Greg Hrinya, Editor04.28.21
Lightning Labels, a full-color custom labels and custom stickers digital printer, has added Don Alles to its expanding team as a full-time senior graphic designer. Alles, a longtime print design and printing specialist, joined Lightning Labels in response to client inquiries about in-house graphic design capabilities.
“We found somebody who knows all major aspects of print and label graphic design, and can address printing from a total-experience perspective – everything from how lighting reflects off of a label to designing in a way that makes a product pop out from everything else,” says Gary Paulin, Lightning Labels VP, sales and client services.
Alles has extensive print experience. Besides graphic design, he’s worked in prepress and bindery, operated a digital web press and 4-color Heidelberg quick press, and served as a production workflow manager. That diversity of experience comes in handy to understand all issues involved in printing and fulfilling high-quality label orders.
Alles also is well-versed in digital design. Digital design projects range from designing a website for a lobbyist group at the State Capitol to trucking company promotion and communications efforts. He does a deep dive with clients to determine their preferences and tolerances before starting the design process. “I read the room. A big part of my job is to tap into client decision-making processes and how to help create a great-looking label. I’m working for them and am invested in their satisfaction and retention,” Alles says.
He adds, “Some clients want to explore a wide variety of options, looks and effects. Others know exactly what they want, so I create it the way they want it – with suggestions as warranted along the way. There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to graphic design and its relationship to printed labels.”
Sometimes, the challenge with a particular label doesn’t arise until later in the selection process. Notes Alles, “On a recent job, I preferred a clear label. The client wanted white. The label looked bad on white when we did the press proof. So, we teamed up and decided to go with the clear label, and changed most copy to white with the logos and some copy over a white layer. The final product really popped.”
While vibrant and impactful, reflective chrome labels also have limitations. Asks Alles, “The label can look really cool, but how does it hold up under certain lighting?
Alles’ penchant for graphic design started at an early age. He notes, “I’ve always been an artist, painting and drawing. Ultimately, I studied commercial graphic design and have been doing it ever since.”
“We found somebody who knows all major aspects of print and label graphic design, and can address printing from a total-experience perspective – everything from how lighting reflects off of a label to designing in a way that makes a product pop out from everything else,” says Gary Paulin, Lightning Labels VP, sales and client services.
Alles has extensive print experience. Besides graphic design, he’s worked in prepress and bindery, operated a digital web press and 4-color Heidelberg quick press, and served as a production workflow manager. That diversity of experience comes in handy to understand all issues involved in printing and fulfilling high-quality label orders.
Alles also is well-versed in digital design. Digital design projects range from designing a website for a lobbyist group at the State Capitol to trucking company promotion and communications efforts. He does a deep dive with clients to determine their preferences and tolerances before starting the design process. “I read the room. A big part of my job is to tap into client decision-making processes and how to help create a great-looking label. I’m working for them and am invested in their satisfaction and retention,” Alles says.
He adds, “Some clients want to explore a wide variety of options, looks and effects. Others know exactly what they want, so I create it the way they want it – with suggestions as warranted along the way. There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to graphic design and its relationship to printed labels.”
Sometimes, the challenge with a particular label doesn’t arise until later in the selection process. Notes Alles, “On a recent job, I preferred a clear label. The client wanted white. The label looked bad on white when we did the press proof. So, we teamed up and decided to go with the clear label, and changed most copy to white with the logos and some copy over a white layer. The final product really popped.”
While vibrant and impactful, reflective chrome labels also have limitations. Asks Alles, “The label can look really cool, but how does it hold up under certain lighting?
Alles’ penchant for graphic design started at an early age. He notes, “I’ve always been an artist, painting and drawing. Ultimately, I studied commercial graphic design and have been doing it ever since.”