Things don’t always go according to plan. The more critical a project, the more likely it seems that something is going to go wrong. There are a lot of things – and people – that need to come together in just the right way at just the right time. When you need printed material to promote or enhance the project, it can get even more complicated. But whether it’s a typo that you approved in the final proof, a tactical error on our side or something nobody could possibly think of, Symmetry has your back.
Over the years, we’ve gotten pretty creative at fixing mistakes and averting crises. Here are some of our favorite stories:
OUTSIDE THE BOX
Extraordinary designers come up with some incredible ideas for getting messages out with a splash. But figuring out how a creative piece is going to be produced, assembled and delivered falls in our lap. Imagine a gala centerpiece consisting of nine printed cubes with different images on each face. Now imagine getting a complete set on each of the 50 tables. You might think it would make sense to ship them preassembled, but the freight cost – even for a short distance – would be prohibitive. So we shipped them flat and the whole Symmetry team pitched in to make sure every crease was factory-crisp.
BLEW IT
When a printed piece is really important, it seems there’s always a serious typo hiding right in plain sight. The gala journal at left was delivered right before a long holiday weekend – and the event was right after the weekend. There was just enough time to fix it. The entire Symmetry team worked through much of the weekend printing the new center spread, which had to be carefully dried with fans and blow driers. Then we pulled out the old staples by hand, trimmed and bound (also by hand) the new sheets and personally delivered them right before the gala.
CUT!
Multiple sets of corrections and iterations of files passing across many desks mean numerous chances for error. Once in a very great while, the wrong files are given to us. This invitation was printed without the names of 15 important donors. The main part of the invitation was printed in a special metallic ink; there was no time to go back to press. But the donor panel was black on white. Since the invitation was a c-fold, the Symmetry team sliced off the flawed panel, printed and inserted the corrected panel by hand.
HANGING BY A THREAD
Installing large-scale printed items takes practice – and many sets of hands. When you’re scrambling to get ready for a big event, the last thing you need is to discover that you don’t have the help you need to get the job done right. Symmetry is always happy to pitch in to make sure your event is picture perfect.
UNDER THE HOOD
Remembering to order what you need before your need it can be challenging. Little things like business cards are so much a part of our everyday lives that we hardly give them a thought – until we run out. A client called us about her cards in a panic one day; she was completely out and had a meeting the next day. Symmetry printed up a new lot and delivered them while she was getting her hair done that afternoon.
Symmetry. Because printing isn’t always black and white.
