employees? One that’s creative, colorful, and attractive enough to delight the visual senses.

Start by taking into account the top current design trends, which include more color, more texture, and the end of permanent layouts. There’s no need to start from scratch and invest thousands of dollars, because creative workspace solutions are just that – creative – and within every company’s reach – and budget.

Here are 3 ideas for making your existing office space more inviting to today’s workforce:

Experiential Interior Design Services

Experiential Interior Design Services

Every time someone walks through, touches and interacts with your space, you have an opportunity to create a lasting impression. Experiential Interior Design takes conventional interior design concepts such as color and lighting and pairs them with elements like multi-layered wall coverings, ceiling and flooring effects, and non-traditional materials.Through Experiential Interior Design, you can tailor the way that your customers, clients and employees engage with your environment.

Experiential Interior Design allows you to enhance your workspace while motivating sales, inspiring trust, and elevating your brand. SunDance combines award-winning design, large-format and specialty printing techniques, and expert installation to transform your interior into a completely immersive experience.

Our Process

At the beginning of an Experiential Interior Design project, we first evaluate user behaviors and spacial interactions to create a strategy for total brand engagement. Our expertise in three-dimensional graphic design, combined with in-house large-format and specialty printing capabilities, allow us to create transformative experiences from concept to installation.

This innovative approach lets your brand make a statement while increasing the functionality and accessibility of your space. Studies show that a creative environment both inspires employees and earns respect from clients or customers. Whether you’re looking to revamp your entryway, lobby space, or your entire office or retail store, we have more options available than ever before.

Our Experiential Interior Design services include:

• Graphic Design and Consulting Services
• Site Planning
• Concept Renderings
• Directional and Wayfinding Signs
• Exterior and Interior Signs
• Retractable Banners and Wall Banners
• Wall Wraps and Ceiling Graphics
• Graphic Floors
• Commercial Wallpaper
• Large-Format Printing
• Specialty Capabilities—Metal, Plastic, Plexiglass and More
• Expert Installation and Maintenance

Concept and Design

SunDance approaches every Experiential Interior Design project with a focus on turning the overall environment into brand touchpoint. Our creative team will work with you to draw your customers into your space and engage them in an immersive way. We can design and source materials for every step of the project, from wall wraps and floor graphics to custom signage and multi-media elements.

What sets us apart is our ability to look at the overall picture. We do more than simply create customized materials for your space—we take every part of your brand into account and create a plan for transforming your environment into a distinct experience. SunDance can walk you through the process, from site planning and concept renderings to material selection and installation.

Workplace Design

The overall design and culture of a workplace have become an essential element in recruiting and retention. An employee's emotional and psychological connection to their job affects performance and feelings of satisfaction. One way your company can ensure your space meets the needs of its users is to observe the way people currently interact with the space on a day-to-day basis. We can use this information to transform the design into a more supportive and productive space through Experiential Interior Design.
For example, there may be missed opportunities for social interaction and collaboration or spaces for reflection and concentration. We use a holistic approach encourages productive behaviors while better aligning the space with your company's specific values. Expressing your company culture through Experiential Interior design helps your employees engage with your brand in a positive and consistent way every day—all while enhancing the overall quality of life for your team.

Retail Design

In a retail environment, it's important to represent the culture of the brand while differentiating yourself from your competitors. Immersive retail design creates a distinct feeling from the moment you step through the doors to beyond the point of purchase. SunDance can print custom wallpaper for your store, tailor graphic floors to your specific layout and find ways to incorporate unique branded elements into every aspect of the retail environment to enhance the overall shopping experience.

Customer Experience and User Engagement

Making your interior engaging means taking into account all the ways your customers interact with your space. We address all the senses to heighten the overall experience. Sight, sound, and touch all play into the process of Experiential Interior Design.

SunDance will create the full spectrum of components necessary to transform the space. Visually we incorporate art, textures, wall and window coverings, lighting, use of color and more. The sense of touch is utilized with furnishings, finishes, and any materials that the user will physically interact with. We can find ways to acoustically enhance the environment through the use of sound-dampening materials, window treatments, and other strategically placed design elements. With our expertise, we can help you transform your interior into an immersive experience that tells the story of your brand through the environment.

