How do you arrange YOUR samples?

[Mike Labbe]

Let's generate some discussion. Feel free to start a thread if you have something that might be interesting to share or talk about.

I send out this question:

How do YOU arrange your mat samples? How do you arrange your moulding samples?

by color, by style, by vendor, etc

Discussion encouraged

 

[David Lantrip MCPF GCF]

Mats: Strictly by color. It makes it much to design with and sell fabric mats, textures and other specialties. I've worked at stores where the specialties were separated out, and sure enough there would be customers who would see me reaching for fabric and tell me to just stick with "the cheaper stuff." Of course some customers still don't want to pay for them, but at least I have the opportunity to design based on design, not price.

Moulding: Combination of a couple things, but mostly by finish and design. For instance, light medium and dark woods. Within each category they are arranged from simple profiles to more ornate. Bright silver to darker silver, simple to ornate.

Some of the mouldings right behind the design area, in direct sight line to the customer, are some top-end mouldings arranged by line. The eye candy type of mouldings that catch your eye. Finally, unique and very special mouldings arranged in separate groups, things like closed-corner frames and the like.

Since customers shop based on finish and design, I think it makes most sense. It makes it easy for both the designer and customer to find what they want.

Personally I see no value in arranging moulding (or mats) by manufacturer. That's done for the framer's convenience, not to make it easier for the customer.

 

[Kai Vanuffelen]

There is a slight difference in thickness between matboards of different manufacturers. When it comes to cutting double mats, I prefer to cut them from the same manufacturer ie Crescent or Peterborough to avoid undercuts or overcuts. This starts at the design-counter. So keeping matboard samples seperate makes sense from that point of view. Also where to locate unbuffered boards, 8 ply boards or keeping cotton boards separate from paperboards. Some cmc's are easy to work with for different thicknesses in double matboards, while others are not.

When it comes to frame-samples. Most of us keep closed corner and hand-finished frames separate. From there we can separate manufacturers that produce higher quality moldings from those that are of a lesser quality. "Here we have better quality moldings. You pay a bit more, but it is worth it. On the other side we have moldings that are cheaper, but they are lower in price for a reason. " is what can be said to a customer.

 

[David Lantrip MCPF GCF]

There is a slight difference in thickness between matboards of different manufacturers. When it comes to cutting double mats, I prefer to cut them from the same manufacturer ie Crescent or Peterborough to avoid undercuts or overcuts. This starts at the design-counter. So keeping matboard samples seperate makes sense from that point of view. Also where to locate unbuffered boards, 8 ply boards or keeping cotton boards separate from paperboards. Some cmc's are easy to work with for different thicknesses in double matboards, while others are not.

I'll respectfully disagree. As I see it, the design process is about the customer. Determining their needs and wants and then working to create the best possible design within certain constraints. Everything is details to be worked out or worried about in the back room. When I'm working with a customer I want to concentrate on design, not worry about various mat thicknesses. That's something for me to deal with in the back room while I'm framing.

What happens when that perfect cream color is a Crescent and the perfect red for the second mat is a Peterborough?

When it comes to frame-samples. Most of us keep closed corner and hand-finished frames separate. From there we can separate manufacturers that produce higher quality moldings from those that are of a lesser quality. "Here we have better quality moldings. You pay a bit more, but it is worth it. On the other side we have moldings that are cheaper, but they are lower in price for a reason. " is what can be said to a customer.

I don't disagree with keeping some of the really special mouldings together, but I wouldn't make a point of the difference in price. I want a customer to look at design, not concentrating on price. That comes when we decide on a design and I figure the price. If need be that's where we have the opportunity to tweak the design to get to the price the customer is comfortable with.

 

[Gregory K. Norris CPF]

I follow David's method with one exception: I keep 100% rag boards in a separate rack.