We go to TED talks for inspiration, education, and as an entertainment resource. Every so often, someone on the team will find a useful TED talk and share it with the entire team.

TED’s mission is to spread ideas through people who “seek a deeper understanding of the world” and “believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives, and ultimately, the world.” And that’s something that — as a company that helps business influence, market, and attract audiences for our clients — we can really get behind.

So in the interest of spreading ideas and changing the world, we wanted to take a moment to share our team’s 3 favorite TED Talks with you. Which is your favorite?

1. Sasha Strauss: From Branding With Love

This TED Talk is a favorite of our marketing director Kristyn Dingman, who is a big fan of Sasha’s business model. But in this talk, his ability to inspire his audience with clever metaphors and funny sense of humor really shines through. It’s also a great look at the potential that marketing and branding hold. If you’re struggling to find your company’s voice, this TED Talk is a must-watch.

2. Avi Reichental: What’s Next in 3D Printing

This particular TED Talk is a favorite with the entire team here at Printing Solutions. It’s a really cool sneak-peek at new methods of 3D printing, and is a great look into the future of the print industry. Watching this makes us excited for just how amazing 3D printing is … and what it will become.

3. Simon Sinek: How Great Leaders Inspire Action

Our project managers are big fans of this TED Talk from Simon Sinek. It really hits hard on the idea of inspiration, as well as what it takes to lead others at work or at home. If you are in a leadership role or even just looking for the skills to inspire those around you, this is a perfect watch.

Ready to change the world with your ideas? Our team at Printing Solutions would love to join you. Give us a call at 480-596-6300 to let us know where we can help.

The post Our 3 Favorite TED Talks You Must See appeared first on Printing Solutions.

Bonus: In the Shoes of a Graphic Designer

Connect the Dots

CMYK is a subtractive method of printing that relies on layered dots of color to mask the white background of the paper. More ink on the paper means less light that reflects (hence the subtraction).

Inks used in CMYK printing come in 4 colors: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key (a printer’s name for black, since black is often used to outline an image as a guide).

CMYK inks are applied in set patterns of tiny dots that appear to create a solid color … similar to the pixels on a digital image. Layers of these dots in different amounts of ink create any shade or color. Here’s an example of how the colors work together:

Image via

CMYK colors sometimes translate in terms of percentages. For instance, the blue that we use for our Printing Solutions brand is C100 M30 Y0 K0, or 100%, 30%, 0%, 0%.  

Color By Number

CMYK typically produces a higher quality of print job than your standard home office printer, which prints in RGB. RGB uses combinations of Red, Green, and Blue inks to create varying colors and shades.

“RGB is a 3-color process with fewer colors mixing together to achieve a specific color,” says Kristyn Dingman, Printing Solutions’ Director of Marketing. “Because there are fewer colors to choose from, a CMYK print is preferred to achieve a true color.”

That’s not to say that CMYK produces perfect color every time, the way a Pantone ink would. Pantone inks come in pre-mixed colors according to an exact formula that can be replicated with the same results every time. CMYK, on the other, hand, may have some fluctuations in tone, especially when converting from Pantone to CMYK.

“You are taking something that is already made and trying to dissect it and then reinvent it,” Kristyn says. “The same thing happens when you take a CMYK color and convert it to a Pantone. There is the possibility that the colors may look different from one process to another.”

However, Pantone’s level of perfection comes with a heft price tag that simply isn’t practical for most companies. CMYK is a more affordable solution that still produces a very high quality print product. Here at Printing Solutions, we print about 85% of our projects in CMYK and about 15% in Pantone.

Bonus: The Worst Advice I’ve Ever Heard About Print

Want to know how CMYK printing can help take your business to the next level? Our team at Printing Solutions would love to show you how! Give us a call at 480-596-6300 today.

The post Everything You Need to Know About CMYK appeared first on Printing Solutions.

Here at Printing Solutions, we are constantly finding new ways to not only inspire each other, but ourselves as well. Here are the top 11 things that inspire our team.

