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.

A Jonathan Adler Interior Design
A Jonathan Adler Interior Design

 


Finally had enough of working too late, making too little, and going nowhere?

If you’ve worked in advertising before, you may have worked at one of those agencies—you know, the kind where everybody is miserable, overworked, underpaid, and nobody stays for very long.

Well, we don’t roll that way. NDG Communications is an advertising and digital marketing agency located just outside Washington, D.C. in La Plata, Maryland. NDG offers a work environment where creatives are truly respected and appreciated, where schedules are reasonable, where compensation is competitive, where the office is usually empty after 6pm, and where your career can grow as fast and far as you can.

• COMPETITIVE COMPENSATION
• GENEROUS BENEFITS PACKAGES
• WORK WITH A TEAM YOU’LL LOVE
• WORK WHERE YOU’LL TRULY BE APPRECIATED
• FAMILY ATMOSPHERE & LIFE-WORK BALANCE
• TAKE YOUR CAREER TO THE NEXT LEVEL

What’s it like to work at NDG? Click here for some insights.

NOW HIRING: Full-time position

ART DIRECTOR
We’re looking for someone with strong and tested skills who wants to take their career even further, learn more, achieve more, and create truly great work with a great team.
• Lead designer for all assigned projects
• Collaborate with creative director, art directors, copywriters, designers, and   programmers
• Mentor junior designers and help ensure quality and consistency
• Strong Adobe Creative Suite skills / Mac OS platform
• Portfolio of advertising agency or similar work
• Minimum 5 years professional design work experience
Agency experience required
• Mastery of communication, conceptualization, and visualization skills
• Focus on the details, efficient time management

TO APPLY PLEASE INCLUDE cover letter, resume, required salary range, and URL link to samples or include a brief PDF portfolio in order to be considered.

LEARN MORE and apply online at our website.

No phone calls or recruiters, thank you.


What you say and when you say it means everything on social media!

Do you want more people to see your Twitter content? Post it on a Monday between 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.!

In a recent article from the NDG Knowledge Base, you’ll find out the best times to post on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and more.

Do you want more likes and shares on Facebook? Create content people want to actually share!

Another great article reveals that the biggest factor for creating engagement is creating content that is relevant to both your brand and your customer. Click here for more great insights into creating engagement on Facebook.

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for more insights and news from the NDG Knowledge Base.

 


With 10.4 million monthly visits originating on mobile devices, Trulia is releasing a new ad platform that will allow advertisers/homebuilders to place geolocated ads on the most trafficked pages of the Trulia smartphone app and mobile website.

Mobile banner ads will appear above search results mapped by zipcode and will show a contact name, phone number, and photo.

Why is this such a big deal?

  • 30% of Trulia’s weekend traffic is from mobile devices
  • Homebuyers searching on mobile are 60% more likely to take the next step
  • Mobile searches have grown by 250%

However, it’s about more than advertising to mobile users—it’s about offering content specific to a user’s geographical location and tapping into the buyers who are most likely to visit your communities and homes.

Click here to learn more about Trulia’s new geolocation
mobile advertising platform.


On Friday, several NDG Communications team members and I attended the Mid-Atlantic Marketing Summit on Intelligence & Insights on the Future of Communications at Gannett headquarters in McLean, Virginia. We learned some interesting new things and found affirmation about the effectiveness of tactics we’ve begun to employ for our clients—and ourselves.

For example, when it comes to online content, presenters reinforced the importance of micro-targeting—the more focused and relevant the conversation, the better the engagement and response. Make your messaging so specific to your target audience that they not only read it, they start to see themselves in it.

In terms of social media engagement, we were reminded of just how critical it is to talk to and about your prospects. Research has shown time and again that when companies talk about themselves, engagement drops. But, talk about your buyer—what’s important to them, what’s trending in their world, what keeps them up at night—and watch engagement go up!

Click here to learn more about the event.

 


As part of our annual holiday greeting, we wanted to do something different this year that our builder and real estate clients would get a big kick out of. We put our brains and hands to work, and developed the first-ever Sweetly Efficient house. Haven’t seen it yet? Visit EnergySweetHomes.com and check out all the sweetly efficient home features you’ve been craving!


The holidays started a little earlier than usual here at NDG Communications. Kicking off in early November, members of our team were busy writing scripts, shooting video, designing a website, and even “sweetening up” a dollhouse for what would become this year’s NDG interactive holiday greeting: the world’s first “Sweetly Efficient” house, from EnergySweet Homes.

For days, we were at work converting what once was a simple dollhouse into a mouth-watering masterpiece complete with graham cracker floors, chocolate solar panels, and a fruitcake foundation, among other scrumptious efficiency features. Click here to see the fruits—or should we say, “candy”—of our labor!


NDG Communications is proud to welcome our new Associate Creative Director, Christine DiGiovacchino. Christine is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University where many sleepless nights and several close encounters with an Xacto blade earned her a Bachelor of Science in Graphic Design/Photography. Prior to joining the NDG team, Christine worked as a designer, art director, and copywriter serving a wide range of clients and industries. Christine is now putting her expert creative and account-executive-taming skills to work as NDG’s Associate Creative Director. When she’s not working, Christine enjoys hanging out with friends, family, and her 98-pound mastiff.


Last night, the Northern Virginia Building Industry Association and the Maryland National Capital Building Industry Association held the 3rd Annual Great American Living Awards. Hundreds of the real estate industry’s best from across the DC region came together at the Sheraton Premier at Tyson’s Corner to celebrate excellence in real estate marketing, design, architecture, and sales.

It was a big night for our client, K. Hovnanian Homes, as they took home three awards for:

  • Best Website for a National Builder: High Performance Home/Nate Website
  • Best Online Advertising for Ad Campaign: Annual Cost Savings Banners
  • Award of Merit for Online Social Media Campaign: High Performance Home/Nate Social Media Campaign

Congratulations to K. Hovnanian Homes. We are proud of the collaborative effort and grateful to be able to share this recognition with you!


NDG Communications is pleased to announce that Megan DiNorscio has joined our team as Assistant Marketing Manager. Megan majored in Advertising and Public Relations with a minor in Human Development and Family Studies at Pennsylvania State University. She previously worked for Torre Lazur McCann as a Traffic Coordinator and was later promoted to an Account Coordinator. Born and raised in East Hanover, New Jersey, Megan recently moved to Maryland and looks forward to seeing more of what the Old Line State has to offer. She enjoys visiting her alma mater and attending football games. She also enjoys cycling, traveling abroad, and reading.