About Us

Who is Metro Graphics?

Simply, Suzanne Coogan, who started as a teenager with a forms printer and worked up the ranks in advertising. In business as Metro Graphics since 1978, we have continued working in Wyoming County and Western NY ever since.

What is Metro Graphics' mission?

In the beginning, our mission was to bring graphic design up-to-date and to improve printed materials in this rural area, and to assist small businesses and non-profits in their marketing. It remains the same.

What are the capabilities of Metro Graphics?

• Marketing consultant. Does your business have a marketing plan? A method to fulfill that plan? We can help. We sit down with you, ask a ton of questions, research your field, plan a reasonable strategy that can be realized in a specific budget, and then write an organized Marketing Plan and present it to you. From there, you can decide how much of the work you will do yourself or hire us to get it done correctly and on schedule. Some clients like being involved, others prefer to approve the work and write the checks.
• Marketing assistance. In this area, to sell products locally many factors contribute to making things difficult. A wide range of media are available in print, radio, cable, and internet. Nearly every print media’s ad sizes are different. Costs vary across the board and rates change annually. We can place ads at the correct time, monitor the quality of print, order tearsheets, keep everything on track.
• Direct mail campaigns. We do all (or some) of the work; buy the lists, plan and print the materials, stuff, mail and even make the followup calls.
• Design and print. Black and white to 4-color process. Distinct, specially themed ads for the media in a clean, readable style. Promo flyers for inserts or handouts. Sales literature of all kinds. Business cards and stationery. Brochures, catalogs, annual reports. Newsletters, capital campaign materials, posters, tickets, and programs. T-shirts, even billboards.
• Logo design. This item could be included in the bullet above, but it gets special attention, as it should. Every new startup company needs a logo. It should be designed by a professional because it is the company’s identity and will be the flag or standard of that company for many years to come. We first take the time to talk about what your business is, what it means to you and to your customers. We learn your tastes and vision. Then, we go to the drawing board and create a number of different designs that reflect that research. We’ve found this method to be satisfactory for many clients, who then zero in and choose the logo for their company. If we have to go back to the drawing board, we do.

How does Metro Graphics handle creative?

All creative work is budget limited and we prefer to involve the client in decision making. We do the majority of our creative work in-house, if it is in the client’s best interest. Writing print ad copy and radio scripts are routine jobs, as are graphic layouts. Original drawings, sketches and renderings may sometimes be subcontracted to an artist. Depending on the application, photography may be done in-house, subcontracted, or stock photos purchased. However the parts of a project will arrive, we take pride in eye-catching layouts that make sense and easy-to-understand copy that is always correctly spelled.

How is printing done?

We do not print in-house. Instead, we send our jobs to printers in many places, but we do stay in the USA. This works well for our clients because their jobs are shopped for price and quality.

Can I afford Metro Graphics?

The price is right! We currently charge less by the hour than our auto mechanic. Think about value received. The money you spend to make your company look great and professional, like it means business and sells quality product is money well spent. When the ad folks say, “image is everything,” they are not kidding. Would you buy from someone who offers you shabby home-made, cut and pasted, badly photocopied sales literature? Some business owners consider it appealing, but we are betting your customers expect high standards from you. Your sales materials must reflect that, and not once, but with every piece that carries your business name. Your materials must create the atmosphere of sincerity, integrity and value. That’s why money spent to create professional, beautiful materials that tell your story is so worth it.

How can we get started on my project?

The usual methods: call, email, write a letter, fax, drop in. Do it. We’ll talk about your business, your marketing needs, ideas for selling product or service, and how we can team up together to bring customers to your door. Once we determine the scope of a project, we provide cost estimates in advance, so there are no surprises.

Finally, a word about execution.

We can talk about a project, do rough layouts, write copy, look for photos…and then what? We continue. We do the work. Some parts may take time, but in addition to the all-important creative, we get the legwork done. We chase down copy approvals, quotations, answers to questions, proof approvals, and release the job to production. We get the job done, on time, finished, delivered. Period. We call that, in a word, execution.