It is with sadness and affection that we must let you know Aaron will be leaving J H I to work freelance from his home in South Hill. The daily 90 minute interstate commute each way finally got to him. Aaron has been a solid member of our team, and we wish him well in his new role as “self-employed”.
Which creates an immediate opportunity for someone else: if you know any cracker jack graphic designers with great skills, a few years of experience and the ability to come up with and execute brilliant ideas while juggling multiple projects and managing clients like a Hollywood press agent, tell him/her to send his/her portfolio to johnhoms@jhigoodidea.com. We’re looking for someone who can fit right in with the rest of us aesthetically obsessed, time challenged, perfectionistic overacheivers….
In keeping with the longstanding J H I tradition of Great Office Dogs, for which a noble standard was set by the late, great Gilbert the Golden Hearted, Onyx has joined our staff. Onyx was a shelter dog in Brunswick County who participated in the Pen Pals program and received her AKC Good Canine Citizen certificate before joining us on Monday, March 24. Onyx is a lovely Lab mix; she is a glossy brownish black, about a year or so old, weighs around 50lbs and loves soft, squeaky toys: especially the one Aunt Danielle sent that looks just like a small dead squirrel. Onyx knows lots of tricks we are planning to try out in upcoming client meetings when things aren’t going so well. In return for her duties here, she has requested we encourage you to support SOS-PenPals, her alma mater. Onyx can be reached at onyx@jhigoodidea.com.
We have certainly struggled to find the right fit for our traffic and production manager position. At long last, we believe the search is over. On March 19 Betsy Sayre officially joined J H I and she is now busily getting up to speed on our clients, our projects, our systems and our many, many wonderfully charming personal idiosyncracies. Betsy previously worked at Genworth Financial, The Duboy Agency, Barber Martin Advertising and TECHEAD. We’re sure she’ll be telling us all what to do and when to do it really soon. And if she’s half as great as her references all say she is, we’ll love every minute of it. You can reach Betsy at betsy@jhigoodidea.com.
Yet another great woman has joined the staff here at J H I. (Aaron and John are beginning to feel seriously outnumbered). As of Monday, March 3 Christen Barber is our fearless Project Manager. Her role will be to lead both J H I and the client in our constant search for brilliant creative and strategic solutions. A Jersey Girl and Virginia Tech grad, Christen joins us from a large public relations firm in D.C. In search of a life featuring less time in traffic and more time with friends, she recently moved to Richmond and we were lucky enough to snare her before anyone else realized how great she is. An avid sports enthusiast, you’ll often find Christen at live sporting events (especially if the Hokies are playing), perusing the latest issue of ESPN Magazine, or trying new recipes in search of the perfect tailgating fare. In between games, she can be reached at christen@jhigoodidea.com.
Girls’ Choice:
Rehab, Amy Winehouse.
After all it is February, the longest month of the year….
Attention those of you looking for a unique gift, or an unusual ornament for your garden or house, and who prefer to go green with your purchasing choices: here is a website worth visiting – www.birdtiques.com. Local artist Alison Auth creates one of a kind birdhouses using salvaged materials. While these whimsical beauties look like “pure” art, each is carefully constructed to appeal to a specific species. Purchase online or visit the Shops at 5807 on Patterson Avenue. But beware: in person, the individual charm of each is irresistible. You could end up with a whole flock.
We are delighted to announce that Carter Graham has joined J H I as our design intern. Carter graduated from VCU in 2007 with a BFA in Graphic Design. Prior to joining J H I, she worked in design positions focused on letterpress and bookbinding. Carter is also an ongoing visiting teacher/artist/critic for Collegiate’s Upper School. She loves books, letterpress, the New York Rangers and other people’s handwriting. She hates blue food. She can be reached at carter@jhigoodidea.com.
J H I is pleased and proud to be included in a beautiful new book, Choosing and Using Paper for Great Graphic Design, by Mark Hampshire and Keith Stephenson and published by RotoVision SA in Switzerland. Conceived as a comprehensive source book for any graphic designer, the book comprises two key aspects of working with paper: inspiration and information. The authors contacted J H I and asked to include the Astrobrights “More” Promotional Booklet we designed for Wausau Paper and “differentia”, the publication we designed, well, pretty much for ourselves. (In case you’re rushing out to pick up your copy of the book, “differentia” is on pages 70-71 and “More” is on pages 84-85…both are also on our website.) We are quite flattered and really must go to London to thank Mark and Keith in person.
Be sure to get your copy of the new issue of differentia, the J H I design manifesto that comes out once in a blue moon (but is totally worth the wait). If you’re on the lucky mailing list, you should be receiving one soon. If you’re not, send us an email and we’ll get one off to you toot sweet. Or you can stop by the office and pick one up: we love visitors, especially if you bring your dog. Otherwise, look for it to appear unannounced in coffee shops, ET, Pearly’s, Cafe Ole and miscellaneous other cool spots around town.
