Total Cost to Communicate™ is a natural outgrowth of the GFX mission of helping our clients succeed. A company culture devoted to helping clients find the best ways to create, innovate and communicate is, by its very nature, a problem-solving culture. It is engineered to eliminate those pain points through improvements in planning, design, production, logistics and execution. Our goal is to help you eliminate transactions all along the process, while helping you produce exactly what is needed as quickly as possible. 

GFX consultants partner with clients to examine existing process and design a better roadmap that delivers dramatic and quantifiable improvements. We work hand-in-hand with clients to assess and improve their Total Cost to Communicate™, using a methodology we have perfected over the years. 

We Start With A Discovery Meeting
to Examine Current Process

By design, this examination covers a lot of ground. We want to understand your pain points and how your systems are working – or aren’t working! We look at how you’re using technology to input and output data. We look at the universe of decision-makers and their role in the overall process. We also look at your installations and approvals procedures.

We Gather Info from Store Managers and
Visual Merchandising Managers

Once discovery is complete, we drill down to specific sites and locations where we gather info from store managers and visual merchandising managers. We assess how well the current process is meeting needs, falling short, or generating waste that’s costing you money and time. We examine decision-making process in the field, as well as installation tactics and corporate communication that guide in-store marketing.

We Analyze Your Distribution Process

We delve into the overall distribution process for signage and materials. We explore frequency and timing and the relationship of each to annual expenditures. We review a host of factors that can impact the bottom line, including cartoning and freight costs.

We Evaluate Your
Content Creation Process

Our GFX experts continue to dig deep into your process by asking questions about content development. We want to understand how content is developed and what type of decision-making is used for file creation. We want to hear about language variations. If pricing varies across locations, we want to know more about that. If you need to localize content by market, tell us how that works.

We Clarify Expectations

This is where we get really specific. We want to know the particulars of your internal standards and expectations when it comes to things like print methods, colors, finishes and sample requirements. We clarify our understanding of your specifications, hardware and applications. We review proofing standards and assess whether a soft proofing system could be implemented.

We Review The
Current Technologies Used

Our GFX team reviews the technology that you’re currently using. We do so with an eye towards helping you identify any shortcomings that may exist. We look at integration points. We want to understand how technology is being used – or could be used – to drive efficiency.

We Gain Insights on
How In-store Data Is Utilized

Our data discussions are wide-ranging. We explore how store profile data is collected – by whom and using which methods? We analyze what data is most important to capture and consider the cost for doing so. We review data inputs and outputs. We discuss various methods of keeping your data current. We learn more about your reporting requirements and whether you need proof of performance.