Flexible PVC patches & promotional items

Flexible PVC Patches have become the new key identifier in both the commercial & military / LE communities.  Most law enforcement agency in the United States have a special emblem and patch on their uniform to identify their state, city, or county.  Even further, designating specific units & teams to build morale, team unity & esprit de corps among their individual members.

PVC patches & badges are the new way to identify your organization or product.

As often is the case, the corporate world has recognized successful military ideas and co-opted them for use in branding & marketing. Instead of unifying a tactical team, they are using these patches to inspire a sales team towards a common goal.  Often, once the visual "signature" of the group is established, it's popularity as an icon can progress into promotional & packaging materials that further reinforce the brand.  From luggage tags, on-product badging, to zipper pulls, your icon can be molded to identify your company at a glance.  Consider anything from the Nike Swoosh to the Billabong logo in a flexible tag that not only influences the purchase, but also acts as a walking advertisement for "what the cool kids" are wearing.

Critical to the success of using these as a tool is the conceptual design of the patch.  This requires a visual that embodies the spirit and mission of the organization.  The visual statement should be bold, visible from a distance, and truly representative of the group.  A sure way to destroy morale and/or sales is to have a icon that poorly represents the group or is just downright tacky.  Ask the Civil Air Patrol cadets from Florida in the late '80s how they felt about their wing patch that showcased a cartoon "pregnant alligator" wearing a flight cap & goggles... they probably will claim to be from very south Georgia.

Clearly, one of these is not like the other.  As fond as we were of Florida Wing, there was never a national event that we weren't made fun of.  In contrast, the patch representing ITS Tactical subtly says "Quiet Professional". 

Thought out & well executed, every element to the ITS Tactical patch has a specific purpose it represents.
Image credit: ITS Tactical.

PVC (poly vinyl chloride) patches have become the most popular material for patches for several reasons. PVC patches are made using the PVC material injected into molds. The molds allow a level of detail and a variety of color to be used that cloth and other sewn materials could never equal. Lettering on PVC can be distinctive and boldly colored allowing easy recognition of the wearer's agency, location, rank, role, and identity. PVC can even be made with fluorescent glow-in-the-dark coloring to allow the patch to be readily seen in low-light - keeping the individual safe and even more recognizable.

A very popular option is a PVC patch with a Velcro backing. This allows the easy transfer of a patch between uniforms. This advantage allows the wearer to change identification that pertains to the operators current role, granting easy recognition of who's who in law enforcement & military environments.

PVC patches are much more durable and will last longer than cloth or other materials saving money not only to the agency but look more professional as well. PVC resists sun fading, water, and salt water damage. PVC patches with or without Velcro backing have become the standard for agencies of all kinds as well as civilian security forces because they are easily recognizable, can be colored and lettered to fit any need and preference, and are hard-wearing and durable.  We can also accommodate U.S. production & purchasing requirements if needed by your agency.

QR codes can be added to PVC patches to increase traffic to your website & increase product awareness. 

Consider PVC molded items as an option to advance your unit or your corporations sense of identity.  At Hawkins Communications, we can help you develop that unique visual signature that sets your group apart from the crowd and carry that look through production to an item that's durable and meaningful to your team members.  Call us to get a quote & design for your next branding success.

Video Shoot - Making Waves

Running the creative agency isn't all sitting at the Mac workstations with the dogs wrapped around my feet.  Some clients come up with the best requests and today was no exception.  Video shoots are some of my favorite aspects of this business and whether they're industrial or creative in nature, no two shoots are ever the same.  An early AM crew meetup found us at the docks at John's Pass boarding the 80ft. Sea Sub 1 from Sea Sub Systems and a downpour sufficient to scrub most offshore tasks.

Sea Sub 1

Onboard the Sea Sub 1

After an assessment of the conditions and project goals, Captain Robin factored all the available information, particularly for any safety concerns, and the determination was made that the shoot was a go.

Safety Assessment

Without detailing specifics of the client or product, certain test and performance factors needed to be documented as well as general recording of the event.  Our close partnership with the great folks at Robin Photo Design met the clients needs to a “T”.  Robin Photo Design is a longtime fixture in the Tampa Bay area for outstanding photography services and our mix of services are very complimentary to meet your project needs.

Man Overboard

Working on this project has the potential to promote life saving work for individuals who work at sea in dangerous conditions and fill a need in maritime life support systems. Not to mention it gets us out of the office and partaking in the finest cuisine Wa Wa's has to offer.

