REPRO GRAPHIX HISTORY
Literally born into it, Caroline Hall with Repro Graphix (her family’s business) shares about how branding can make a huge impact on employee morale and culture. Read along as she shares a little about environmental branding—a true #DifferenceMaker in the workplace.
Repro Graphix wasn’t always a company who fostered brand building and printing in the workplace. In fact, they started off as blueprinters; construction drawing-wise and other. However, for nearly a decade now, they have completely grown into the display graphics side of things. Jill and Brian Hall established Repro Graphix in 1985; beginning the small start-up in Evansville and later expanding into Indianapolis. Now with three teams – two in Indianapolis and one in Evansville, the Hall family is glued to the business and has also made a big impact in Indianapolis community, as they have a strong drive to get involved and give back to others. The Halls also eventually gained an expert in business development (who happens to be their daughter), Caroline; though she has had various roles within the company throughout the years, including graphic design, customer service, and everything in between.
Caroline on why she joined the family business: “I started working with Repro when I was a young teenager and decided I wanted to join the team for good, after working elsewhere for a couple of years out of college. It has been so much fun to be a part of it all again! Most recently by bringing impactful offerings to our industry and really diversifying environmental branding in new, creative spaces.”
REPRO + PDG
Speaking of getting creative in spaces, over the past several years, Parallel Design Group has worked with Repro Graphix to create intentional and meaningful graphics for businesses that speak to their respective focuses. After the design of the space is complete, adding in personal branding or vision statements is what we do best together. Wall graphics are just as important as plants and artwork, in our opinion; as it really finishes off the space.
PEOPLE ARE VISUAL
That’s right. People are visual. Many studies have concluded that including branded graphics in your workplace drives home what’s important to your business, and what you feel is important to communicate about your culture.
Other than the first day on the job – how often do we see employees digging into employee handbooks to remind themselves of the company’s mission, vision, and values? You guessed it: very rarely. Hence, the movement of including important visuals in prominent places to communicate a brand’s culture for potential hires and employees to be physically surrounded by.
ATTRACTING & RETAINING TALENT
When we work together on a graphics package in a space, there is often a mission/vision/values piece to it. Companies are truly understanding the value of communicating their company culture to their employees. Caroline shares, “Most recently, we are seeing environmental branding drastically attracting and retaining young talent for businesses. It’s so important for team members to be submerged in an environment that reminds them what they’re there for – especially when candidates are coming in for an interview!”
Furthermore, companies want to know from the very start if a potential employee can get on board with their vision. If they find out later – it’s just going to increase turnover.
Although it’s something that needs to be budgeted for, it's an easy sell – as many things are in the social space. Many of our collective clients visit our social media pages to view businesses’ graphics and with that, they are excited and inspired to create some of their own that are meaningful to their company and culture.
CURRENT AND FUTURE WORK
Currently, custom environmental wallcoverings have made their mark in the branding world and companies are loving them!
Repro Graphix currently works for all kinds of notable clients such as local museums, corporations, franchises, schools, nonprofits (remember, giving back is their thing) – you name it!
With notable and impactful projects in their hands, Repro Graphix is always thinking forward; which is why the equipment they are currently using for production is using extremely sustainable practices (we’re all excited about this)! Coming soon are the creation of new products that are even more environmentally friendly and environmentally cautious. The equipment that they’ve invested in has allowed Repro Graphix to print Type II durable wall coverings without PVC plastics; which is one of the most harmful things that we put back into the Earth. The team has the capability to print to paper-based wall covering and still maintain highly sought-after durability ratings. We all love doing what we can to make a more positive impact on the environment!
IN CLOSING
Repro Graphix prides themselves on the fact that they go above and beyond to ensure their clients are proud of the display graphics being showcased throughout their space. Being a part of project’s process from the very start creates an invaluable outcome. By partnering with the Parallel team on walkthroughs of spaces to kick things off, it allows the project team to understand the greater attachment a company has to their culture and their brand. We all strive to bring everything to life with refreshed interiors space featuring customized graphics. The transformation is always jaw-dropping and we couldn’t be more excited to be a part of it all!
CONVERSATION STARTERS FOR BRANDING IN YOUR BUSINESS
Are you considering integrating more meaningful branding and graphics into your workspace? If so, here are some things to consider and chat through with your team. Have questions? Feel free to ask us by emailing info@paralleldg.com.
Here’s why it’s important:
- Sharing mission, vision and values is important and makes a different with employees.
- You want to make sure you are recruiting the people who mesh with your culture.
- Being in front of your brand can develop a sense of pride throughout your team.
- Putting words on the walls that tell a story allows people resonate with you as a business.
- For those in the non-profit sector, it’s important for your donors to understand your mission, vision and values.
If you haven’t thought about these things before, ask yourself this question:
- How can we communicate our brand in our display graphics so that we can go above and beyond simply listing it all out in our handbook?
