San Diego, CA – May 5, 2008 San Diego’s fastest-growing marketing communications firm is set to be included in the upcoming reference title, Market Smart Design — not once, but twice. This volume, published by HarperCollins in New York, is set for worldwide distribution in early 2009. It highlights the best graphic designs created for specialized target markets, and two JTCG websites — active.com and teens.drugaubse.gov — were picked by the panel of experts.

“We’re excited to be included,” says JTCG owner/creative director Les Kollegian, “not only because it’s a prestigious industry-wide honor, but because very few companies see more than one of their websites featured.”

The criteria was tough: Sites had to offer attractive, engaging design . . . meaty content . . . breezy navigation . . . and a solid grasp of its niche target market. Nancy Heinonen, Publications Director for Crescent Hill Books, headed the search — and notes that “We received well over one thousand submissions,” yet the vast majority didn’t make the cut. “What appealed to us about these two sites were not only great design, but also how well they conveyed understanding the market.”

The 9-million-member active.com site helps fitness-focused people connect with other like-minded individuals and organizations. JTCG’s challenge was to make navigation simple and quick, considering the site covers so much for this audience — from sports to nutrition to equipment to events and more.

The teens.drugabuse.gov site faced numerous challenges; as a federal government program, its goal is to educate young people about the dangers of drugs.

“Teens are a tough market,” Nancy points out, explaining how JTCG’s challenge was so difficult. “For instance, there are lots of trends with colors . . . if you’re out of bounds, teens will know.” JTCG’s use of Web 2.0 provides ideal interactive options, Les adds.

“They’re two vastly different assignments,” Les says, “which is why I’m so proud of our entire team — everyone involved in these projects was able to focus on the unique needs of that specific audience, and speak their language effectively.”

The common perception of graphic design often involves thoughts of home decorating and office furnishings. In reality, graphic design is all around us. Graphic design is incorporated into almost every product humans interact with from reference manuals to billboards and road signs.

Even a book – one of the simplest and ancient of human inventions – benefits from graphic design, which enhances readability through attractive visual presentation of text.

Effective visual communication is the foundation of good graphic design, and many people depend on it to sell an idea or a product. Creating a company’s brand – logo, colors, product labels and packaging – requires advanced knowledge of graphic design. Because branding is essential to a company’s identity, many businesses depend on a graphic designer to assist them in creating all the components of their brand. It is this brand which customers will come to know and rely on as they choose which products to buy.

Another area where graphic design is essential to the communication of knowledge is in textbooks. The goal of a textbook is to effectively convey specific knowledge to its readers. In a typical textbook, you will find pages of practice questions, diagrams, charts, images, special highlights of important materials and lots of real world examples or case studies to bring home the lesson. With all these different elements to contend with, the layout of information on each and every page is crucial. Graphic design is the key to arranging this information for optimal learning. Just think about how much geometry, human anatomy and physiology books rely on graphic design. Other examples are comic books, programs for Broadway shows, and even the opening and closing credits in movies.
Contemporary design has branched out to the modern computer, with different interfaces, multimedia programs, and interactive designs. Graphic elements that are applied to any design have to be originated with visual arts and the people who have those skills. Visual arts includes works that use traditional media, photography, and computer-generated art. The principles of graphic design can be applied to each art element by itself to present a final finished composition, whether it is in print or online.

Graphic design is everywhere, and graphic designers are always in high demand. Wherever information needs to be effectively relayed, graphic design is behind the scenes operating to catch and keep attention. From textbooks to logos to newspapers and even this webpage you are reading right now, graphic designers are working hard so that you don’t have to.