Rescue swimmer at the ready

We were capturing the event in DVCProHD 720p @ 60 fps on a Panasonic AG-HPX170P on two P2 storage cards.  To be sure the gear stayed dry, we used several dry plastic barriers affixed to the cameras so the most that had to be done was the occasional wipe of the lens. Looking back at the shoot, the only thing i’d do differently (in addition to keeping dry socks in the car) would be to bring along a set of FRS radios so that the still photographer and I could better coordinate when we were at opposite ends of the boat. From here, we'll edit the footage down in Adobe Premiere Pro CS6 to the pertinent material and deliver a time code burn version to the client for further review and edit decisions.  Final edits & CG will follow that to polish it up.

Making the jump from Apple's Final Cut Pro to Adobe's Premiers Pro CS6... I like what I see so far. 

Panasonic AG-HPX170P

Wet.

Overall, a good day all around... happy clients, goals accomplished, squishy tennis shoes and nice dry gear.  If your organization has needs for unique video shoots, photography, documentation & editing, feel free to contact us for day rates & editing plans.  We may just be able to make that video project a proud accomplishment instead of a looming nightmare.  Give us a call to set it up.

Big messages need large format printing

Got a message to communicate in a BIG way?  Large format is the key to getting  the image across in a memorable way.  Use your high resolution images combined with the latest in micro-fine printing technologies and a variety of new inks & substrate materials to make a big visual impression.  Got burned trying to make a poster at kinko's before? Things have changed my friend. The technology has improved greatly since you last sent a cad file out to the plotter to print on tractor feed paper for a banner.

First, you can do a lot more than you used to.  Large Format printing has been an arena of change as the equipment has become incredibly color accurate, the materials have improved in quality and durability, and the speed of production has increased.  These factors make using big images worthy of a second and a third glance.

What used to be just floor space has become prime advertising & branding space.

Adhesive Floor Graphics

What used to be simply a window now adds color and professionalism to your storefront and attracts customers.

Window Clings

Back-Lit Duratrans draw customers to their colorful light like moths to a flame.

Back-Lit Duratrans

Now you can scrap your tradeshow booth that ships in three forklifted crates for a fabric booth that travels like luggage.

Tensioned Fabric Displays

The possibilities are endless (and yes, down the line we'll focus on a few specific case studies that show their breadth of options and effectiveness). Once limited to posters that the slightest drop of rain or perspiration could destroy, large format printing has grown to include a wide variety of end products. Also, the materials have become very diverse and EXTREMELY durable and via the use of new materials and laminates. Some of the potential markets for Large Format printing include:

• Trade show displays
• Foam / Sintra / Gator mounted Signage
• Coroplast Yard Signs
• Real Estate Signs
• Vinyl Banners for Indoor and Outdoor use
• Back-lit Duratrans
• Canvas "painting" prints
• Printed Tensioned Fabric Displays 
• Perforated Window Decals
• Two-Sided Window Decals
• Printed Foil Decals
• Pressure Sensitive Decals
• Decorative Window Clings (both translucent and opaque)
• Point of Purchase Displays
• Floor Graphics with High-Tac Adhesives
• Wall Graphics
• Cut-Vinyl Graphics

Perforated Window Decals

With the options in Large Format expanding and the quality of materials improving, it may be time to consider using big prints to drive customers to your products.  Contact us to discuss ideas of how we can help leverage these tools to help build your brand.

Early AM Business Meeting

Attendees arriving at the Monday early AM meeting.

Unclear results from our meeting this AM. Far less attendees from other organizations (only one big player from the Cobia group) than we had hoped for, but it was still a productive time investment.  Was planning to invite other attendees back to the house for dinner, but maybe next time.

New product idea - Etched brick

Sandblasted pinehall brick with scripture.

We've been toying with an idea for a product/service that involves both of the Hawkins' shops.  The etched bricks seem to be popular as a fundraising tool for churches and municipalities that enables the organization to sell the etched brick and it's permanent placement to raise funds. At the same time, it allows the individuals to commemorate a loved one or event or just show support for the project. The end clients essentially purchase and provide some of the building materials towards the project (i.e. brick patio in an outdoor reading area or a memorial garden).

After the account signs on to the fundraiser program we provide them with a custom order form that is branded as their organization.  Their customers purchase the brick and service from them and the organization in turn submits the forms back to us.  Here at HC we typeset the individual bricks and produce the masks, then handoff to our partner organization, Brikworkz, that selects and preps the bricks and completes the etching & paint process for delivery of the final product.

Know of an organization looking to do some fundraising? This is a great opportunity to generate some funding, involve your group in a community effort and complete a project that improves your facility. In addition to that, it provides your group some history going forward and records some fond memories of the past. Contact us at HC or Brikworks with any questions regarding fundraising with etched brick and we'll do our best to get answers back for you.

Testing blog syndication to FB & Twitter.  Abe says Hi & bring more ammo.

New FaceBook for Business page is up

OK, we finally made the jump to some social media promotion... maybe drive some web traffic and some new clients. 34 likes so far. Will see how this goes.