One avid photographer/entrepreneur who understands both these preferences is John Becker of Red Wing Digital. For the past decade, John and his wife Valerie have provided expert printing and faming assistance to photographers and commercial clients who visit their custom-framing shop in the small, historic Mississippi-River town of Red Wing, Minnesota. In addition to producing photo enlargements and offer custom framing services, Red Wing uses two HP Designjet Z6100 printers to produce high-quality visuals, signage, and decorative art for retailers and other local businesses.
Online Storefront
Last fall, Becker launched Red Wing Digital as an online
storefront through which they sell Panel Prints. The panel prints give
photographers an affordable, attractive, glass-free, frame-free method of
displaying large photographs in all of their glory. Becker regards Red Wing Digital as a way to
add a new a source of revenue that also enables the company to serve photographers
who aren’t within driving distance of their brick-and-mortar shop. 
After each photograph is printed with HP Vivera pigment inks
on an HP Designjet Z6100, it is mounted to an ultra-stiff art board backed with
a hanging system that makes the panel appear to float in front of the
wall. The Panel Prints are sturdy,
easy-to-care-for and create a pleasing drop-shadow effect on the wall.
John and Valerie Becker came up with the panel-print idea when
they got involved in a photography competition sponsored by a local radio
station. The contest organizers wanted a way to display the winning images in
the radio station’s offices. The display product the Beckers designed was a big
hit—both with photographers and radio-station visitors.
The Panel Prints have also proven to be popular with
restaurant owners who want to “localize their décor” by showcasing images from
area photographers. Because no glass is involved, there is less risk of injury
to restaurant patrons if the print should happen to get knocked off the wall.
For the past two years, Red Wing Digital has experimented
with different combinations of materials to workflows to ensure that when they
started accepting online orders for Panel Prints they would be able to
efficiently produce and deliver a quality product. Becker, who is an active member of the
100-member Red Wing Photography Club,
turned to fellow members of the club for feedback. He says, “They were very
supportive in helping us develop the Panel Print before we launched the online
storefront. It has been like having a private test audience.”
“Anybody who can take a digital photo can have it made into
a Panel Print,” Becker emphasizes.The workflow he developed includes ways to
enlarge images from consumer-grade cameras without visual compromise. If any quality issues do arise, Becker will
reach out to the customer to figure out ways to resolve them.
Red Wing Digital plans to continue to develop other types of photography-display products that can be ordered either in their framing shop or through their new online store.
Red Wing Digital plans to continue to develop other types of photography-display products that can be ordered either in their framing shop or through their new online store.
Support for Online Art Gallery
While the Beckers regard the development of an online
storefront to be a key way of expanding their business, they also value their
relationships with people throughout the community. In the gallery adjacent to
their studio, the Beckers host live events for their many friends who share
their passion for the visual arts.
Last year, Red Wing Framing displayed some of the vintage
illustration art in the collection of Dan Murphy. Murphy, who achieved national
fame as the founder of the band Soul Asylum, now operates the online gallery
Grapefruit Moon which specializes in original paintings, photographs, and
prints from the “Grand Age of American Illustration.” This includes pin-up and
glamour art, vintage advertising art, and pulp and men’s magazine cover
designs. When pulp-magazine cover prints
were shown at Red Wing’s gallery, the event was featured on two Minneapolis TV
stations.
“Despite all the technology that’s out there,” says Becker.
“Business still boils down to people doing business with other people. It’s all
about relationships.”
LINKS
RELATED POSTS
Video: Pulp-Fiction Cover Art from Grapefruit Moon Gallery
0 comments:
Post a Comment