Specialty Materials and Wide Format Printing

Effective Experiential Interior Design uses a variety of materials and techniques across all mediums. SunDance has the in-house capabilities and connections to create anything you can imagine.
We can print in large format on nearly any flat surface, including reclaimed woods, glass, acrylic, metal, ceiling tiles, ceramic tiles, or doors. If you want to look of wood but the flexibility of a wrap, we can create faux wood vinyl wraps cut to any shape and size. We can also produce fabrics for curtains and furniture, custom commercial wallpaper, vinyl cut outs, large banners or custom posters and prints on papers.

• Large-format Printing on Custom Materials
• Wood with Engraving Capabilities
• Glass, Acrylic and Metal
• Ceramic Tiles
• Ceiling Tiles
• Custom Doors
• Large Banners and Posters

Signage and Wayfinding

Effective signage is used to display a company's brand, relay important information and ensure an intuitive guest experience. Wayfinding signs are essential for navigating complex spaces like airports, hospitals, large offices and commercial buildings. SunDance can advise, create, and install critical signage for your business while adhering to strict brand standards across all materials.

• Room Signs
• Information Sings
• Directional Signs
• Egress Signs
• Stair and Elevator Signs
• Restroom Signs
• Promotional Signs

Event and Exhibit Design

Experiential Interior Design can also be used for temporary installations and exhibits. This comprehensive design solution is essential to demonstrating messages and designating space through graphic design, architectural elements, audio and visual media, lighting, and more. We can transform a space for museum exhibitions, corporate meetings and conventions, fundraising events and more.

SunDance can help create a plan to enhance the overall experience at your next event. We regularly work with local Interior Designers, Design Firms and Event Coordinators to create amazing and memorable spaces.

• Art Installations
• Conventions and Exhibitions
• Company Meetings
• Museum Exhibits
• Concerts and Plays
• Community Projects
• Fundraising Events

Partnering with SunDance

Are you ready to revolutionize your space with Experiential Interior Design? Finding an experienced partner who understands the unique needs of your business can be a challenge.Our experience and capabilities allow us to provide a full range of design solutions to full utilize and enhance your space. With our array on in-house capabilities and services, we can offer more flexibility and creativity throughout the entire process.

SunDance is a leader in Experiential Design, offering site planning, concept design, sourcing, production and installation. Together we can develop a truly customized space that reflects your brand’s message and purpose. Let our experienced team help you with your concept, design and execution. It’s our job to make you look good for a long time to come.

Start Here!

Exporting Print Ready PDF Files

For complex projects, we prefer to receive native application files (not PDF’s) to provide you with the best printing experience possible. However, if submitting a PDF for a job, please ensure it is converted to 4 color CMYK (with the exception of dielines and actual spot ink colors).

• When exporting PDFs from InDesign, be sure to select Adobe PDF (Print), and NOT Adobe PDF (Interactive).
• Include any embedded fonts and convert protected fonts to outlines if necessary.
• Submit any booklets as Pages instead of Spreads.
• Compatibility: Save as Acrobat 7 or higher -- despite what other printers might use, we prefer files that are NOT flattened (saved in Acrobat 4 or with PDF/X-1a standard) as we are using the latest Adobe PDF rendering engine on our RIP which supports transparent objects.
• Compression: Use 300 ppi color images with Bicubic Downsampling. Set compression to Automatic (JPEG) and set Image Quality to Maximum.
• Marks and Bleeds: Include Crop Marks and make sure Bleed is turned on (and that 0.125 in or 0.25 inches is specified.). Do NOT use Bleed Marks as this sometimes confuses the cutter.
• Output: User Convert to Destination (Preserve Numbers) and use our GRACoL2013_CRPC6 V2 color profile (Click here to download our color profile/presets package). If this profile is unavailable, use “U.S. Sheetfed Coated v2”. Do NOT use SWOP as this is intended for web presses on thin paper with a low ink limit.
• Ink Manager (under Output): Be sure to check the box to convert “All Spots to Process” -- this will change all the icons on the spot colors to a 4-color icon. If you have a dieline, spot coating, or the job uses any spot colors please then uncheck the icon next to those items to ensure they output correctly.
• After you have all these settings correct, you can hit “Save Preset” and name it “SunDance Final Output”. Then you can re-use this preset at a later time.

