SMC: How is technology changing your business?
DS: Until 2006, we created all our signs by hand. Ever since we purchased the MultiCam 3000 series router, our production has ramped up with an improvement in quality at the same time. The MultiCam plasma cutter allows us to design custom fancy brackets in-house as well.
I did all the design by hand until 1999. After we purchased a drawing tablet and a computer, I continued drawing by hand, but it was recorded digitally as I drew. This meant I could easily share files with far-flung customers without having to scan my sketches.
With this transition over time, changes to concepts are easy to accomplish as well. We are an Apple studio, with the exception of two computers that run the plasma cutter and router. The introduction of iPads and digital pencils a few years ago was a game-changer for professionals in the industry. I realized I could design more fluidly and without any lag. I would not want to go back to pen and paper now.
