Meet the Women in Wide Format: Shannon Martin

YOU BEGAN YOUR CAREER at Kinko’s. How has the industry changed since then and what have you learned along the way?

Our industry is one that is forever changing. I remember when I started at Color Reflections some 22 years ago we were processing E-6 and C-41 film and using enlargers to produce oversized photographic prints. Color Reflections was the first to bring the Lambda photographic printer to the Las Vegas market and boy have things changed. Technology has gotten to the point now where we can direct print to any substrate in photographic quality. How wonderful! No more printing and mounting with adhesive and adding lamination. We are faster and more advanced than we ever thought we would be, and it has led the industry to be able to do some truly amazing things. Who knew we would be able to print on huge glass panels with different gradient opacities to create an ocean scene, wrap 20 story buildings, or apply graphics to the side of a brick wall so it looks painted on the surface? How wonderful is it that we now have white ink to drop and use any opacity of it we want? How about being able to layer inks on a surface to create custom texture and thickness? The possibilities are endless. What I love the most about my job is that if you can imagine it, I can find a way to do it! It’s really very exciting to see where technology leads us in the next decade. 

Your nominator, Thomas Rojas, says he’s never met a more progressive and dedicated person who not only cares about the industry and her clients, but also thinks outside the box when creating and implementing strategies related to graphics printing, experiential graphics, and maximizing brand exposure for his clients. Why is having strong, custom relationships with your clients as well as having an ear to the ground on new technology and trends important to you?

The best projects come from collaboration and creativity. It’s so important to be able to talk about what you want to do and find the best ways to do it. I am obsessive about finding those solutions. There are so many things you have to think of when it comes to some of these projects. Interior, exterior, hot, cold, humidity, texture, fire breathing dragons (not kidding). I love working with museums, theme parks, and cruise ships. I always feel like there is a challenge involved and it’s my main source of knowledge. When you’re collaborating and coming up with viable solutions for your clients, they know you’re committed and passionate, so how can they not be? It’s a win-win for everyone. 

Of course I wouldn’t be able to do any of this without the support of Joe Castellano, president, Color Reflections Las Vegas. Joe has always been in the forefront of new technology, equipment, and materials. He’s always listening and engaging our clients and the needs and wants of the graphics community. We’re in the middle of a pandemic and he just recently bought new equipment to launch our ADA and tactile division. We are no longer just a large-format print shop, we are graphic fabricators! We etch, engrave, paint, coat, frame, wrap, install, and so much more. If we don’t already do it, we just might start. That’s the beauty of Color Reflections and the reason we have been in business for 25 years.