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PeakBiety Welcomes Art Intern Dan Holden This Summer

Dan Holden, a recent graduate from the International Academy of Design and Technology is a creative individual with a passion for illustration, print, and plain old good design.

Originally from Massachusetts, Dan grew up with a paintbrush in his hand and was constantly drawing and painting. He has won multiple art awards over the years and has the attitude and motivation to be successful at whatever he puts his mind to. Whether he is out for a night on the town or at the golf course he is always admiring and critiquing other design, trying to inspire new ideas or see where it can be improved. Freshly equipped with his BFA in Graphic Design and experience ranging from 3D modeling to package design and photo manipulation, Dan will be a great fit with us here at PeakBiety.

Interning at PeakBiety

by Maria Boutzoukas

I can honestly say that during my nine-week internship with PeakBiety, I have learned more than I could have imagined.

On my first day I was told that they had just started a major project and I would basically get to see the process on how a major project is completed from the beginning. I was very excited because even though I have worked on projects for my own clients and for class, I knew that this wasn’t going to be the same. It most definitely wasn’t, especially after spending an entire week researching photos, sketches, and brainstorming. I was able to sit in on meetings to discuss ideas and thoughts on the campaign and how we should go about it.

My second week involved deciding what concepts we were going to work on. We decided on 6 different campaign concepts and went from there. Each concept required a print ad, outdoor billboard, a radio ad, and a TV ad. This involved a lot of sketching, mock-ups, and critiquing.

My school prepared me for this but I didn’t realize how much time and energy is actually put into it. I was used to just coming up with an idea and then using all my time and energy to create the final product. It was a great eye opener. We then ran the 6 concepts by Glen, the president/project supervisor, to get his input and opinion on what concepts to continue with. We decided to work with all six, so we needed to complete all of the concepts for presentation to the client. We created storyboards for the TV ad concepts and the radio ads, and finalized the print ads and billboards. I learned a lot about consistency and alignment when we were going through this process.

Another project surfaced that I got to work on and it was the re-creation of a logo. I was thinking to myself, oh this is a no brainer and it will be a piece of cake…nope, not what I thought at all. I started working on the logo, making sketches like I normally would and just finding a font to use, and then, thinking I was done, I showed it to Amy, the creative director/senior art director. She explained to me what I needed to lay out and show, how I needed to search for different fonts, and try to find a variety of them. It was great because I had no idea that this was the process that a designer needs to go through when making a logo. So I was back to the beginning with a better understanding of what I needed to do. I spent more time than I would have imagined just researching fonts and figuring out which one matches well with another. After doing this, color was added in, and then placement.

Triston, another intern, was also working on this project, and it was great to see how he went about it and what his ideas were. I went from thinking that a logo can be created in a few hours to realizing that it actually takes a lot more time and energy, and has a very important process.

I also learned a lot about time management. We were working on about three or four projects within the same week and I got to see how everything was managed. Everything had a timeline so I couldn’t spend too much time on one thing. I came to the realization that when I work on a project not just for a company but for myself, I really need to map out what days certain steps need to be completed by.

Overall, I feel like working at PeakBiety has been such an amazing experience, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for an internship position at a place where they want learn and gain lots of experience. It was such a pleasure working there and I would most definitely consider my time well spent.

Maria is graphic design student at the International Academy of Design and Technology. Born and raised in Clearwater, FL, Maria enjoys expressing her creativity in many ways—including graphic design, photography and DJing. You can check out her portfolio here.

PeakBiety Welcomes Fall 2010 Art Interns

PeakBiety welcomes art interns, Triston Thomas and Maria Boutzoukas, this fall.

Triston Thomas attends The Art Institute of Tampa and is majoring in Graphic Design. He describes himself as “a passionate designer with knowledge of editorial, packaging, and branding design, one of humble temperament, and having an unmatched enthusiasm for creating new things.”