1. Motivational Quotes

A huge source of inspiration is our team’s Quote of the Day. It can be funny, serious, wise, or made up. Each morning a different team member takes turn coming up with this quote, so we get to draw from each other for inspiration. It’s a great way to wrap up a meeting as well as get the creative juices flowing.

2. Get the Blood Flowing

Another way we like to get inspired is to play a game of Ping-Pong or basketball. Studies have shown that exercise really does help with creativity and concentration, so we like to shake things up and get our blood flowing when we feel uninspired.

Fresh air also helps! Our Graphic Designer Chris Danner is a big hiker and loves to go on walks during the day. He’s a big fan of animal life and the good ol’ outdoors, and draws his inspiration from Mother Nature.

3. Teamwork

The best thing about working with such an awesome team is that everyone has such different talents and abilities that others can lean on. A lot of the time, our designers will approach a whole different department and get their inspiration from an outside perspective. We love this approached when it comes to logo creation or branding for a client. Sometimes, it takes a new pair of eyes to inspire something.

4. Crank the Tunes

Our Project Manager Autumn Iversen draws inspiration from the music she listens to. She is our country music fan, and she is very good at focusing and cranking things out through the day. We have to push her to get away and take breaks!

5. Make a List

For us, motivation to work hard comes from the team as a whole. Everyone has a daily task list, and we all write one task that we will push ourselves to do on the whiteboard in our office. Then as a team, we strive to make sure everyone succeeds in that task. Yes, there are days when someone may fall short, but the best teams ensure that their members can succeed the next day.

6. Feed Your Mind Body

Our Creative Director Justin Ketchum is a big fan of lunch. Having a great meal is one of the most important things in a day for anyone, because when your body works well, so does your mind. Some foods have even been shown to boost creativity and inspiration! Justin loves to take the time to enjoy some really great food throughout the day, which helps him refocus and think more creatively.

7. Think Outside the Box

Sometimes all we need to be inspired is some time away from work. Sitting and having lunch as a team, playing a quick game of Pictionary, or even relaxing our eyes and lounging on our giant bean-bag chairs is a good way to reset our minds and help us think differently.

When you free your mind and get away from the grind, you tend to have a lot of creative inspiration from the things around the office. And one of the greatest signs in our office is placed in one of the most perfect location to help us remember this:

8. Loved Ones

For many of us, our families and loved ones are what inspire us. This is certainly true for our Senior Project Manager Matthew McConkey. When he is not grinding away at the day, he finds comfort and inspiration in the home videos his wife sends him of their young son, Ethan. We can tell when Matthew gets a cute picture or quick video because we can hear him laughing from across the office.

9. Friendly Competition

Kristyn Dingman, our Marketing Director, is a big fan of stepping away from her computer and visiting with her co-workers. She loves to take a small snack and get a couple of her teammates to battle each other at the Ping-Pong table. She gets a great entertaining show that takes her mind off of the day … and they get a boost of exercise to help them as well!

10. Our Awesome Clients

Nothing inspires and motivates us more than the wonderful clients we work with. Our clients really are some amazing people with awesome drive and motivation of their own. So when we get to show a client the end product, their faces and reactions are all we need to keep going and pushing ourselves.

Need a little creative inspiration for your business? Our team at Printing Solutions is here to help. Give us a call at 480-596-6300 to get started.

The post 10 Things that Help the Printing Solutions Team Stay Inspired appeared first on Printing Solutions.

It’s easy to lose focus, but getting back in the zone is a different story. Yes, it’s something the Printing Solutions team struggles with from time to time, just like anyone else. Fortunately, we have a few tricks we use to get ourselves back on track and stay focused throughout the day.

Get Inspired

Every morning here at Printing Solutions starts with a team-wide production and design meeting where we discuss our wins from the previous day and our tasks for the current day. We also take a moment to read the company’s Quote of the Day. Each day, a different person gets to choose a fun and inspirational quote to write on the board. This meeting sets the tone for the day and helps to get us focused right away.

