shantomo.com

It’s nearly a year that I’ve been absent from posting on this website. Much had happened since I returned, but primarily it had been focused on finding new employment. In the beginning of August, 2009, I joined Multigraphics, Ltd.—a grand-format printing company located on the beautiful North Vancouver, affectionately called the North Shore. At this point, I had a vague understanding of what a “grand-format printer” does; however, I quickly understood that these are the people who manufacture large-scale images for billboard, posters, exhibitions, banners and real-estate signage such as the giant Canada flag building wrap that graced the corner of Georgia St. and Howe in downtown Vancouver. I learned that although grand-format printers are a part of the signage industry, unlike the sign fabrication companies, they tend to focus more on printing artwork on various substrates from rigid such as wood panels or Aluminum panels to flexible or termed roll-to-roll media such as fabric or self-adhesive vinyls (i.e. big stickers) as oppose to making neon signs.

When I joined, Multigraphics was awaiting for VANOC’s response to the decision of Multigraphic’s proposal for the Decals category. I dimly recalled that in late September/early October, I learned that Multigraphics won the bid to be a part of a roster of contractors who dressed 22 Olympic venues, transition Olympic venues to Paralympics and decommision the products. One Thursday morning in mid-October, Multigraphics VP of Sales and Marketing appointed me to the task of coordinating the production and the delivery of this half-million dollar project. For the next three months, I embarked on an intense journey with VANOC’s Look of the Games team in dressing the competition and non-competition city and Whistler venues. Both teams barely ate or slept and mostly propped by caffeine during this three months leading up to the games, spending an average of 12 hours a day for the project coordination, producing and delivering the decals what Vancouverites, Canada and the world watched. By the time the Oympics started, I was relieved that we’re reached the D-day, proud to see our work gracing the city, yet exhausted and burned out after accruing an astonishing overtime hours. After completing the decommissioning of the graphics, filed all the paperwork, issued all the invoices, I finally closed the project in mid-April. Apart from the politics surrounding the Olympics and its large price tag, the project was a valuable training ground and surely a bootcamp for me. I couldn’t help smiling when I saw the work that I was there to see work that was produced and helped contributed—I had a deeper understanding of the skills, commitment, dedication, sacrifices and of course, the price tag that went into those graphics. Along with dressing up all the Olympic venues, we also decked out the popular Russian Dome (Sochi.ru house) at TELUS World of Science, Canada’s Northern House, Bell Hospitality Tent and the giant Canadian Flag on Hotel Georgia.

Aside from the momentus Olympic project, I’m officially now flying under shantomo communications for any communications-related projects and regrettably I had to resign from GDC/BC board to allow others who have more time and energy to further the work. In the meantime, Graphex and Icograda Design Week: Design Currency took place. I heard glowing reviews. Life happens and I’m still recuperating from the Olympic intensity and taking a necessary break.