I know the famous groundhog Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow a few weeks ago, which was supposed to extend the winter, but our months-long crescendo into this spring season never slowed. Being in the business we are and tracking the snowstorms as they occur around the country, we know that winter weather exists but inside the walls of our business it has not cooled. We are certainly thankful for this! High demand does bring about certain timing issues, so I want to make our clients aware to create the best possible chance for success in their projects this spring.
Lead times are drastically improved from the pandemic period, but production capacity still is not what it was before 2020. We all got very comfortable pulling off amazing things quickly in the pre-pandemic past. These days it is much harder to execute the drop-everything rush projects. Get out ahead as best as possible to avoid getting stuck with a cheap option, or even nothing at all.
Just like physical production can get backlogged quickly with high demand, so can design. Allow time for thoughtful designs. Simple in trade show graphic design is generally a great thing, but it is nice to have the option for more, and nice to have options to choose from in general.
Shipping isn’t remotely reliable now. Planning to overnight something needs to include a buffer day or two. Cross-country travel can easily be up to two weeks going ground. This is a piece that is often overlooked in thinking about timelines. We will always build it in when asked!
All of this said, you aren’t too late to get a project done for this spring, and you aren’t too early to start for your summer projects! I hope to talk to all of you soon if I haven’t already!