Signs of the Times
Mpressions Tells Stories Through Graphics, Displays
Mpressions President Charlene Hesketh is doing all she can to position the woman-owned, visual marketing and branding business she leads for growth.
For more than half a century, the Photomation team has provided whatever visual services their clients needed.
At first, these were photography and photo processing services. Over the years, however, Photomation added the creation, production and installation of signs and graphics. Charlene, the company’s President, wants the name of the firm to showcase this evolution.
Photomation Becomes Mpressions
“We’re transitioning from our legacy name ‘Photomation’ to ‘Mpressions,’ which says more about what we do today—creating impressions,” Charlene says about the relaunch process, which began nearly a year ago. “While the Photomation name will go away, we still have our 65 years of history and legacy along with all the experience under our belts.”
The change became necessary when leadership realized that it wasn’t clear to clients and contractors how the name related to what the business does, says Matt Hesketh, Vice President for the firm. “We create impressions for our clients. It’s time to put the Photomation name to bed and launch Mpressions.”
Visual Storytellers
While the name of the firm is changing, its mission is not: telling stories visually. “Every company has a story to tell,” Charlene says. “We tell their stories through signs and graphics. We are in the business of bringing creative visions to life.”
Mpressions satisfies its clients’ objectives—from captivating the imagination of visitors and customers to empowering employees—by producing images for walls, windows, floors, vehicles and beyond. The company creates decor, graphics, signage, tradeshow graphics and vehicle wraps for clients that include hospitals, financial institutions, restaurants as well as sports teams and aerospace and entertainment companies.
Every job is different and comes with a unique set of challenges, but the underlying mission for this Anaheim, California-based business is to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary in a way that highlights a company’s brand to its employees, customers and guests.
“Visual storytelling can enhance a brand by focusing attention on its clients, services or history,” Charlene says.
When St. Joseph Health, a network of hospitals and health care providers and a customer for more than 20 years, approached Mpressions about its latest project, Charlene says her team set out to create something special to really celebrate the history and legacy of the company where the display would be installed.
“We could have told the hospital’s story traditionally through wall murals, but we bring a marketing frame of mind to our projects,” she says. “Working with the health system’s designers, we were able to think about the content as a story.”
The result: A display highlighting facts, figures, people and trivia about St. Joseph Health that was installed at different depths and made with different materials. Mpressions used a variety of fabrication techniques so that the display’s elements would layer on top of one another, creating a visual as rich and textured as the hospital’s history.
“Mpressions is as much a marketing company as it is a signage/graphics company,” says David Korobkin, a marketing strategist who has been working with the Heskeths as part of the Mpressions relaunch.
Problem Solvers
Charlene, who bought the firm from her father-in-law more than 20 years ago, says the employees and their focus make Mpressions stand out. It can handle a large scope of work thanks to its 18-person team, which includes in-house consultants, designers and production staff who are focused on delivering one-of-a-kind programs in record time and on budget.
More than half of Mpressions’ employees have tenures that exceed 25 years.
“They know one another and work together so well because they’ve been here for so long.” she says. “They care about our clients as much as we do. They’ve got our backs and the customers’ backs. ...I love these people.”
The longevity of employees gives customers something they won’t find anywhere else: a wealth of knowledge, vast experience and the ability to find creative solutions. Mpressions’ clients rely on the company’s problem-solving skills, and its team is eager for the challenges.
“We love it when we get a call and someone says, ‘I don’t think you guys do this, but here’s what I need…,’” Matt says.
This allows the team to apply its ingenuity and creative skills to deliver branded signs and graphics specific to its clients’ needs and the story they want to tell.
That often means Mpressions takes a client’s vision and works backward to figure out how to build and install it.
“We do a lot of reverse engineering to make sure their projects come out the way they want them to come out,” Charlene says.
Mpressions’ one-stop workshop is full of equipment that allows it to cut, print, fabricate and install dimensional lettering, vinyl decals, vehicle wraps and everything in between. This enables the company to handle certain types of recurring projects, such as creating signs so that buildings meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. All buildings must have signs to clearly indicate where certain things are located, including restrooms, elevators, entrances and exits that are publicly accessible and more. Mpressions sees even these requirements as an opportunity to say more about the business where they are located.
Every sign and graphic can be creative and tell a story, the Heskeths say.
Community Focus
Beyond being a business, Mpressions wants to be a good neighbor. Giving back to others in Anaheim is important to the leaders of this company, which has always called Southern California home. It is committed to supporting local charity groups that help feed and clothe the homeless.
“We live here; our business has been here for 65 years,” Charlene says. “It’s important for us to give back to our city and community.”