SIGNAGE, PACKAGING & TRANSLATION GUIDELINES 2007 U.S. VISUAL STANDARDS GUIDE

Transcription

1 SIGNAGE, PACKAGING & TRANSLATION GUIDELINES 2007 U.S. VISUAL STANDARDS GUIDE 2007 by Lowe's.All rights reserved. Lowe's and the gable design are registered trademarks of LF, LLC.

2 SUBMITTAL & APPROVAL PROCESS 2007 U.S. VISUAL STANDARDS GUIDE 2007 by Lowe's.All rights reserved. Lowe's and the gable design are registered trademarks of LF, LLC.

3 8 Submittal and Approval Process Approval Process 1. Contact the Lowe s Signage Coordinator at SIGN if you have questions about the program. This book is available on Loweslink.com under Partner Information/Advertising & Marketing General Partner Information. 2. When you are ready to submit your signs for review, your files and Signage Approval Form to both your Product Marketing Manager (PMM) and VSGSubmit@Lowes.com. (See pages for a detailed list of required submission materials.) When ing files, be sure to include your vendor name and sign type in the subject line. NOTE: Please be sure that your files are no larger than 1 MB in size and that you have converted fonts to outlines before saving your files. 3. While electronic files are preferred, we can accept hard copies or CDs via regular mail. Please send items to this address: Lowe s Customer Support Center Attn: Advertising Services/VSG Coordinator 1000 Lowes Blvd. Mail Code: 4WDM Mooresville, NC Once files are received, the Signage Coordinator reviews them for general compliance to the signage and vendor guidelines and the PMM reviews the content with Merchandising to ensure accurate and helpful information is presented to the customer. In addition, the Signage Coordinator will ensure the signs have been translated, have the required translation or proofing code on the submittal form, and have utilized an approved bilingual layout option for the particular type of sign, if required. Do not attempt to submit trilingual materials. They will be rejected. If any obvious changes need to be made, the Signage Coordinator will communicate these immediately to the vendor. Revised files must be resubmitted to the Signage Coordinator. 5. When signs have approval from your PMM and Merchandising, and the Signage Coordinator has received all required components for a complete submission (as listed on pages 12 13; including required bilingual layouts and Translation and Proofing Code), the signs are then put on the agenda for the Signage Review Board meeting. These meetings occur twice a week and serve as the final stage of the review process. If the Board approves the signs, then the Signage Coordinator will assign approval bar codes. If changes are needed before final approval, the Signage Coordinator will communicate this information to the vendor. Revised files must be received and approved by the Signage Coordinator before bar codes can be assigned. 6. Approval bar codes are ed to vendors within 24 hours of final approval (see page 14 for bar code specifications). Once barcodes are received, vendor should send final artwork with the barcodes in place to the Signage Coordinator for final print approval. NOTE: Revisions, translations or proofing of translations may lengthen the duration of the submission process. Please schedule your signage production projects accordingly.

4 9 Submittal and Approval Process Approval Process 7. Vendor arranges for production of approved material. Recommended print quantities should be no more than a 6-month supply, unless major resets are planned. NOTE: If the vendor has been directed by their Lowe s Merchandising Division to consolidate their signage through Archway Marketing Services the process flow continues as follows: 8. Vendor contacts Archway Marketing Services to establish item set-up. The Item Set-Up Form is available in the Archway folder online and once filled out the form is ed to VSGwarehouse@Lowes.com for item numbers. 9. Vendor must arrange for delivery appointment with Archway. Shipments will be refused if a delivery appointment has not been made. Shippers are required to follow the Required Shipping Guidelines. If you need a copy of the requirements guidelines, please refer to the Archway folder online, or contact Archway at or via at rogers_ receiving@archway.com. 10. Archway will then review signs for approval bar codes. Vendors with signs not displaying approval bar codes will be contacted and inventory will be placed on hold. Signage with approval bar codes will be received into stock within 24 hours. The Required Shipping Guidelines outlined in the Archway folder online must be completely adhered to for all signage, displays, and collateral material. As specified in the shipping guidelines, all shipments require the correct identification, including item number(s) and purchase order number(s), which will be issued by Archway, and all packaging must be identified using the SIGNAGE-FIXTURES- DISPLAYS green tape and green labels. If the shipment is deemed non-compliant, Archway reserves the right to rework the shipment and Lowe s will debit the vendor s account. 11. Archway will notify vendors for reorders. 12. The Lowe s approval bar code format has been modified in support of the In-Store Signage Compliance database. Therefore, any previously approved signage or collateral material must be submitted for re-evaluation prior to reproduction. Any item that is to be made available for individual order must have its own unique approval bar code number. KEEP IN MIND THAT NO SIGNAGE CAN BE INSTALLED UNLESS IT HAS AN APPROVAL BAR CODE!

5 10 Submittal and Approval Process Approval and Fulfillment Process Diagram Submission procedure for review of vendor signage See pg. 11 Vendor submits signage layout(s) to both Lowe s Product Marketing Manager (PMM) and the Signage Coordinator for general compliance and content review Vendor REVISION REQUIRED APPROVED Signage Coordinator submits layout(s) to Review Board Vendor REVISION REQUIRED APPROVED Signage Coordinator provides bar codes to vendor within 24 hours of Review Board approval and enters bar code into Lowe s In-Store Signage Compliance Database ALL IN-STORE GRAPHICS MUST BE APPROVED BY LOWE S MARKETING Please note-special Value Promotional Signage will not follow the above process and should be submitted to Classic Graphics.

