Making a Mark on Safety
Studio Image Inc. unveils Safety MarkerTM for use in construction, emergency response and manufacturing settings
Nearly 20 years ago, Danielle Pruitt struck out on her own and formed Studio Image Inc., a commercial interior design company in Austin, Texas, after learning the ropes at a major national grocery chain. Four years later, Pruitt, the President and CEO of Studio Image, took another bold step: she created the Chalk Ink® line of liquid chalk markers in response to the market need for a marker that works on chalkboards. Since then, the highly successful Chalk Ink® markers have gained popularity among a wide range of industries, including construction and manufacturing.
Not content to rest on their laurels, Pruitt and the other seven employees at the women-owned Studio Image recently released the Chalk Ink® Safety MarkerTM, a new marker designed specifically to meet the needs of construction workers, first responders and others looking for a handy tool that enables them to make temporary, easy-to-remove markings on almost any surface and in any setting.
Origin Story
Early in her career, Pruitt worked as a designer for Whole Foods Market, opening stores around the country. Since its founding in 2001, Studio Image has offered retail consulting services that focus on design finishes, sign fabrication and installation. In this role, the company worked with many large retailers, including Whole Foods Market, Panera Bread and Starbucks.
“Chalkboards were a huge focus for us,” Pruitt says. Realizing that traditional chalk was not always the most useful tool for the job, she took matters into her own hands. “I decided to create a chalk marker for chalkboards,” she explains.
In 2005, Studio Image launched the Chalk Ink® line, the first such type of nonpermanent marker for use on chalkboards, as well as white boards and other nonporous surfaces. With its vibrant matte finish, the nontoxic, easy-to-remove ink proved to be a hit, especially among businesses that use signs prominently as part of their in-store displays. In particular, the marker gained widespread adoption among stores that needed to change a sign daily or that only require a sign occasionally. In either case, Chalk Ink® markers provide a greener, environmentally friendly alternative to printing signs.
The markers also have gained a following among artists and crafters, prompting Studio Image to develop such related items as chalkboards, chalk accessories and art supplies.
Construction Takes an Interest
Chalk Ink®’s utility was quickly recognized by users working in multiple industries, including construction. “People use these markers for just about everything,” Pruitt says.
“Our markers are so much more than just a stationery item.”
Much of the appeal arises from the fact that the Chalk Ink® markers can be used to write on a wide range of surfaces, including glass, metal, plastic, Sheetrock and granite. “They work on everything,” Pruitt says. “The ink will stay on until it rains or you take it off with a damp cloth.”
As a result, Chalk Ink® markers have gained favor among designers and architects, Pruitt notes, as well as construction workers and tile layers. “For these groups, the flexibility of being able to have something like this is really important,” she says.
In fact, the Chalk Ink® itself even has been used in bulk form in industrial applications, mainly by oil and gas companies that have purchased the material in 1.8-liter containers that are used in spray guns on assembly lines. The temporary nature of the product lends itself well to such uses, Pruitt notes. “They can wash it off during the next phase of assembly.”
For First Responders
Despite the dramatic success of Chalk Ink®, Pruitt wanted to find a way for her product to have any even bigger, more meaningful effect on the world. “Every time I saw another national or world tragedy, I thought, ‘How can we as a company help?’ ” she says.
For Pruitt, the October 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas, during which 58 people were killed and hundreds were injured, galvanized her into action. “I said, ‘That’s it. We’re going to do something to contribute to first responders.’ ”
Pruitt and her Studio Image team set out to develop what would become the Safety MarkerTM. A slight change to the ingredients of the Chalk Ink® marker created a bright, highly visible ink. The resulting Safety MarkerTM is available in either “caution orange” or “fluorescent white” ink and can be applied to and easily removed from any nonporous surface.
Since then, Studio Image has been marketing the Safety MarkerTM to first responders at the municipal level, including firefighters and police officers. Because of its temporary nature, the Safety MarkerTM has an advantage over spray paint in situations in which permanent markings or messages are not needed or wanted. For example, police officers investigating an automobile accident can use the Safety MarkerTM to write on a vehicle’s surface or note the location of items on the ground.
Much like its Chalk Ink® predecessor, the Safety MarkerTM has found a niche within the construction industry. “We use the Safety MarkerTM for interior wall and ceiling layout on polished concrete floors,” says Jeremy Alvis, field and technology manager for FL Crane & Sons, a finishing contractor that has its headquarters in Fulton, Mississippi.
More to Come
Pruitt continues to innovate and improve upon her creation. For example, Studio Image is developing a more rugged version of the Safety MarkerTM complete with features designed to make it even more useful to first responders and others in the field. To this end, the new version will have a custom cap made of reflective plastic. “The cap itself will be very easy to find,” she says. In addition, the new version will be equipped with an LED light that can be turned on and off with the push of a button, and it will have a clip so that it can be hooked on a lanyard or carabiner.
Studio Image recently conducted a successful Kickstarter campaign to raise the necessary funding to develop the new version of the Safety MarkerTM, and the company plans to begin production “once we get validation that we’re headed in the right direction,” Pruitt says. “That’s in the works.”
But that is not all. “We’re hoping to build out this line of safety products,” Pruitt notes. For example, the company aims to develop new colors for the Safety MarkerTM, including off-yellow and blue. Moreover, Studio Image is working with paint maker The Sherwin-Williams Company to develop an aerosol version of the Safety MarkerTM that can be used on concrete and similar porous surfaces.
Focused on the Customer
As a business-to-business operation, Studio Image is looking to connect with as many interested parties as possible. “We’re looking to sell directly to the trade,” Pruitt says. As a means of promoting its products, the company is happy to provide samples to potential clients. “We’re all about customer service, and we’re all about a 100 percent guarantee,” she says.
The company also remains open to ideas for new products, Pruitt maintains. “Let us know what you need, and we’ll make it for you,” she says. “Our team is made up of professional organizers, professional designers and professional artists. Everyone is very talented. Let us help you with special projects.”