Pencil It In

Many times, anxiety can set in when you start looking at an entire day’s worth of work. That’s a full 8 hours’ worth of tasks, and it can feel like too much when you look at the whole picture.

For our team, we find it’s easier to look at smaller chunks of time. At Printing Solutions we love to block out our days. We break out each of our tasks into manageable time blocks in our calendars, and color code those blocks based on time needed. Then we make sure to focus 100% of our attention on that one project for the required length of time. Our team has access to each others’ calendars, so we know when someone is in a block. No distractions during this time block.

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

We can always tell if a team member was not as focused as they should have been based on their task list at the end of the day. Sometimes unexpected tasks come through that take our focus away. Maybe a client needs a rush order, or something went wrong in the production process. When this happens, we mold and adapt to the situation, and continue to push forward with the original plan and blocks in the day.

But sometimes it can be a challenge to refocus our attention on the right priorities. When a graphic designer has 10+ projects he has to bust out for the day, it can be easy to lose focus on what is important. So we as a team come together to help each other out when it comes to our tasks for the day. We find ways to make each other successful and to push ourselves to complete what we can by focusing on the essentials.

Take a Break

As big believers in time management, we also know that sometimes we just need to shut off and focus our attention on something less stressful. Our office includes a ping pong table, basketball court, and lounge area in our office where the team can go and power down. We also have a lot of space where anyone can go and enjoy some peace and quiet for a few minutes. This includes meditation, reading, or simply to step away from their desk.

Another great trick we use is the good old-fashioned outdoors to redirect our focus. Studies have shown that fresh air can boost productivity by as much as 11% … and we are located in a prime area for people to walk and enjoy Mother Nature.

Finish Strong

Most days, our least focused times are early morning and mid afternoon. The later parts of the morning are dedicated to 100% focused production time. Until we hit that zone, it can be difficult to concentrate fully. And after the 2:00pm mark, things tend to slow down, tensions are not as high, and our focus may slip a little. By this point most of the day’s deadlines have been met, so there is more of a relaxing feel on everyone’s shoulders.

During the week, Monday through Thursday are days with heavy focus. Because we are in an industry which focuses on quick turn times, we have to keep on our toes to make sure we can uphold a promise that we make to our clients. Here’s an example. Your project will completed by end-of-day Thursday for your big event on Friday.

But Fridays are always going to be a struggle for the majority of businesses. With the weekend just around the corner, it’s hard to maintain a solid focus on certain projects. However, in the end we know that there is a professionalism we have to maintain with our clients. We make sure we continuously push ourselves to complete the job.

No matter what comes up throughout the day, we know that staying focused is the key to delivering quality solutions for our clients. To learn more about how our team can deliver these solutions for your business, give us a call at 480-596-6300.

The post How to Stay Focused Throughout the Day appeared first on Printing Solutions.

A banding package can be a major undertaking and last for a few weeks, but in the end, our clients invariably decide it was all worth it. Here’s the life cycle of a branding package.

Each project is unique, and its timeline depends on the client and what you are looking for. We offer a good, better, best model for design when it comes to projects like this:

• Starter Package offers the basics to a strong brand identity
• Essentials Package comes with a more detailed timeline and expanded print options
• Pro Package includes digital services like email signatures and social media page creations

Strategy Session

All of our branding projects begin with a strategy session, where we sit down with you to learn the ins and outs of what you like about your current brand and what you want to improve on. During these meetings we make sure we get as much input as we can from the team. Our Creative Director, Justin Ketchum, is involved in every branding project that comes through our doors. We also have Chris Danner, our graphic designer as a second hand in these projects. And lastly, a project manager facilitates pricing and is the main contact for you.

Foundation, Development & Refinement

“One team member will take the lead and serve as the liaison between the team and the client, but a typical brand can have as many as five to seven people working on their project at any given time,” Justin says.

After the strategy session, we jump into the three main steps to a branding package: Foundation, Development, and Refinement. Most of the work is done during the foundation phase, which allows for a fun and easy transition through the development and refinement stages.

The revisions depend entirely on the client. As long as you are OK with the time being spent, revisions can happen as often as you would like — our job is to provide the best possible solutions for our clients, so we want you to be involved in this process as much as possible.

