Maui Printing Company

"Few realize how loud their expressions really are. Be kind with what you wordlessly say."  - Richelle E. Goodrich,  Making Wishes Do you appreciate it when you are telling a story and your listener sneaks a peek at their watch? How about when you ask your child for help with a chore and they mumble a begrudging "yes" while dramatically rolling their eyes? Communication is a nuanced endeavor. Whether you're using hundreds of words or simply standing in silence, you are in constant communication with those around you. Experts estimate that a minimal amount of communication happens through the exchange of words, while up to 93% occurs through tone, expression, and gestures. Nonverbal interactions are our primary mode of communication (coming so naturally, even the smallest child has it mastered), and it is difficult to "fake." Nonverbals usually tell the truth, even when our words are lies. Be a Better Communicator in Your Profe...

Do you want to be more intentional and effective in your marketing? Maybe it's time to refocus on the journey you want customers to take. As a map is to a road trip, a sales funnel can serve as a guide for your prospects. Sales are more than just transactions; they involve several stages of decision. Push too hard, and people run. Keep it too casual, and they delay. What is the ideal balance? Creating a sales funnel (or a content path for prospects to follow) can engage people every step of the way. People can't buy from you if they don't know you exist, and they won't buy from you if they don't trust you. Here are five stages to consider as you seek to move them from a posture of spectating to the point of final sale. 1. Awareness In this step, prospects learn about your existence. Just like dating, before you can introduce yourself to someone, you need to catch their eye. As you consider this stage of communication, ask yourself, ...

Lisa Price describes herself as "the accidental entrepreneur." She got her start in her mother's Brooklyn kitchen, creating body butter and selling it at the flea market at her mother's church. Customers would stop by, smell a few things, and ask one inevitable question : "Do you have anything for hair?" Price made this her top priority and never looked back. "Carol's Daughter," Price's ridiculously popular natural hair care and beauty brand, eventually became a multimillion-dollar business that sold to L'Oreal in 2014. Price says the ability to spot innovation, create something, and sell herself have been several keys to her success. Negotiating Well and Staying True to Yourself How do you sell yourself without selling out? Price was committed to finding healthy ways for African-American women to care for their hair. She stayed true to this mission (though her customer base eventually included Caucasian women a...

Are you stuck in the middle when it comes to your job? Perhaps you supervise many, but you still answer to a few. Or maybe you frequently advise a superior who seems less competent than you. Leading from the middle is tough. But managers who influence from the middle are often in a perfect position to collaborate with others, solve problems, and have significant organizational impact. Want to make the most of your time in the middle? Here are three ways to hone upward influence in this transitional season: Honor Decisions You Disagree With People who lead from the middle are sometimes forced to settle for less than the ideal. In your position, often you'll receive instructions you don't like or decisions you disagree with. In frustrating moments, you may be tempted to badmouth the decision or the organization. In a meeting you may say something like, "I would have done it differently, but . . ." Or during office chit-chat, you may casually ques...

Does your brain ever feel tired? Some days, that's probably due to information overload. According to ad agency Red Crow Marketing, the average person living in the city 30 years ago saw up to 2,000 ad messages a day. Today, experts estimate we are exposed to over 5,000 brands per day (though research suggests only three percent of ads make a lasting impression). Want to increase exposure and impact for your marketing messages? To stick with viewers, your print ads need to be creative and clear! Here are three compelling print ad examples, with a few insights into what makes them so great. A Better Job is Waiting Created by Joe Public United, this print campaign for a job portal aims to motivate people to stop slogging it out in a job they don't like. Smartly retouched photos show bored workers at their desks , workers who sat still for so long that mold started growing on their bodies. Need the motivation to break out of your slump? There's n...

In 1995, a renegade cow painted three words on a Texas billboard: "EAT MOR CHIKIN." From that day forward, Chick-fil-A transformed the fast-food landscape. When founder Truett Carlson began in the restaurant industry during the mid-forties, he was inspired by many customers who took chicken and wrapped it in a bun to eat. Today, Chick-Fil-A (and its cows) have reached millions through ads in television, print, and even the occasional water tower . But Chick-fil-A is about more than great food. Closed on Sundays so employees can rest and worship, the establishment recognizes the well-being of the people on both sides of the counter. "We should be about more than just selling chicken ," Carlson famously said. "We should be a part of our customers' lives and the communities we serve." Unfailing Hospitality As the restaurant seeks to bring value, it has grown in net worth. In 2018, Chick-fil-A made more per restaurant than...

Ready to launch out with a new ad campaign but nervous about keeping the project below budget? Not all projects are smooth sailing. Sometimes things go wrong, and your expenses can spiral out of control quickly. Here are five tips to keep your next project on track and on budget: 1. Ask Questions Upfront When partnering with a design professional, be sure to clarify the contract up front. Will you be paying a project fee or an hourly rate? What services are included in this fee? Clarify how long the project will take, how often you'll get to review the work, and how many revisions are allowed in this agreement. 2. Plot Your Course Early Involve your design professional in your brainstorming as early as possible. Designing one piece can have a quick turnaround, but re-branding or crafting large-scale exhibit pieces can take months, especially if there is confusion about the parameters or design presets for a particular project. One costly mistake ...

Design resolution refers to the sharpness and detail of images, and print resolution is measured in DPI, or dots per inch. Quite simply, the more dots of ink that are printed per inch, the higher the resolution, sharpness, and quality you will find in an image. High-quality images are stunning, seeming to leap off the page, while low-quality images look fuzzy, indistinct, and very unprofessional.  Looking for a beginner's guide to get the best possible outcome in your design and print? Here are a few basics on proper print resolution: Go Big (But Not Too Big) When you're creating your source image (the image you want to be printed), make sure it has a suitable resolution. The higher the DPI, the better the image quality. But don't go too big – higher resolution images can create larger file sizes. For printed pieces, the ideal resolution is 300 DPI for images at the final printed size. If you're taking pictures from a digital camera for your projec...