Packaging Files in InDesign

For complex projects, we prefer to receive native application files (not PDF’s) to provide you with the best printing experience possible. However, if submitting a PDF for a job, please ensure it is converted to 4 color CMYK (with the exception of dielines and actual spot ink colors).

• Remove any unused layers before packaging
• Go to File > Package.
• Summary: On this screen you will see any spot colors used, RGB images, image sizes and fonts in the file.
• Fonts: Check the font(s) you used in the document in case you need to remove anything saved on the pasteboard.
• Links and Images: In the Links and Images section, you can see the file type and the resolution.
• Make sure to choose the option to “Include Fonts and Links From Hidden and Non-Printing Content” just in case there is anything on another hidden layer (such as a varnish layer) you need to preserve.
• Please ZIP up the contents of the newly created folder before sending to us. If using a Mac please ZIP on the Mac so that all font files are preserved.

Preparing a document using Adobe InDesign

• When starting a document, be sure to add bleed to the document under Document Setup. (.125” normally, .25” for large-format)
• In InDesign CS6 be sure to set Intent to “Print”.
• Before finalizing artwork, be sure to preview everything using “Overprint Preview” under View menu to make sure everything appears as intended. You can even see a preview of the four color plates using Window > Output > Separation Preview.

Using Adobe Photoshop

• Feel free to create files in either RGB or CMYK color mode. RGB mode will give you a wider range of colors and offer more advantages with using filters and color transfer modes, but if using RGB be sure to check View > Proof Colors or use the Gamut Warning tool to preview how the color will convert to CMYK and print. Gamut Warning indicates which colors will not print as expected.
• If creating images from scratch, be sure they are 300ppi at intended output size. If an image is smaller than 300ppi, our RIP will issue a warning in the Preflight report, so it is best to enlarge the image in Photoshop or else it will appear ‘blocky’ rather than just ‘soft’.
• If creating entire layouts or backdrops in Photoshop, remember to include enough bleed by making the document size 0.25” inches larger in width and height (0.125” bleed on both sides).
• We always discourage using Photoshop for typesetting or final output. It is always recommended to use InDesign for this.

Using Adobe Illustrator

Always create illustrations intended for print in CMYK color mode

• Turn on bleed (.125” normally, .25” for large-format) (CS4 and higher)
• Set Raster Effects to 300ppi
• Please convert all text to outlines before submitting a native Adobe Illustrator file for output.
• Use of Adobe Illustrator is not recommended for multiple page documents. This software is intended for vector logos, illustrations, and signs. Feel free to submit Illustrator files for large format work, but we recommend InDesign for page layout for offset and digital work.

Dielines / Score Marks

As with spot varnish / UV, please create a new spot color called “dieline”. It is common practice to make this display as 100% magenta.

Also set this to Overprint Stroke under Attributes panel and place it on a separate layer. Score marks can be indicated as a dashed line or placed on a separate layer that is labeled “crease’ or “fold’.

If you are re-using a dieline from a previous job that we printed, please let us know early in the process so we can save money (and time) by using an existing die!

Files need to be created in Adobe InDesign or Adobe Illustrator as a vector image.

Preparing A File With Spot UV / Varnish Coating

If you are using a spot varnish or spot UV coating on your printed piece, it is best to create a specific layer and spot color named “varnish” or “UV”.

• First, create your swatch in the New Color Swatch panel (see figure on right)
• Then, select the image(s) or text block(s) upon which you wish to apply the varnish or coating.
• Add a new layer, duplicate the elements (Ctrl/Cmd+J) and apply the spot color to the elements on that new layer.
• Set new object to Overprint Fill under Attributes panel.
• Turn on Overprint Preview (under View menu) to preview.