“Typically, a company will have their new logo in use within the month,” Justin says.

Once a project is completed, we still have follow-up calls and meetings with you. We learn something new with every project, and we use these learning experiences as tools to better improve our system, as well as the experience for the next project.

If your brand is in need of a reboot, we would love to help. Give us a call at 480-596-6300 to get started.

The post Before and After the Creative Process: See the Life Cycle of a Branding Project appeared first on Printing Solutions.

1. Cotton Cards

One way to give your business cards some extra oomph is as simple as changing the paper they’re printed on. One of our current favorites is a cotton card. Cotton cards have a very natural and sturdy feel to them. They make a big impression — they’re a very thick 45pt paper with actual cotton fiber pressed in — and they have such a soft and elegant feel.

“This is something really unique and can give your business a high-end presentation just based on the stock,” says Kristyn Dingman, Printing Solutions’ Director of Marketing.

2. Foil Elements

If your business card could use a little pizzazz, then foil might be your answer. Adding a stamp of foil to your cards can not only make a lasting impression, but it can make certain aspects of your card really stand out for that high-end look.

Most people think of the traditional gold and silver when they think of foil, but it is actually very versatile in its array of color, size and overall visual appeal.

“It’s a nice, inexpensive solution for someone who is looking to take that next step in design,” Kristyn says.

3. Embossing or Debossing

Embossing (or debossing) is a newer trend in print that is a great way to add both visual and tactile interest to your business cards. This technique indents certain areas of the paper so that as you go over the surface of the card with your fingertips, you can feel the imprint of your company’s logo (or other area that is embossed).

Many companies have a Spot UV or specific feel to their cards, but want a new, modern upgrade that will really make their business something to remember. Having a certain part of the card physically pop out or sink in can make a big impact.

“Many clients use this on their logo or another aspect of the card that is important,” Kristyn says. “It’s a great upgrade for someone looking to rise above their competition.”

4. Colored Edges

For a simple and affordable way to make your cards stand out, you might want to consider adding color the edges. Not only does this technique make your entire card look more cohesive and pulled together, it also gives some love to an often-forgotten area of the card.

“We love seeing clients take their main logo colors and add that sleek edge to their cards,” Kristyn says. “This works best with thicker cards.”

5. Unusual Sizes & Shapes

Not only do you want your business cards stand out, but it’s important to do it in a smart way. A new trend is changing the size from your standard 3×2.5 business card and making it into a circle or square card.

“It looks unique and is a great solution for someone looking to change a small part of their card without changing the entire feel or brand,” Kristyn says.

We can also make custom die-cut business cards for your business. If you want your business card to be a unique shape — like the gift box shape above — then we can do that too.

If you’re considering an upgrade to your business cards, there are a few things to consider first.

1. Do you have the right budget?

While the options above are each great for different businesses, they may not all be the best solution for your budget. Some business card upgrades are only a few dollars, while others may be double or triple that price. Many of the upgrades range anywhere from $30.00 – $200.00, but your final cost depends on which upgrade you want to go with. There are so many different combinations you can do that will fluctuate the price.

2. What’s your deadline?

We love creating new and improved cards for an event or conference a client plans to attend, but things get difficult when they need the upgraded cards in only a couple of days. Many of the business card upgrades above require extensive time for cutting, gluing, drying, and quality assurance checkpoints. For your new cards to look flawless, most of our upgrades simply can’t be rushed.

Here at Printing Solutions, many people want to know how we can improve their cards. We can suggest certain business card upgrades based on a client’s budget and deadline, but to really provide the best solution for your business, it’s best to meet with the Printing Solutions team. Come by our offices, or give us a call at 480-596-6300 to set up a meeting.

The post 5 Fun Upgrades to Your Business Cards appeared first on Printing Solutions.

We have clients all the time who receive the incorrect idea about print by other companies. Here’s some of the worst advice someone could give you about print. And what really goes into a creating a flawless project.

