Beverly Kitchens » NDG Communications, Inc.

Beverly Kitchens, Art Director, NDG Communications

Recently I had the pleasure of seeing iconic designer and potter Jonathan Adler take the stage at the Corcoran College of Art + Design to share insights into his career and to discuss the evolution of his “happy chic” approach to design.

Jonathan Adler’s pottery and home goods are known for their impeccable craftsmanship, clean design, bold patterns, and sense of whimsy. Adler now has his own brand and 18 stores worldwide, with one opening in Georgetown later this year.

As a graphic designer, I have often turned to his work for inspiration, some of which has even made its way onto presentation mood boards. His interior designs often feature many of the same principles we use in design and advertising, like mixing bold patterns and textures to create more visual interest.

While I was probably one of the few graphic designers in the audience, it was an inspiring lecture for all creative people to attend. Jonathan Adler is truly passionate about his work, and has been the source of much inspiration in my own work.

NDG Senior Designer Ashley Stuart and I recently attended the Matteo Bologna lecture presented by AIGA DC and the Art Institute of Washington. I had heard Matteo speak once before at the 2007 HOW Conference in Atlanta and left feeling incredibly inspired, so I was really excited for the chance to hear him again and see his latest work.

Matteo is a self-taught Italian designer who made his way to the U.S. about 20 years ago after realizing that he would always be stifled in Italy due to all advertising revolving around one thing, sex. As a designer, I always believed that Europeans had a superior aesthetic, but after having Matteo show us a large amount of recent advertising from Italy, most of which relied heavily on displaying barely dressed women, I was persuaded otherwise.

Matteo began his career in NYC by branding restaurants throughout the city. With Matteo and his firm Mucca Design winning numerous awards and receiving notoriety for their restaurant branding, larger clients like Victoria’s Secret and GQ Italy began to seek him out, and from there the rest is history.

Through this branding, Matteo was able to showcase his love of typography and skill for creating his own fonts. One particular piece he shared during his lecture featured perhaps as many as 15 fonts—something unheard of for most graphic designers who typically limit ourselves to 2 or 3. Somehow though, he makes what could seem chaotic come together for a cohesive and original look.

During his lecture, Matteo showcased a large variety of work, and from branding to book publishing to interactive work and even a skateboard deck, every piece had one thing in common: incredible typography. As a designer, it was very inspiring to see how that attention to detail doesn’t have to suffer due to the restrictions of the medium, whether in print or online. If I walked away from this lecture learning anything, it’s that truly great typography is possible throughout everything we do.

Beverly Kitchens, NDG Art Director

I recently attended Advertising Week DC 2011 where respected industry experts discussed topics such as mobile technologies and social networks as they relate to advertising and marketing. The biggest takeaway this year: the rise and coming dominance of mobile.

In today’s world, with increasing use of smartphones and tablets, people are always connected, making mobile advertising extremely important. And, it’s effective⎯mobile banners have a 10% higher click-through rate than online banner ads.

Some contributing factors: Many people are getting smartphones for the first time. They are downloading apps⎯the average user has 45⎯and they are rediscovering brands with their phone. And, instead of pulling out the old laptop, many are resorting to their newly-dubbed “couch companion,” their tablet, for email, social networking, and surfing the web.

A third of all Americans over the age of 13 own smartphones and more than a third of smartphone users check their phone before getting out of bed in the morning and climbing back in at night.

Check out AdWeekDC for more information about the event, and about mobile advertising.

Getting Involved with the D.C. Advertising & Design Scene

Beverly Kitchens,
NDG Art Director

There are several active and vibrant advertising & design organizations in the D.C. metro area, all offering a wide range of activities, including networking happy hours, awards shows, portfolio reviews, and educational seminars. Everyone has something to learn, and to teach, and these organizations are important not only for nurturing young talent, but also to ensure that our industry has access to a skilled, driven, and innovative workforce.

Recently, NDG Creative Director Quintin Parrish and I were honored to be a part of the Art Directors Club of Metropolitan Washington Portfolio Review Day, where we had the opportunity to review portfolios of recent graduates from the D.C. area, and even a few who traveled a greater distance from central Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. It was a great chance to meet some fresh talent and provide critical feedback that would hopefully help these graduates land their first professional design and advertising jobs.

And even more recently, NDG Graphic Designer Erika Bilbo and I attended FUTAD: The Future of Advertising, sponsored by AD2DC. This was an incredibly informative seminar focusing on emerging technologies and the pivotal role that social media will continue to play in advertising. FUTAD featured a panel of speakers from advertising and digital firms from across the nation, and each of their perspectives were unique and revealing.

If you’d like to attend events like these and rub shoulders with other D.C. area advertising types, designers, copywriters, programmers, and more, we’ve created a short list of some of the best resources in our area so you too can become more involved, learn more, connect with others, be a mentor, and give back.

Art Directors Club of Metropolitan Washington (ADCMW)

Key events: Career Day, The Real Show student competition, DC Paper Show, Annual Show competition, online design publication Full Bleed http://fullbleed.adcmw.org/

American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA)

Key events: National Design Week, Career Day, film screenings, Show Off: Annual Student Competition, Urban Forest Project, AIGA50 competition

DC Ad Club

Key events: The ADDYs Advertising Awards, Advertising Week DC, Best of DC Series

Ad2DC

Ad2DC is a subgroup of the DC Ad Club, specifically for young professionals in the DC area under the age of 32. Key events: FUTAD: The Future of Advertising, Tips & Tricks, Water Cooler Wednesdays

NDG Communications, Inc.

Author Archives: Beverly Kitchens

An Evening with Designer Jonathan Adler

An Evening with Matteo Bologna of Mucca Design

What We Learned at Advertising Week DC 2011