Software firm keeps design projects on Track

Courtesy of The Westchester County Business Journal, March 7th, 2006

The designer comes up with some colorful graphics, then joins the marketing person to fall in love with the look of that package or advertisement. But when it goes through the printer, it comes out looking like something else.

Helping businesses avoid that nightmare scenario -- and the time and money wasted as a result -- is a 6-year-old software designer from Stamford, Conn., looking to a Westchester group to grow its business further.

Design2Launch Inc. specializes in systems allowing for collaboration in the routing, approval of artwork and graphics for consumer goods -- from labels to packaging and advertising -- as well as color management.

"We capture any feedback or comments or change requests that the graphic designers need to know in order to make the changes for the label that eventually get sent to the printer," said Alison Malloy, chief executive officer of Design2Launch. "The challenge comes from ensuring that the end product is what the marketing and the designing people wanted it to look like. Brands care about brand identity, so it's important that their colors are portrayed accurately."

Among the company's customers are Pernod Ricard USA, the White Plains-based U.S. subsidiary of Pernod Ricard S.A., the French-owned global wine and spirits company; and beauty products giant Estee Lauder Inc. Design2Launch charges customers based on their number of users per month, though the company won't disclose its range of prices. The software is available either on its own as a typical sale or as a more expansive hosted solution.

"We are dedicated to ensuring our national marketing, sales and distribution organization can quickly and easily access and collaborate on Pernod-Ricard USA's wealth of approved visual assets, providing our people a significant competitive advantage in the field," said Neal Larkin, director of sales promotions with Pernod Ricard USA.

Design2Launch has integrated within its software solution some products of Eastman Kodak Co.'s Kodak Graphic Communication Group, under a joint technology-sales partnership. Those products include Kodak's MatchPrint Virtual and Prinergy Workflow Systems. "The ability to electronically route and approve color critical graphics for packaging and advertising materialsisessential for brand management and speed to market," said Jennifer Bergin, Kodak's creative segment manager for the United States and Canada.

The company's color management allows for both "soft" proofing by designers, marketers and printers -- automatic calibration of monitors to a specific color standard every 24 hours plus visual inspection -- as well as "hard" proofing, allowing for printing of the graphic file being developed.

Design2Launch also maintains partnerships with New Jersey printer Sandy Alexander Inc. and Infor Optiva.

Westchester County Buiness Journal