Bad Advice #1: Color matching should be a piece of cake.

Color matching is one of the hardest things for a printing company to conquer. Here at Printing Solutions we print CMYK. Cyan, magenta, yellow, and “key” (or black). This applies to most of the projects that we handle. You’re probably familiar with these colors from your standard desktop printer.

Each of these 4 colors needs to mix together perfectly to produce the exact color from the original batch. If the formula is even slightly wrong, then each run of prints may have a slightly different color. Color matching is a very tedious process that leaves no room for error.

“If you are a business that requires your colors to not fluctuate even by the slightest bit, you need to go with a Pantone print ink,” says Kristyn Dingman, Printing Solutions’ Director of Marketing. Pantone inks are pre-mixed and do not fluctuate in color tones. Unfortunately, this also makes Pantone colors a more expensive option.

A more cost-effective option would be to pick out a pantone color that we then convert to CMYK. While not as exact a match as printing in a Pantone ink, this is a more precise method than simply mixing CMYK colors and hoping for the best.

Bad Advice #2: Setting up print-ready files should only take a few minutes.

Setting up print-ready files can be a long process. Printing clients often think they have sent print-ready artwork. They do not fully understand what really needs to happen for a design to truly be ready for print.

“There needs to be proper crop and bleed marks attached to the artwork, according to our standards,” Kristyn says. “You also need to make sure if you need to change or update something on a piece of artwork that you embed fonts and outline logos.”

If you’re familiar with Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, or InDesign, then you can probably set this up yourself. But if you’re not sure how or where to find these tools in the programs, than you’re better off having our designers set this up for you.

But be aware that having our design team do this for you takes time. We not only make the necessary changes to your existing files, but we also download and save each layer and file to your account.

“It’s definitely not as simple as you may think, but our designers do the best they can in a short amount of time,” Kristyn says.

Prepare to pay for a bit of design time if you do not have 100% print-ready files. We charge around $10 to set the files up for print.

Bad Advice #3: You don’t need bleed and crop marks on your artwork.

Bleed and crop marks are two of the most commonly overlooked features when getting a file ready for print.

Everything we print here at Printing Solutions starts out slightly larger than the finished product. Once we go to print, all pieces of artwork need to be cut down to size. Crop marks are an essential element because they lead the way for a printer when it comes to sizing and cutting properly.

“Not having crop marks on a piece of artwork tells the printer that you do not want the piece cut to a size,” Kristyn says. Not having these causes confusion from computer to printer. And it could result in a final product that you’re not happy with.

An area called the “bleed” is what allows the color to go all the way to the edge of your printed piece once it’s cut down to size at the crop marks. The bleed extends slightly past the crop marks on all sides to ensure that your design looks flawless, even if the cut is slightly misaligned.

Not having bleed on your artwork tells the printer that you don’t want the flood of color to go to the edge of the piece. For example, if you wanted a navy blue background on your business card with no bleed, this would make your cards have a white border. A card with bleed allows the navy blue to run off the edge of the paper, giving it a seamless look.

While we do not require you to have bleed on your artwork, it is more common than not, and can be extremely helpful in producing a final product that you love.

Need To Confirm More Advice?

At Printing Solutions, the best thing we can do to correct any misunderstandings about print is to educate our clients. We do this by explaining the issue or by physically showing them examples of what we will correct. It’s important that our clients know we can offer a solution to any issues or concerns that come up. Our job at Printing Solutions is to provide the best service and assist our customers in finding solutions for their print marketing needs.

We are here to make sure we can connect with each person who walks through our doors. Let’s make this foreign thing called “printing” and make it not so scary. Contact us at 480-596-6300 to learn more.

The post The Worst Advice I’ve Heard About Print appeared first on Printing Solutions.

Whether you’re thinking of hiring a project manager for your business or you’re new to the role yourself, we have some tips to help you on your way to success.

1. Communicate Effectively

First of all literally every job requires effective communication. Perhaps nowhere is it so important as in the role of a project manager. On any given day a project manager is talking to several clients across multiple projects and coordinating with designers and production staff. Any gaps in communication could derail an entire project.

