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.

PeakBiety is pleased to welcome three art interns this quarter.

Lisa Cox is a senior in Graphic Design at the Art Institute of Tampa with past responsibility for all major college marketing materials including flyers, brochures, billboards, posters, email blasts, identity design, and more. Talented, employing both sides of her brain, Lisa is an IT wiz assisting students and faculty with computer software and troubleshooting. In addition to being an awesome designer, she maintains and repairs video, audio and photography equipment for the school. And she’s an active student member of Ad2 Tampa Bay. Is there anything she doesn’t do? We’re trying to figure that out.

Liz Hyler comes to us with a BFA in Graphic Design having graduated May, 2009 from Kansas State University. With extensive freelance design experience under her belt, she is a valued contributor to logo design and brand identity projects. Her award-winning talent has garnered 1st place in K-State’s Forever Proud Young Alumni logo design, runner-up for the K-State Olathe Innovation Campus logo design, and runner-up for K-State’s Center on Aging logo design. Liz is also an AIGA member since 2008 and was an officer in 2009. She’s also a proud member of the P.E.O. Sisterhood. With her many accomplishments, accolades and associations, we are honored to have her working with the PeakBiety creative team.

David Miller is a senior at the Art Institute of Tampa working toward a BA in Web Design and Interactive Media. His accomplishments include building a learning assessment tool for The 50 States, constructing an interactive video player component with Adobe Flash and developing a movie trailer titled, The Combo Kid, using Adobe After Effects. David also assisted in the production of a short documentary about Ybor City titled Cigar City. If that’s not enough, David is an IT department associate maintaining equipment rentals, conducting print services for students and faculty, and monitoring computer labs.

PeakBiety is pleased to welcome three art interns this quarter.

Josue Franco is a senior in Graphic Design at the Art Institute of Tampa, and compares himself to an octopus: “Ever changing, shifting and wafting in accordance to its environment, the octopus has a great ability to adapt to its surroundings meticulously. My designs are flexible and adaptable to various approaches, media and styles.”

Alejandro Valdivia is also a senior in Graphic Design at the Art Institute. Alejandro describes himself as a creative problem solver, decision maker and team player, and has several years of freelance experience. He says “I’m a firm believer that simplicity is key. The attention span of the target audience is limited and finding a way through the maze of advertising that is already out there is challenging to say the least. That is why, usually, less is more.”

Nick Brower graduated from Savannah College of Art and Design with a BFA in Advertising Design in November. He is eager to gain real-world industry experience and strives to create ads that not only solve problems but are also works of art.

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.

Seeking real-world industry experience, Lindsay Churton and Mauri Mohler are spending time as PeakBiety interns this fall.

Lindsay Churton holds a degree in Textiles and Consumer Sciences and a Communications minor from Florida State University. After graduation, she considered joining the Peace Corps, but changed her mind after she was offered a position on the Obama Presidential Campaign.

Lindsay’s passions vary between fashion, visual merchandising and copywriting. Her ideal career path would be joining the creative team of a company that can incorporate all her interests. She states, “PeakBiety has become a wonderful eye opener and starting point for learning how the creative side of advertising evolves.”

Mauri Mohler is a multi-talented 2008 graduate from the University of Florida’s School of Journalism and Communications. As a copywriting intern here at PeakBiety, she works on proofreading and editing projects. She is also interested in graphic design. Mauri explains, “I enjoy working with the nurturing team at PeakBiety and I’m thankful that the agency that has such a strong philosophy about creative strategy.”

After gaining enough experience, Mauri hopes to work for a magazine. She loves catching up on her favorite street fashion and design blogs and hopes these two subjects will be a part of her future career.

by Haris Silic

Finding an internship with an advertising agency in Tampa is not an easy task, to say the least. Hence my uncontrollable joy when Amy Phillips, PeakBiety Creative Director, offered me a summer internship position back in July.

I am a senior at The Art Institute of Tampa, pursuing a BA in Advertising. This degree is quite different than the BFA in Graphic Design, since the focus is more on strategy development and less on creative. However, in order to stay competitive in the industry, I have had to work hard on advancing both my creative execution as well as my strategic skills.

At PeakBiety, I have been able to apply both of those skill sets. I’ve worked on design solutions for their Tampa and central Florida-based clients and created a comprehensive SEO strategy for PeakBiety itself.  I really feel like I have been exposed to all functions of an advertising agency.

Haris giving a presentation on SEO strategy

My advice to anyone looking for an advertising internship in the Tampa Bay area is to stay flexible. Try to obtain as many different skill sets for your tool belt as possible through your education and be able to apply them. Internships at premier advertising agencies in Tampa, such as PeakBiety, are very limited and competition is strong, but it was definitely worth the fight.

Good luck future interns of PeakBiety!

TAMPA, FL –PeakBiety branding + advertising proudly announces the recent appointment of Kathryn Clark as art director. A native of the Tampa Bay area, Kathryn is a graduate of the Savannah College of Art & Design, where she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in the area of Advertising Design and a minor degree in Business Management and Entrepreneurship. Kathryn’s ambition, along with her past experience as a graphic designer, will serve PeakBiety’s award-winning creative team well.

Kathryn has also received a number of local, regional and national awards. These include a 2009 Pollie Political Advertising student award, a 2005 Free Enterprise Scholars award and a 2008 Outstanding Director award with Agency Five–her college’s full-service, student-run agency. In her spare time, Kathryn has served as a Student Ambassador and is a member of AD2 Tampa Bay.

“Kathryn will be a great asset to this agency,” said Amy Phillips, Creative Director of PeakBiety. “She first came to us as a student intern and then later worked as a freelance graphic artist. I have watched her skills and talent grow as a graphic designer and art director and I am thrilled to have her on board as a full-time member of the PeakBiety team.”

PeakBiety branding + advertising® serves 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.

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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.

PeakBiety is pleased to be working with Haris Silic, summer intern and student on his way to a Bachelor of Arts degree in Advertising from the Art Institute of Tampa in 2009.

He describes himself as a “global, strategic thinker, definer, persuader, curious visionary and storyteller.” His focus on graphic design, logo design and brand identity have made him well-suited for an advertising agency such as PeakBiety with a strong focus on strategic branding.