Meet Doug Bondon of Artisan Colour in North East Valley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Doug Bondon.

Doug, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I went to ASU for electrical engineering and while doing so I was working at a restaurant and I had a friend who worked in the printing and he offered me a job at a company called ColorMasters. After a year of working there, I was awarded an apprenticeship on a drum scanner. That launched both my career and my passion for print. After three years I joined another company and I worked for them for 15 years – and was promoted several times. Ultimately, I became the VP of manufacturing.

At that time a few friends and I who were working at that company decided we should start our venture. We believed we had a better way of doing things. So the other company founders and I drew up the company concept after hours at a local watering hole. That started a great partnership between the three of us and we continued to grow the company to what it is today.

Has it been a smooth road?
With any business there is a constant evolution – our biggest challenges have revolved around diversification and staying relevant. Two of the more recent solutions that we have delved into are technology and fulfillment. One of the bigger challenges has been to keep up with the ever-evolving technological demands of our industry and its also been one of the most exciting for us. Our vice president of IT is constantly developing new software to meet the needs of our clients. Our business is affected by the ups and downs of the global economy, so that has presented its challenges. Again, that is the reason we have diversified our offerings.

Tell us more about the business.
Artisan started as a catalog production company in 1998 and began establishing their reputation within the first five years as one of the top print catalog production and color management companies in the nation. Winning over retail catalog clients such as Neiman Marcus, Patagonia, Chico’s and Sundance. Soon after, adding other nationally well-known brands including Pottery Barn, PrAna, White House/Black Market and Bergdorf Goodman. Our photography studio launched in 2000 so that Artisan would also be able to provide our catalog clients with high-quality imagery.

Through the acquisition of a large format printing shop, we evolved into Artisan Colour Printing and Graphics. Because of our background as a company that offered the best color and quality printing services, we decided in 2011 to the launch of our first dot com eCommerce website, ArtisanHD. Offering unique custom printing materials and mounting options, ArtisanHD is a fine art printing service that offers high-quality printing for photographers and art enthusiasts.

In 2016 we began selling unique art prints created by talented artists from around the world on ArtBoja, our second e-commerce website and in 2017, Artisan launched our first mobile app, SpiffySquare. 2018 marked our 20th anniversary and Artisan continues to grow and expand, offering more printing services to our clients! As a one-stop print solution for local and national clients, Artisan can do everything from graphic design to product photography to custom printing.

Our commercial printing company currently employs a team of over 65 industry professionals dedicated to providing clients of any size with perfect color management, professional studio photography, in-house creative services, and quality print products.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Personalization and individualization are where marketing and therefore print is going. The print industry is looking at ways to create that unique customer experience.

Mid-sized to larger organizations and franchises are looking to our industry to create custom portals for their printing needs. This allows for people within an organization at different locations to order and re-order their marketing materials. While this idea isn’t necessarily new, its the increased customization of their portal and the automation to create efficiencies that are rapidly evolving.

Contact Info:

• Address: 8970 East Bahia Drive #104
  Scottsdale,AZ 85260
• Website: https://www.artisancolour.com/ | https://artisanhd.com/
• Phone: 480.948.0009
• Email: info@artisancolour.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artisancolour/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArtisanColourInc/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/artisancolour
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/artisan-colour-scottsdale-2
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/ArtisanHD/

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