Remember that each client communicates differently, so your approach must change accordingly. The best project managers are understanding of clients’ communication preferences and can easily adapt to whatever method works best.

BONUS: 3 Tips to Closing a Lead

2. Stay Organized

Additionally, exceptional organization is key to project management success. Take it from Autumn Iversen, our Project Manager here at Printing Solutions. She manages every project that comes through the company, and she’s awesome at it because she’s so on top of things.

“For me to do this successfully, I MUST manage my time and make sure our customers get everything they need,” Autumn says. “A big portion of my day is about making sure each one of our clients are getting the responses and attention they need in a timely manner. Blocking out my day in my calendar is a really great way to manage my tasks, meetings, and reminders.”

3. Catch Things Early

Sometimes mistakes happen, but the job of a project manager is to identify those risks and nip them in the bud.

A good project manager can usually catch these mistakes by learning from previous ones. Considering what happens and why gives you an upper hand in identifying an approaching situation. It arms you with the knowledge of how to stop it before it unfolds.

4. Resolve Conflicts Quickly

Additionally, good project managers are great at customer service. Especially in difficult or sensitive situations where a client is upset or there was a gap in communication. Knowing how to approach a client who is upset in a way that will calm the situation and leave them happy comes after a lot of practice, and it’s never easy. A project manager who can do this well is a valuable asset to any team.

BONUS: 3 Strategies to Build Lasting Customer Relationships

In conclusion, client satisfaction is our No. 1 priority at Printing Solutions. We accomplish that thanks to a fantastic project manager. Are you looking for a company to manage your printing and design needs? Give us a call at 480-596-6300 and let us know how we can help you.

The post 4 Secrets Of A Successful Project Manager appeared first on Printing Solutions.

At Printing Solutions, we’re dedicated to building the best possible team, not just for our business, but also for the sake of our customers. We can’t do great things unless we’ve got great people working together to make it happen, and we’re proud to say that we’ve done that here. Here are a few principles that we used to put together our best possible team: We hope it helps you find yours.

BONUS: What Is The Purpose Of A Business Card?

Communication

The sci-fi writer Robert Anton Wilson once said, “True communication is only possible between equals.” Strong communication is what binds a team together. A strong team exists in a receptive environment, where people feel encouraged and respected enough to share their ideas and build on what their coworkers are doing. Communication creates a feeling of equality: If you don’t feel you can voice your opinions or ideas to your coworkers, you’re on the wrong team.

Communication makes it so everyone is on the same page. That’s crucial for making projects come to pass and actually meeting deadlines. In this day and age, there’s absolutely no reason for not being able to keep people in the loop. From screen recording apps to instant messaging and voice-to-text dictation, it’s never been easier to record meetings and take notes.

If you haven’t already implemented this step, consider recording all your staff meetings and training sessions. Creating a video library that everyone can regularly access and watch makes it so everyone has a chance to be informed and up to date about what’s going on. It also makes it so that team members who aren’t present at the time have a chance to catch up and not feel like they’ve been missing out.

Trust

Nothing makes a team function as well as trust. Put the most talented and hard-working people together and they won’t be able to accomplish much if they don’t trust each other. Trust is what makes communication possible in the first place. Trust makes it so everyone on your team can give each other constructive criticism and call each other out when necessary, without fear of bruising their egos.

Build trust with your team by taking them out for team-building activities. Get them to have fun and drop their inhibitions for a bit, and they’ll start to trust each other more. The best activities are the ones that require group problem solving and communication. Even something as simple as a softball game or a trivia night can work wonders for creating that powerful group bond.

An essential part of building trust is understanding all the personalities on your team. Everyone communicates and thinks differently. If you want to get someone to trust you, show them that you accept them for who they are. Accommodate them when necessary. Sometimes the most brilliant and innovative minds can also be the most socially awkward, or suffer from mental/mood disorders: Learning to deal with their behaviors and worldview is critical to gaining their trust.

