Alludo > Case Studies > Digital Transformation: Abracadabra Signs and Designs' Journey from Traditional to Digital Artistry

Digital Transformation: Abracadabra Signs and Designs' Journey from Traditional to Digital Artistry

Applicable Industries

Equipment & Machinery

Use Cases

Additive Manufacturing
Time Sensitive Networking

About The Customer

Abracadabra Signs and Designs, located in Ontario, Canada, is a signmaking company that specializes in creating unique and memorable cartoon characters as part of its signature eye-catching murals and signs. For over 12 years, the company has been providing hand-illustrated images that add a special appeal to its clients' storefronts, restaurants, and businesses. The company, also known as the 'Cartoon Saloon', is led by Steve Thomas Greer, an artist and cartoonist who has been hand-painting murals for more than 12 years. The company's team consists of four other artists who, like Steve, are committed to maintaining the hand-crafted look of their artwork.

The Challenge

Abracadabra Signs and Designs, a signmaking company known for its unique and memorable cartoon characters, was facing a significant challenge. The company, led by Steve Thomas Greer, had built its reputation on hand-painted murals and signs, a process that was both time-consuming and labor-intensive. As the demand for their work increased, the company found it increasingly difficult to keep up with the growing number of projects. The traditional signmaking process, involving paint, brushes, and cut vinyl, was slowing down their workflow and limiting their ability to take on more jobs. Steve recognized the potential of digital printing to speed up processes and increase productivity. However, he was hesitant to make the transition for fear of compromising the unique, hand-crafted look that was the trademark of his company's art.

The Solution

The solution came in the form of Corel Painter, a software that offers highly realistic brushes, papers, and effects that mimic traditional media. This tool allowed Abracadabra's artists to maintain the look of their hand-crafted artwork in a digital workflow. The company also incorporated a 9x12 Wacom Intuos 3 tablet into their process, enabling the artists to create their work in the look of virtually any art media. The digital workflow also offered the benefits of speed and the power of the 'undo' feature. Once the artwork was created in Corel Painter, it was brought into CorelDRAW Graphics Suite. Using Corel PowerTRACE, the bitmap images were converted into vector files, which could be easily scaled and manipulated. The company also invested in two Roland SOLJET large-format printers, which allowed them to quickly output banners, murals, and other large format signage.

Operational Impact

The transition to a digital workflow has not only increased Abracadabra's productivity but also allowed them to maintain the unique, hand-crafted look that is their trademark. The use of Corel software has provided the artists with ease of use, flexibility, and a broad range of creative tools that meet the demands of even the most challenging jobs. The biggest advantage, however, has been the speed at which the company is now able to deliver the final product to its customers. This has been particularly beneficial in serving one of their biggest clients, a rapidly growing restaurant chain. The digital transformation has enabled Abracadabra to meet the client's needs head-on and dramatically grow its own business in the process.

Quantitative Benefit

Client jobs that once took four days to complete are now delivered in six hours, reducing the time to complete each job by approximately 85%.
The company has seen an immediate return on their investment by dramatically slashing the time it takes to complete each job and reducing their overall outsourcing costs.
The company is now able to keep their large-format printers running 8 to 10 hours a day, increasing their output capacity.