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Interview By Mike Greenly<\/p>\n
Mandatory mask-wearing started since April of last year. For local printer Steve Isaacson<\/strong>, he produced business cards and a host of personalized items to convey a message to others. Producing masks was quickly added to the list of the many products he produced.<\/p>\n A native New Yorker, he launched Isaacson Associates<\/strong> in 1979 and has been focused on customized printing solutions for more than 40 years from his office on New York City\u2019s Canal Street. And while his manufacturing work brings more materials into the world, he also oversees an organic farm and supports the effort to preserve several parks near his home in New Jersey.<\/p>\n Steve\u2019s wife Carol\u2019s grandmother was born in County Mayo. His niece graduated from medical school in Dublin. His daughter is currently seeking dual US\/Irish citizenship. And Steve, himself, once did print work for the Principle Management organization that managed U-2, the famous rock band from Dublin. So he has a predilection to Irish themes and thus the mask pictured here.<\/p>\n And at a time when passing business cards was less likely than seeing someone wearing a mask, it seemed like an ideal transition.<\/p>\n Q: There are a zillion printers in the world. What sets you apart?<\/p>\n SI: Honestly, I’ve been considered a \u201crock star\u201d of print & visual communications in the community and a trusted resource for tangible printing and promotional products. It\u2019s easy to sell solutions out of a catalog, but I create them. I strive to be more personal than just selling items off the shelf. I try to \u201cwalk in my client\u2019s shoes\u201d but not every shoe fits. \u2028\u2028My goal for anyone I work with is to create unique solutions for their individual situations, not by pre-deciding for them, but by asking the right questions to learn more about their goals. I listen carefully to the responses and then work to empower my clients with solutions inspired by what I\u2019ve learned about them.<\/p>\n Q: You created a special mask for the occasion of St. Patrick\u2019s Day. Did you have to change your machinery to make masks?<\/p>\n SI: Decorating masks is the same as decorating apparel, which I\u2019ve been doing for years. The only thing that changed was that we were now decorating face masks instead of clothing.<\/p>\n SI: Creativity is only limited by your imagination. I closed my eyes and a vision popped into my head. I didn\u2019t create the logo and I certainly didn\u2019t create the Irish flag. But I did create the image you see by combining the two ideas. I made many revisions before I was pleased with the results. Usually, when I\u2019m happy, my clients are happy.<\/p>\n Q: Do you design them in house?<\/p>\n SI: Yes. We employ a template to correctly place images and\/or copy onto the printable area. A virtual proof is supplied for the client\u2019s approval and a picture of an actual printed mask is shown before we go into full production.<\/p>\n Q: Are there new technologies used to make them?<\/p>\n SI: Promotional products have always been imprinted with logos and information. Hard-goods like pens, mugs, accessories can be imprinted by screen printing, pad printing, decals, laser engraving or heat transfers. Meanwhile soft-goods like caps, shirts, jackets, towels, bags or face masks can be decorated using screen printing, heat transfers, dye-sublimation, embroidery, patches. The result depends on how many colors are in your artwork and the constraints of your budget.<\/p>\n Q: How much have masks become a part of your business in this time of COVID?<\/p>\n SI: Custom-printed face masks, disposable face masks, PPE, social distancing signage and partitions, anything COVID-related has become my dominant focus for the past year. COVID won\u2019t disappear any time soon and neither will these products.<\/p>\n Q: When did you switch to that focus?<\/p>\n SI: COVID was a pivoting point for me and my business. In-person meetings transitioned into virtual meetings and the need for printing diminished. More than a year ago, realized that everyone would soon be required to wear face masks. I started promoting \u201cpersonal billboards\u201d because I knew face masks would be a great way to encourage healthy habits, while advertising my clients\u2019 brands. It turned out that I was right.<\/p>\n Q: How is COVID affecting what people request with their info and the artwork on them? if there are fewer in-person meetings and events, with less opportunity to personally present one\u2019s business card, are their alternatives people are using now to make a memorable impression?<\/p>\n SI: I find that people are still ordering printed products to mail to their clients. People are writing notes and sending them with a business card plus a promotional product as another touch point for their clients and prospects. That gesture shows them you care enough about them to make an effort to stay connected. Mail gets opened, most emails do not. Most emails \u2013 75% to 85% \u2013 never get opened. Of the ones that do, the \u201cclick-through rate\u201d might only be 2.5%!<\/p>\n Q: How do you divide physical printing and virtual documents as part of your business.<\/p>\n SI: Basically, artwork is artwork, but in this case they are different. We print mostly in PMS (Pantone Matching System colors) or Four Color Process — CMYK (cyan, yellow, magenta, black). Images you view on a monitor are in RGB — Red, Green & Blue. Printing files and Digital files need to be in different resolutions, different layouts and saved in different formats.\u2028\u2028Many of today\u2019s graphic designers only know how to set up digital files for the web or for computers. Myself, being educated in traditional printing, I\u2019m capable of delivering both print and digital design.<\/p>\n Q: Are you more of a promoter or producer of materials?<\/p>\n SI: I do both. Owning equipment is expensive and very limiting. Anyone with a small press is a printer. They may tell you that they can do anything, but they cannot do everything. When they can\u2019t do something themselves, they broker it out as I do.\u2028\u2028To keep my clients\u2019 prices down and deliver high quality results, I work with a select team of associates to create printing and promotional Products, as I have been doing for more than four decades. I use the most experienced professionals I know to produce the best results for my clients. I can do anything because I broker my jobs out to specialists. So I\u2019m like the musical director of a symphony orchestra. I may not play an instrument, but together with my associates, we please our audience.<\/p>\n Q: What do you like best about what you do?<\/p>\n SI: I love it when my clients say, \u201cThat\u2019s a great idea\u201d or \u201cI love it; it\u2019s perfect\u201d and especially when they say, \u201cThank you\u201d. Getting referrals and having loyal customers (many have been with me for decades) tells me that I\u2019ve exceeded expectations. The best part is when the check clears in the bank and at that point, I know that my job is done. To reach Isaacson, try Office: 212-226-4477 or www.isaacsonassociates.com<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/1__@__pastedGraphic.png\")
Q: Who designed the St. Patrick\u2019s Day mask? And do you do many variants?<\/p>\nShare this:<\/h3>