Think of your team as a dish. You can’t properly cook something unless you have a firm understanding of each ingredient and how it relates to the overall flavors you’re trying to create that will compliment one another.

Delegation

A good team understands the individual strengths and talents of each member on the talent. Not everybody can be the quarterback! In order for a team to really kick things into gear, everyone needs to know their role. Most teams require a strong leader, someone with the guiding vision and personality to help the team succeed. But for a leader to be effective, they need to respect their team and listen to them. If you can’t respect your team, they won’t respect you.

Another important aspect of delegation is confrontation. Occasionally someone on the team will slack off or make a mistake. Strong teams hold themselves accountable: After all, you’re only as strong as your weakest link. In order for a leader to delegate and for people to play their roles well, everyone on the team needs to be holding their own. If one person drops the ball, it can affect everyone else. And if you don’t call people out on their mistakes or bad habits, these can snowball over time into something disastrous.

Calling people out can be awkward. Nobody likes to do it. But if your team has open communication and a lot of trust holding it together, people will be able to take that feedback and use it in a positive way.

Positivity

Like attracts like. A positive team is full of positive people. Positivity enables and encourages. It pushes people to challenge themselves and try new things, to take risks. Negativity kills that feeling of potential. A negative person says “no” instead of “yes”. Instead of trying to push the envelope, they’ll always advise caution. While it can be good to have a devil’s advocate on your team who can offer valuable critiques of your work, you don’t want someone who’s going to constantly rain on your parade.

The problem with negative people is that their dourness is infectious. And once that mopeyness spreads, your team is in trouble. It’s hard to motivate people who believe your project is pointless or doomed to failure. It’s hard to be productive when you fail to see the worth in your work. Surround yourself with people who believe in what you do, who are exciting and find it rewarding. Those are the people who will make your team unbeatable on the marketplace.

Fun

It’s a cliché, but it’s absolutely true: “Work hard, play hard.” People who have fun at work will be eager to go to work. They won’t be sighing when their alarm clock jolts them awake on Monday morning- No, they’ll be THRILLED to go to work. If you create an environment that’s fun and stimulating, your team will be eager to get to work.

Give your team breaks. Let them laugh and blow off some steam. Have them play music they like, let them goof off for a few minutes after putting in hours of grade-A work. This is how groups form strong connections: Give them some time to shoot the breeze and they’ll come to crave each other’s company. A great team doesn’t feel like a randomly assembled group of coworkers. It feels like a gang of friends who get things done!

BONUS: 18 Things That Will Help You Get Inspired

We’re all about building the best possible team at Printing Solutions. Our team is here to help your business succeed by taking care of your printing and design needs. Give us a call at 480-596-6300 and let us know how our team can help you.

The post There Is No I In TEAM: How To Be The Best Possible Team appeared first on Printing Solutions.

At Printing Solutions, we know the value of having a tight-knit team. We keep things fun and focused at work. Sometimes the best way to keep your team’s head in the game is to get them to go out and play for a bit! Here are five team building activities that you must try.

#1. Improv

One of the most fun and instructive team building activities you can do is improv. Most major cities have improv theaters or groups that teach short-form and long-form improv. A lot of these organizations offer free drop-in classes or private training for very affordable rates. Improv is an activity that’s very misunderstood. When most people hear the word, they think of the show “Who’s Line Is It Anyway?” or Burt Reynolds ad-libbing in blooper reels at the end of his movies.

Improv is more than just saying whatever comes to mind and acting silly. It teaches you a method of collaborating that can be invaluable for your business. Improv classes teach the value of participation and group effort. The central tenet of improv is “Yes, and”. Learning to agree with the people you’re working with and add to their efforts. It teaches people to have fun and make something wonderful by putting their egos aside and playing along with each other. They will build a lot of trust. And it will let you know that your fellow improvisers will support whatever you say and do in an improv scene.

Improv also teaches people to trust their impulses. To realize that we’re all far more creative and able to think on our feet than we often give ourselves credit for. If you have people on your team who don’t have a lot of confidence in their abilities to think fast, give them the gift of an improv class.