Maria Boutzoukas is a student at the International Academy of Design and Technology. Born and raised in Clearwater, FL, Maria enjoys expressing her creativity in many ways—including graphic design, photography and DJing. Maria is also very active in the community, and has designed logos and T-shirts for a variety of organizations.

Creative Director, Amy Phillips, to teach as adjunct faculty with IADT Online

TAMPA, FL – PeakBiety branding + advertising announces the recent appointment of its Creative Director, Amy Phillips, to the position of online adjunct faculty with the International Academy of Design & Technology Online. A valued part of the PeakBiety team for more than four years, her credentials include a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors from Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT and post-graduate study at the American Academy of Art in Chicago, IL. In past years, Amy taught as an adjunct faculty for Advertising and Design at the University of South Florida.

When asked why she is interested in online instruction, Amy explains, “Two things attracted me to teaching online for IADT. One was curiosity about how online learning takes place. Through an excellent and intensive training program, I now understand some of the unique challenges faced by the online learner and instructor. Additionally, teaching a course such as Advertising Concepts is mutually beneficial. Students gain insight from an employed creative who practices in the real world, while I benefit from theoretical exposure, which keeps my own work at the agency fresh.”

The International Academy of Design & Technology comprises 11 campus locations throughout the U.S. and Canada. The Academy in Tampa launched the Academy Online in 2007, which now serves close to 3,000 students worldwide through its Virtual Campus.

PeakBiety branding + advertising® services local, regional and national clients in a variety of business sectors. The agency focuses on adding value for its clients by improving customer perceptions. This commitment is summed up in the agency’s promise, “the power of perception®.”

PeakBiety is one of the few agencies in Tampa Bay to meet the strict requirements for membership in the prestigious American Association of Advertising Agencies (4As). For more information, call Glen Peak at PeakBiety branding + advertising, 813-227-8006, extension 114, e-mail gpeak@peakbiety.com or visit peakbiety.com.

Introducing our Fall 2009 Art Interns

PeakBiety welcomes graphic design interns, Hemi Shimizu and Meghan Buchanan.

Hemi (pronounced emmy), attends the International Academy of Design and Technology in Tampa and is majoring in graphic design. Hemi considers herself not only a graphic designer, but a diverse, persistent and creative illustrator. In the future, she plans to work at targeting Hispanic markets as well as the general market. Diversity not only runs in Hemi’s designs, but in her family, too. Her father is Japanese, her mother is Venezuelan and her husband is American.

Meghan Buchanan, a student at the Art Institute of Tampa, comes with freelance design experience and is a member of AIGA and Ad 2 Tampa Bay. She has worked on numerous projects, including rebranding, advertising campaigns and web site development. Her work was featured in the Design Futures Showcase of 2009. Megan has always had a passion for creative thinking. She strives to be a citizen designer, concerned for the betterment of society and is focusing on the necessity of design.

Both Hemi and Meghan have hit the ground running and have participated in branding research and conceptual illustrations. We are looking forward to what they will bring to the table in the coming months.

Congratulations Julia!

Julia's Wonder Woman design

Julia Undella, a summer 2009 intern here at PeakBiety, was awarded a $2,500 scholarship for her illustration & design layout for DC Comics. The contest included six other International Academy of Design and Technology (IADT) campuses nationwide. For her entry, Julia chose to depict a story line of Wonder Woman defeating Superman. “I was so excited when I heard that I won the local level,” Julia said. “I spent a lot of time trying to make her look strong and beautiful. She’s a great role model for girls so I hope they continue to develop her character.” Local winners are to compete on a national level to receive another $2,500. The winner will be announced at www.visualdiner.com on Sept. 15, 2009.

Julia’s education started at Southwest Florida College before she transferred to IADT and her grades have earned her spots on the National Dean’s List as well as the National Honor Roll. She has completed a range of advertising projects for a variety of clients including: The City of Tampa and the Florida Music Hall of Fame. We are proud we had a chance to work with Julia and her award-winning work.