Perhaps, in the past, you've contracted a graphic design firm to see your project become overly "artsy." Or perhaps, you've worked with technology specialists who claimed to offer "creative services," and found that they were not much more qualified as designers than you. At DeVine, we've recognized a need to bridge the gap between back-end expertise and front-end finesse. That's why we offer visual solutions worthy of the high-tech wizardry behind the scenes. Handling all the details in an array of media, DeVine creative specialists can see a project through all possible iterations: interface, web, print, motion or video. As the emerging mainstream of communication, we believe in the language of creative design as a tool to enhance understanding, not simply as a means of "wowing" an audience. Although that often does Happen...

In November of 2000, our country was plunged into turmoil thanks (in part) to an absence of design. Actually, absence is perhaps too strong a word. The item in question, a certain Palm Beach County election ballot, did have a design, but apparently only as a fleeting afterthought. While Theresa LePore, the official who green-lighted the ballot must now be reflecting on her decision with 20/20 clarity, she could never have known that the ballot's poor design would have any negative affect on a race which would ultimately be decided by means of instant replay. After all, who had the time to worry about how the thing looked when there was an election to run? Who can honestly blame her?

A similar (and equally dangerous) philosophy of project management seems to be prevalent among decision makers in the New Economy. With so many expectations to meet within limited budgets and timeframes, the creative design element is commonly considered an unnecessary luxury.

Indeed, with the recent reality-check (read: downturn) in this New Economy, allocating funds for creative work seems almost decadent. To make matters worse, many of those companies who do place stock in the value of design, both in their marketing strategies and products themselves, have not weathered the past few months of market squalls particularly well. Naturally, this has reinforced in some a low opinion of design as unprofitable fluff. Who can honestly blame them?

Marginalizing design as a failed relic of the dot-com craze, they echo pragmatic clichés like "Content, content, content." And while not without some justification for believing such things, these reasonable, bottom-line conscious decision makers nevertheless fall into the same trap as Ms. LePore in Florida. To neglect proper creative design in any project which relies on visual communication is to invite tremendous risk on that endeavor's success. Continue >

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