Here’s one final advantage of improv. While it helps to take a class, improv is something that you and your team can do on-site on your own. All you need is a book of theater games and the willingness to be goofy with each other.

BONUS: 3 Tips To Closing A Lead

#2. Team outing: Escape the Room

Escape the room have become a huge trend over the last few years, and for good reason. They’re a lot of fun and force teams to be challenged! Escape the room operate under the same formula. A team is “locked” in a room for one hour and have to solve some kind of mystery. Most escape rooms pride themselves on being very complicated and devious. They’re designed to be challenging enough that you NEED a team with you to solve it.

Escape the room requires a team to communicate efficiently and be more perceptive. Since most rooms work within a time limit, if your team wants to succeed they have to be able to work closely, quickly and wisely with each other. It’s also a great way to learn that your teammates could possess talents that you didn’t know they had. Perhaps one of your coworkers is amazing at solving riddles, or that another is musically gifted and can play a piano that’s a key part of the escape room. These are talents that could very well become useful in the workplace at some point. And best of all, the escape room is a team building activity that can give you all a sense of accomplishment because it is something that can be beaten and won!

#3. Sports

Sometimes the best way to bring a team together is to get them outside and on their feet. Physical activities are great because they tend to already be team-oriented, they offer a friendly competitive atmosphere and it gives your team a workout. Getting your team out for a dodgeball game, a few rounds of bowling or mini-golf is a great way for them to loosen up their muscles, blow off some steam, and get to know each other better.

There are also in-door sports that work as great team building activities. At Printing Solutions, we have a ping-pong table and a basketball hoop. They both get a lot of use during our down-time! If you don’t want to install any game tables or athletic equipment, there are easy and simple ways to play sports indoors. You can grab a golf club, some balls, and red cups and use them to create a makeshift office golf course. You can get a dart board, or get small foam balls to throw around. Anything that gets your team off their feet, on the move, and working with each or against each other in the spirit of fun and fair play is a great way to bond them together as a unit.

#4. Board Games & Game Shows

Putting together a board game hour is another great way to get your team to play and work together. Board games give them a chance to exercise their cunning and be competitive with each other in a way that doesn’t hurt anyone’s feelings. Sometimes you don’t even need a board game to have a great game day: A simple game of charades can really bring a team together. Not only is it fun, it’s great for developing non-verbal communication skills and teaching your workers to be more attentive and perceptive.

You can also put on your own game shows! You could have someone put together their own version of “Jeopardy” and test your test’s mental acumen. Make your own “Wheel of Fortune” or pit two teams against one another in an inter-office “Family Feud”. It can take a little extra time and effort to set these up, but it’s worth it for the fun times and boost in company morale.

#5. Show And Tell

Another popular trend in recent years is live storytelling. Storytelling doesn’t just make for great live shows- It can also be a revealing and fun team activity! Come up with a prompt and let your team know a day or two ahead of time. Give everyone a little time to come up with a personal story related to that theme. Something that isn’t longer than five minutes. The beauty of storytelling is that it’s something to be unrehearsed and from the heart. If your team worries about sounding unpolishing and unprofessional, let them know that that’s precisely the point. Storytelling is about being real. That kind of realness builds serious trust in a team. Being able to talk openly and honestly about something in your life can make you feel closer and more at ease with the listener. Just as it how it make the audience feel more empathetic and appreciative to the person doing the sharing.

Not everyone is great or comfortable with talking in public, though. One way to ensure that everyone is comfortable being a part of this activity is to give them a “show and tell”. Maybe instead of telling a story based on the theme they want to sing a song instead. Or show off a piece of art or display some kind of other creative talent they have. Give your team the chance to express themselves in a way that’s comfortable to them and they will shine.

BONUS: 5 Lessons You Can Learn From Big Companies About Branding

Looking to build a brand that’s as strong as your team? Give Printing Solutions a call. We’d be happy to help you get the business and printing materials you need to succeed. Call us at 480-596-6300 or request a free quote now.

The post The Ultimate Guide To The Best Team Building Activities appeared first on Printing Solutions.