6 11 Submittal and Approval Process Approval and Fulfillment Process Diagram Vendor arranges for production of approved signs and collateral materials Is Vendor part of Archway Program? NO Consult with Merchandising for distribution directions YES Vendor contacts Archway Marketing for item setup information Continued from pg. 10 Vendor ships sign inventory to Archway. Must follow Archway Requirements Guidelines Archway reviews signs for approval bar codes NO Vendor is contacted and receiving is placed on hold YES Archway fulfills all Lowe s signage Archway notifies Vendors of need to place reorder Changes to artwork needed NO YES Vendor submits for recertification

7 12 Submittal and Approval Process Submittal Process When submitting your artwork to your Product Marketing Manager and the Signage Coordinator, you must include each of the following 4 components: 1. Lowe s Signage Approval Form (Form can be found at Loweslink.com) Lists important contact and sign information essential for approval and bar codes. If all fields are not filled out correctly, signage will not be reviewed. A. Product Vendor Contact Information: Vendor name and number your company is listed under in Lowe s database. Must include contact name, phone number, and address. If you are an advertising or print agency submitting on behalf of the vendor, you must enter the vendor s contact information. B. Planogram: The Lowe s Planogram bay name as it appears on the store blueprint. (i.e., Humidifiers, Wallpaper, Interior Paint, etc.) C. Category: Department where signage is being displayed. D. Sign Type: Header / In Bay Graphic / Brochure / etc. E. Translation or Proofing Code: This number is issued by a Lowe s Approved Translation or Proofing Vendor. Your signage will not be reviewed without this code! F. Mounting Method: Type of hardware or description of how the sign will be displayed. G. Substrate: Type and weight of material on which sign is printed. H. Signage Kit: If warehousing inventory at Archway Marketing Services, list all components packed in the kit and a barcode for the kit will be issued.

8 13 Submittal and Approval Process Submittal Process 2. Individual Graphic Components A two-dimensional layout in PDF or JPEG format for each sign element is required which allows the Review Board to check composition, imagery, type treatment, and content. This layout should be bilingual. Only use bilingual layout options indicated in these guidelines for each type of sign. Tips for compressing files: Switch color mode to RGB Reduce scale proportionally Reduce resolution to 100dpi Choose medium compression level 3. Translation Verification Documentation: Include a copy of any translations as provided to you by Lowe s Approved Translation Vendors. You should either (FOR ORIGINAL TRANSLATIONS) provide the original translation template (showing the English and corresponding Spanish) as provided by the Lowe s Approved Translation Vendor OR (FOR PROOFS OF YOUR TRANSLATIONS) the English and Spanish text for your sign that was provided to the Lowe s Approved Translation Vendor for proofing and any comments or revisions that were given to you by the Lowe s Approved Proofing Vendor. These requirements can be met by either including the document in DOC or PDF format. 4. Representation of Signs in Stores: Image or rendering showing placement of sign within the store environment. The preferred method is to photograph mock-ups of your sign(s) in the Lowe s environment. It is also acceptable to create a digital composite of your sign placement within the store. Instructions for this method are listed on the submittal form. 5. Sidestack/Stackout Quality Assurance Verification: Sidestacks and stackouts can not be reviewed without proof of Quality Assurance approval. The QA off-shelf display certification is a required component of a submittal. If more than one sign will be submitted for a bay or display, all signs must be submitted and reviewed at the same time with individual submittal forms for each type of sign. If all elements are not completed properly, signage cannot be reviewed and a bar code will not be assigned.

9 14 Submittal and Approval Process Submittal Process Bar Codes Approval bar codes are ed to Vendors within 24 hours of final Review Board approval. Bar codes must measure 0.8 w x 0.57 h and print in the lower right corner of signs and on the back panels of literature. The size of your sign should have no bearing on the size of this barcode. The barcode should be the same size regardless of the size of the sign. Bar codes must be printed in either solid black or solid PANTONE 280c blue ink and must be centered within a 1 w x 0.75 h area of white, surrounded by a 1pt. rule line. Be sure that the bar code is visible on signs that include grommets or are mounted within a frame system or channel. If your signage must be cut to fit various bays, make sure the barcode is placed so that cutting the sign does not remove the barcode. To accommodate small signage pieces, the Signage Coordinator issues the small signage bar code. This bar code must also be printed in either solid black or solid PANTONE 280c blue ink and must be centered within a.875 w x.375 h area of white, surrounded by a 1pt. rule. This bar code is issued for signage that has a height of 3 inches or less and/or has limited spacing to apply the full-size bar code. 1pt. Rule.57".8" 1" Barcode measurements have been rounded to nearest 1/100". Be sure to add and center the 1pt. rule line around the barcode area. Bar Code Actual Size.75" Small Signage Bar Code Actual Size This bar code is issued for signage that has a height of 3 inches or less and/or has limited spacing to apply the full-size bar code.