Last week, ISA’s Industry Tracker featured a news article about how Cathay Pacific misspelled its own name on one of its commercial jets.
“No f’s were given that day.” Is the typo on the Cathay Pacific jet a reminder to double-check one’s work or a promotional tool for the airline? Click here for the story.
Everyone in the sign, graphics and visual communications industry dislikes hearing those dreadful words—’It’s misspelled’—which has unfortunately happened to just about all of us.
However in this situation, the installers were more likely facing an added level of uncertainty due to a language barrier. Cathay Pacific is a Hong Kong-based company, where written characters are in Cantonese.
Heath Moore of Envision Aviation, an American-based company who produces Cantonese graphics for aviation needs, provides some insights into how the project management may fallen short in the Cathay Pacific case.
Moore says, “I can see how easily this could happen for a commercial aviation project. When completing text for a foreign corporation, extra precautions must be put in place, such as proofing and sign-offs.” The lettering paint-masking was likely incorrect, and the installers performed the work they were trained to complete.
Customers gain from working with skilled companies in the sign, graphics and visual communication industry—whether for print and wrap projects or any other project. And companies with a solid foundation for project management have identified ways to tackle or eliminate these issues from arising during the life of the project.
Great project management is one of the most important tools we have as an industry to complete projects on time, on budget and with high-quality results. ISA offers five excellent courses on project management to help your company brush up on some of the tools and tips that could be beneficial in identifying potential stumbling blocks.
