A B2B translator. That’s Sander Breddels as an entrepreneur powerfully summed up. For Sander can empathize with his clients’ target group like no other. As a designer, he has thus been successfully active for several years with his Vorm Centraal. It is not his first graphic adventure – nor will it be his last. In 2020, for example, this entrepreneur from Wijk bij Duurstede started a graphic webshop called Print Centraal.
Client
Print Centraal
Since
2022
Techniques
WhiteLabelShop
Creative executor
Designer, web designer, lecturer and marketing manager. Sander did it all, always coming back to a core: creative design. “Originally, I am a graphic designer. After the Grafisch Lyceum Utrecht, I immediately started working for myself. With my knowledge of design and web design I had a successful combination on my hands in 2001. After 8 years I merged with my brother’s company, with whom I set up a full-service communication agency. He as strategic marketing consultant and I as creative executor. The credit crisis threw a spanner in the works after 4 years. We were profitable on paper, but payments were delayed for too long. I then started doing various salaried projects. For example, as a marketing manager at an energy company. I could have done it until retirement, but it started to itch. Instead of managing the design studio, I wanted to start designing myself again!”
Vorm Centraal
In 2017, Sander started again for himself as a designer. With Vorm Centraal he had to start from scratch again, but after 5 years he can count on a good client base. The 60-plus clients are spread across SMEs and multinationals. “I deal with a mix of online and offline designs for them. Logos, corporate identities, in-store POS material, lettering of buses or WordPress websites. Until recently, 2D animation videos were also very popular, but that trend was soon over. Now you mostly see “shorts,” which I call “social vids. With these, entrepreneurs can showcase their product or service in a post, ad or story/reel.”
Consistency in branding
In all his various graphic design work experiences, a few things have remained constant. “I guard the client’s corporate identity like a hawk. Whether it’s an SME or a large multinational; there must always be consistency in the look and feel. Often multinationals have established guidelines for this in a brand book, but for an SME this is not a daily practice. However, the end customer must be able to recognize the brand everywhere. It is up to me to play the supporting role in this.”
Changing customer needs
Being sharp on clients’ corporate identity may be a constant; clients themselves are not. “Client needs have changed a lot over the years. When I started as a designer, there was a lot of attention to detail, such as the right colors. Now speed is the main desire. Everything is ‘an urgent’ matter these days. I tailor my business operations to that. I make sure I am flexible for my clients. That means I don’t take on big projects that take months, but I can switch within a few days for multiple clients. That is much appreciated. That variety is also what makes my work immediately so fun and challenging.”
Print Centraal
During the corona crisis, companies’ marketing expenditures were slashed. Not exactly fun for a graphic entrepreneur, but it did give Sander time to put his long-held desire of a web shop on the market. “I wanted to be able to quickly show my clients what other resources I have. Often they didn’t know that I can provide a lot in the area of printing. Exhibition stands, wallpaper, wall hangings, photos on canvas, balloons, flags, wall stickers. I used the corona summer of 2020 to set up my new webshop Print Centraal with all the products. The online print shop is separate from Vorm Centraal, but of course it can reinforce each other. For many clients, it is convenient that I can provide the design for a business card, flyer, flag or other printed matter with it. After all, people like to be taken care of from A to Z.”
Modern print webshop
The efforts Sander put into the design of the webshop are clearly visible. He gave the originally white-label webshop a fresh, modern look with a clear product explanation. “I had the target audience of the average marketer in mind, often a woman,” he says. Virtually every conceivable category of on-demand printed media can be ordered. “I place the orders with producers who only work for resellers, suppliers which are linked in Prindustry’s software.”
Next phase
The next phase is being considered already. Sander: “I want to present ready-made products in the webshop. Printed products from which consumers can immediately see various designs to choose from. For example, a tapestry, wall panel or wallpaper with various designs designed by me. It is difficult to sell print products online, especially with so many players in the market selling the same thing. With the sale of print including designs, I hope to further differentiate myself.”
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