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Octo Design Group Stretches Limits of Creativity; Comcast, T-Mobile `Hot Spot' Combines Traditional Approach to Art With Modern-Era Techniques PHILADELPHIA, July 14 /PRNewswire/ -- When Octo Design Group founder and owner Wendy Verna and senior art director Jim Battista sat down after work, Verna didn't expect a conversation on wireless technology.Or perhaps she did. Verna has a traditional arts background, including sculpting and painting, honed at the Moore College of Art, where she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1990. Battista, on the other hand, specializes in new technologies - partially learned at one of the largest pharmaceutical advertising firms in the nation. One recent result of this approach was an initiative using files supplied by clients to boost a new "hot spot" pairing Comcast Broadband Internet access with T-Mobile's wireless fidelity - WiFi - in the historically famous Headhouse Square area adjacent to South Street in Philadelphia. That's what Battista and Verna were talking about after work - today that "hot spot" is a reality thanks to Verna's pitch to the South Street Headhouse District, a local business and community advocacy organization where she serves as a member of the board. "Comcast loved the idea," explained Verna. "We do these things all the time - it's a stretch, but it helps us, our clients and our business," Verna added. "We are atypical in our approach to what design services we offer and what we recommend to our clients. It pays off." Many design firms, said Battista, rely too much on technology and too little on creativity. "Our designs don't come out of a box," he added. "Our design teams literally throw new ideas out all the time - and we all have different approaches. This benefits our firm, our clients - even the community. We think it's a great way to do business." Verna is the first to admit she is challenged by some of today's new technologies. "I get training - and I try hard - but I often track down others on my team for assistance with some of the more complicated programs," she noted. "What we don't do is rely on technology to satisfy design parameters. We've seen many design firms that are big on flash-in-the-pan graphics but suffer from poor execution of original thought and traditional approaches. Making a concentrated effort to avoid that route has made us a much stronger design firm - and we really enjoy working together to boot. WiFi is just another example of that. Other design firms would be wise to emulate our approach." For more information, contact Wendy Verna at (215) 873-0794 or e-mail [email protected]. CONTACT: Wendy Verna Octo Design Group 609 South 6th Street Philadelphia, PA 19147 (215) 873-0794 Website: http://www.octodesign.com/ Octo Design Group CONTACT: Wendy Verna, Octo Design Group, +1-215-873-0794,[email protected] Web site: http://www.octodesign.com/ |