Frequently
Asked Questions

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Check out these FAQs and give us a call today for more information!

Why should you choose a comprehensive design/fabrication firm?

Working with a comprehensive design/fabrication firm, you’ll have a single experienced team working on your project from start to finish. This allows for excellent communication, streamlined processes, and a single vision for your project. Our multidisciplinary team is also ready to handle the unexpected, assisting with arising needs and program changes as they are discovered through the construction process. Whether you need ADA-compliant signage, wayfinding signage, experience design, or art consulting, our firm can help you!

Why is project management so important for successful creative projects?

Project management, both creative and technical, is key to the success of our projects and what sets us apart from agencies that offer a fraction of our services. Creative management determines the scope and stylistic direction for your art and experience design, developing the perfect solutions for your space and eliminating uncertainty in the drafting and development process. Technical project management ensures conceptual design can be implemented in the real world, from concept to budgeting, fabrication and installation, while ensuring construction standards compliance and quality control at every step. Comprehensive signage packages also take dedicated, informed specialist oversight to get every detail right for your Day 1. Our multidisciplinary team coordinates every contributor to your project, from muralist to sign installer, orchestrating every trade to stick the landing… every time.

What does an art consultant do?

At A-R-T & Associates, our art consultants work with you to identify wants, style, color, placement, artists, budget, etc. to fit your needs and brand personality. From working with artists for commissions to researching, acquiring, and framing images consistent with your design intent, our art consulting services include purchasing artworks, overseeing the framing at our facility, and coordinating installers to complete the project. Our white-glove service will manage your artwork project from concept to completion with a single management team, ensuring a smooth road to complete project implementation.

What is the difference between art advisors and art consultants?

An art consultant is primarily focused on contemporary art and commissioning works for specific projects, whether private or public. An art advisor will work closely with a private individual to build their collection over time for both aesthetic and investment purposes. Art advisors are also often specialized in a specific period or genre of art. At A-R-T & Associates, we focus our activities around art consulting; we assist the client in developing a cohesive “look and feel” of their art installation so that reflects well upon our client’s brand.

What is interior signage?

Interior signage encompasses more than just room numbers. It is the means by which visitors to the building recognize where they are (logos/branding), how to navigate the building (wayfinding, which includes directories and demarcations), and additional assistance (Americans with Disabilities Act/ADA, how things might function, other safety information). A-R-T & Associates works with clients to identify their needs. Whether it is a design from scratch or implementing an existing design, we project manage from our entry into the project through final implementation.

How does wayfinding signage impact the customer experience?

Wayfinding signage refers to information systems that guide people through a physical environment and enhance their understanding and experience of the space. At A-R-T & Associates, we help personalize that function to represent the brand, giving the location a sense of place through city, region, and brand.

What is experiential graphic design?

For A-R-T & Associates, experiential graphic design (EGD) is a broad suite of solutions that will help our clients dress the office to reflect their brand. The experience of your space is more than the sum of material parts, and we consider every angle and interaction in the creation of your EGD brand package. Those elements can include art and framing, privacy (frost) window films, custom graphic window films, dimensional signage, ADA signage, wayfinding signage, unique fabricated displays, corporate histories, printed vinyl/custom cut vinyl, custom graphic wall coverings, sculptures, photography, brand logos, and other custom elements that will help a client to represent the brand within their space. These layers and disciplines combine to create a one-of-a-kind experience for employees and visitors, uniquely communicating the story of your teams and mission. And we don’t forget to bring the red pen: spatial balance and places of visual rest can be just as important as space activation. If everything’s shouting, nobody can hear your design sing!

How do you choose the EGD design firm that is right for you? What criteria makes for a good EGD design firm?

All design firms have their strengths. Whether it is solution (eg. art, graphics, signage), fabrication, overall project management, scale of projects managed, or end-to-end capabilities, A-R-T & Associates meets you on your terms and helps you envision, design, and implement solutions that accentuate your space, meet your budget criteria, and are managed from ideation to installation. While A-R-T & Associates can develop from the start, we also partner with architects, interior design firms, and other experiential graphic design firms, working with their designs and bringing them to life. This implementation arm of A-R-T & Associates sets us apart through our project management, fabrication, and installation oversight.