The big, the bold and the eye catching

According to The Bigger Printing Company size is important. Local & Vocal magazine caught up with Sebastian Stanley to see why big is beautiful.

Editor: What is it that appeals to you about large format print?

Sebastian: With large format you have a chance to make an enormous impact, in a way that’s not always possible with smaller print items. Of course large format is almost always complementary to other forms of print and they have an important role too, but bigger is where you start to really have some fun!

It also gives us the opportunity to help businesses express exactly how good they are, which I find incredibly exciting. It’s rarely as simple as saying ‘I’ll have that banner over there thank you very much’. Almost every time we speak to a client we have to think of new ways to help them use visual impact to maximum effect. We can print on almost any material, in a huge range of sizes, which means the possibilities are endless.

Editor: A sort of Charlie and the chocolate factory of print?

Sebastian: Precisely; but with a less sticky end...  and fewer oompa loompas.

Editor: Thebestofcheltenham hears a lot of good things from clients about the personal nature of your service. Do you have a particular mantra or ethos when it comes to customer service?

Sebastian: Who needs a mantra? All you need to do is deliver the kind of service that you would personally expect and then some.  Take your own expectations and triple them.  For me that means delivering ahead of schedule, to an exceptional standard of finish and with the biggest smile possible.  It means being honest, helpful and flexible. What else?  Be responsive!  Get back to people when you say you will, if not before.  It’s absolute common sense, which makes it remarkable that so many businesses get it wrong.

Editor: So do you ever ‘get it wrong’?

Sebastian: Of course we do. Not very often, but at the end of the day this is a business run by people and we make the odd mistake. The most important thing to do in any scenario where an error has been made is to admit to it immediately, and then rectify the situation as quickly as possible. That’s your chance to show that you’ll go the extra mile no matter what. 

Editor: Are you worried that all the discussions around carbon footprint will lead to the demise of print?

Sebastian: Actually no, not at all. Business is booming for us, despite the recession, so I can’t see any immediate threat. If you’re a conscientious business, which we are, and take all the necessary steps to use recycled materials and also to recycle, then there’s no reason why people would stop using your print materials. You just need to adapt to socio-economic factors, as and when they arise, and as best you can.

Editor: What are you doing to ensure the long-term survival of Bigger Printing?

Sebastian: We sat back at the end of last year and took a long hard look at the business. We were doing a lot of things right, but felt that we needed something extra to sustain our success.

I spoke to an old friend, Michael Richards, about becoming involved and he jumped at the chance. He could see what potential the business had and wanted us to benefit from his own experience in business management.  Michael has his own consultancy called 2nd Head, so he drew on his marketing and IT resources to help us have better direction and support in those areas.  Meanwhile he’s focusing on business development and our overall strategy.

 
Editor: A case of two heads being better than one. Any lasting thoughts for our readers?

Sebastian: Well naturally I want everyone to phone today for a quote! But in all seriousness I’d say, ‘think about your design’. Good quality print needs fabulous designs. If you get that right then you’re onto a winner.