Potlatch sales rep Joyce Pekala visits FIDM

Joyce Pekala knows her surfaces, specs, colors, weights, and textures. She is a sales representative for Potlatch Corporation, a major manufacturer of coated papers. When a design project is ready to go to the printer, one of the most important decisions to make is the type of paper it will get printed on. The paper choice can "make or break" the final printed piece. Joyce definitely knows the ins and outs of paper selection!

Potlatch takes an innovative approach to the marketing of their papers. They celebrate design and creativity through their printed materials and hire prominent graphic designers to make interesting Potlatch paper books worthy of keeping on your bookshelf! The ulterior motive of beautifully printed swatch books is to show different printing techniques and why you might choose one process over another. The books are beautiful to look at, educational to read, and full of cool historical tidbits. Joyce showed off her favorites, like an illustrated history of type and a timeline of the most popular items and slang words for each decade of the 20th century. Joyce had plenty of swatch books on hand to give out at the end of the program, and students quickly emptied the sample tables!

Potlatch is open to exploring all kinds of media for advertising, including film! Joyce treated the audience to a screening of the inspirational short movie Four, which was produced by Potlatch. There is no mention of paper in the film; rather, it explores the creative process through the eyes of four very unique artists.

One student asked, "How do you learn about the paper specification process if you're very inexperienced?" Joyce responded with great advice. "Anybody starting out needs to line themselves up with good vendors, and build relationships with print and paper sales reps."

"Stocking up on as many paper swatch books as possible is essential," she added. "Study them! Get to know the feel of different papers and pick out possibilities for your project to take to your printer for advice. Once you start learning the subtleties of papers, you'll know what will and won't work for your projects."

She suggests coming up with a paper spec checklist to use for each project. "Think about the final intention of what you're printing. Is it a keeper piece? If so, then you should go with the best quality paper you can afford so that people will want to hold on to it. Is it a direct mail piece? Most likely it will get opened and thrown away, so a cheaper paper would be the best choice."

Joyce reiterated the vital role that designers play within companies. "Graphic designers bring something interesting to the table in any corporate situation. Your viewpoint is different and fresh, and we need your great ideas!"

Be sure to check out the interactive Potlatch website: www.potlatchpaper.com