Meet the team behind the scenes: Sean Kelly
The year was 1988, and straight out of year 12, a fresh-faced Sean Kelly commenced an apprenticeship that would springboard his epic career within the signage industry.
Sean commenced a Graphic Reproduction apprenticeship in Victoria. This apprenticeship is no longer offered to students due to such significant changes within the signage industry, but back then this Graphic Reproduction apprenticeship used to be a highly sought-after trade, with hundreds of students applying each year to learn this technical qualification.
From there Sean landed a role at Peter Isaacson Publication, where he worked on magazine and newspaper printing. His role sat between the art department and the printing press department, and all design and printing were done manually as this was the era before computers were involved in the printing processes.
By the late 1990s Sean identified a shift within the industry and realised there was a move towards computerisation. Sean realised he needed to learn large format printing instead of small format as this was going to be more useful within the signage industry of the future.
Early 2000s, Sean formed a partnership and started ‘Colour Tech’, which was a large format printing and signage company that specialised in exhibition signage. After 11 years running this company together, Sean and his business partner parted ways.
After a six-month break, Sean was re-energized and ready to start his next adventure; this was when he started what is now, Resolve.
In the last 20 years, Sean has seen a big shift within the industry particularly with diminishing significance of the once highly valued hand painting skills.
Although the installation process hasn’t changed, the creative and artistic side certainly has. Even the skills within production team members have changed significantly which has alters the way signage is now produced.
Sean remembers the days when you used to have to mix colours by hand and make a colour match by eye. Nowadays a machine is used to do precise colour mixing and modern technology means machinery can now print a precise colour match.
It is these once highly valued skills of colour knowledge that Sean notices is slowly being lost within industry now that technology has taken over. It is also a skill he is glad to have as it gives him a greater insight into the production from start to finish.
When starting Resolve, Sean had a clear focus of the area of printing he would like to specialise in, as he always enjoyed custom and bespoke signage projects.
With Resolve, he wanted to create a solution-based business that specialised in more advanced and complex signage requirements. Sean has always enjoyed problem-solving and finds this area of bespoke signage to be challenging, yet most rewarding. It’s this ability to attract like-minded clients who have the same goals and shared vision that has allowed Sean to create some of the most innovative signage solutions within the industry.
Sean’s goals for the future are to undertake more project-based work, not just local Victorian projects, but also nation-wide opportunities.
With a view to growing and reaching a national audience for the bespoke custom signage work that Resolve does best, Sean knows that the large volume and the unique processes required for this sort of expansion requires a lot more project management.
Thankfully the years of experience at the helm mean that Sean is ready to challenge the signage production processes that will allow Resolve to reach new heights.
Sean Kelly is the owner of Resolve image solutions.
At Resolve, we love a challenge, and we have great minds at work constantly coming up with new and innovative ways to deliver beautiful signage that will get attention.
If you have a unique signage project in mind, give us a call, we’d love to work with you to create something truly special.
To book in your next signage project, call and speak to us today on 0401 564 556 or send an email via sean@resolveimagesolutions.com.au
No project is too complicated; we specialise in coming up with creative solutions to even the most complex requirements.