Digital Tyger is really one-man-band Chris Pitts. He doesn’t print, but he works with those that do – and with customers they might not otherwise reach – to deliver creative printed interiors. But could closer working relationships extend that market?
“There’s a void between designers and print production.
It’s always been like that. I can straddle both because
I understand both.” And that’s why Chris Pitts of Digital
Tyger is doing so well for himself. He earned his stripes by
coming up through the ranks at signs companies – involved
in both design and production – before setting up his print
management/consultancy firm in Leeds to specialise in
interior graphics. Bespoke printed walls and ceilings are
really his thing, though he’s branching out into other interior
applications, such as stretch-fabric acoustic screening.
He’s in demand by architects, interior designers, design and
build contractors and fit-out companies…they’re all coming
to him for creative interior solutions, which he manages
from start to finish. The future’s looking bright – but he
thinks that with better communication and more symbiotic
relationships it could be brilliant.
“Don’t get me wrong. The interiors market is really taking
off and you can make good money, but the way the industry
works means there are gaps in how everything comes
together. If they can be filled I think more people can make
more money,” says Pitts.
The most obvious gap is the one we all recognise – that
between creatives and print providers. Pitts’ background
enables him to bridge that. “I left school at 17 and my first
job was with Cotton Signs in Leeds where I started on the
drawing board. Three years later I got a job at Ashley Signs.
They bought a computer and a vinyl cutter and all of a sudden
I started getting involved in production. Then we got Gerber
software and began to build a digital workflow with an Encad
machine so I stared training on that. The upshot was that I
understood design software and production technology.
“Then I had an idea – why didn’t I start selling canvasses
and prints alongside my day job to make some extra cash?
That’s why I set up Digital Tyger seven years ago. But I didn’t
make much – there were too many people in the marketplace.
Then an Ashley customer made the penny drop and realise
how I could make money – bring together all my knowledge
of graphics in the walls and ceilings graphics space where there
were loads of rubbish jobs. Customers were expecting one thing
and print companies were often not living up to expectation, with
peeling substrates etc. I knew I could talk to both the creatives
and the printers and do a much better job.”
The upshot was redirection for Digital Tyger five years ago.
Since then the company – basically Pitts, who operates with the
title of creative director – has gained a reputation for managing
such jobs, using a list of preferred suppliers for media and print,
and when necessary for installation, though Pitts handles most
of that himself. A year ago he honed the company’s focus further,
to concentrate solely on B2B.
“At first I had a lot of fingers in a lot of pies, but I whittled it
down to those with whom you can have proper conversations
about the job, with proper managed expectation etc. I know what
works and what might not. I have a preferred list of printers that I
use because I know they’ll do a good job. And I use substrates I
know work for different applications.”
But, as Pitts points out, “there are missing pieces of the
jigsaw”. “Media suppliers come to me and tell me about new
materials and what can be achieved with them, but I do wonder
why they aren’t doing more to the end customers – the architects
and fit-our specialists etc. – to explain what can be achieved.”
Having pointed out to Pitts that many substrate suppliers are
now doing just that, his response is: “Maybe they are, but they
don’t tell me about it – and they’re not promoting businesses like
mine that handle a job from concept through to installation. They
could do a lot more to bring people together
“Also, what doesn’t help is that some media suppliers
continue to sell products that are just not fit for purpose – that
doesn’t help the sector create the right image with designers.”
Neither does poor application/adhesion of graphics. And here
Pitts has taken matters into his own hands, having worked with
Tor Coatings to develop ‘Silver Bullet’, a painted wall water-based
primer trademarked to Digital Tyger.
It’s just not acceptable to have wallpapers peeling off or
seams opening, but I couldn’t find a primer I liked for the media
used by the large-format wallpaper print market,” he explains.
“I had to order 500 litres of the stuff and it’s taken two years
to use it! I will order more but I think I should start selling it
commercially, maybe via a media supplier as I don’t want to have
to stock and ship it! They could recommend it.”
When it comes to creating new opportunities, Pitts thinks
printers could do more too. “While I work with certain printers
and am always talking to them about possibilities I find that I
have to do all the legwork. Printers don’t come to me with ideas
of what they can achieve on various new media, or with new print
technologies for instance. That’s another missing piece of the
jigsaw – both sides would benefit if they did that.”
Having recognised the potential for stretch-fabric acoustic
screens for himself, Pitts is just beginning to move into what he
calls “a real growth market”.
“Noise absorbing fabrics offer a great chance to bring
something new to the interiors market and fit well with the wall
and ceiling projects I work on,” says Pitts, who has undertaken
various training courses to understand how they print and install.
He now has his eye on printed flooring and furniture as he
takes Digital Tyger into its next phase, and he’s not blind to a buyout
by a larger operation wanting to build upon his experience.
“If a bigger company wanted to eat up my business I’d look at
talking with them.”
