Prince William Regional Chamber of Commerce

Kathy Strauss and G.C. Schow of ImageWerks and Cynthia Roulliard of Storm Graphic Arts pose together at the Chairman’s Dinner after the unveiling of the new Chamber logo that they collaboratively designed along with John Hartt of Denarius Design.

A New Logo Is Born:

Member Artists Collaborate to Depict a Dynamic Region’s Chamber

This year, the Prince William Regional Chamber of Commerce is “Celebrating 50 Years of Innovation” as it kicks off its Golden Anniversary. 2006 is an exciting time to be in Prince William—business is thriving and helping to build a community that continues to offer an attractive place to work and live.

The Region’s Chamber is a part of that excitement as it offers tools for business growth, advocates for strong economic policies and supports a high quality of life. With all this in mind, thoughts turned to designing a new Chamber logo that captures the vibrancy that defines the role of the Region’s Chamber in the new Prince William and the Chamber itself.

Three member graphic design firms came together with a logo taskforce, to brainstorm what this new logo should depict. Two words kept rising to the top: Dynamic and Connecting.

The designers then took this concept of a dynamic organization connecting businesses to the tools for success and worked to bring this vision to reality. “We put all of our ideas out there and then played the ‘What if?’ game, combining and rearranging elements. It was a synergy of the best of all of our ideas,” explained G.C. Schow of ImageWerks. John Hartt of Denarius Design added, “It was a great experience, it’s not often that you get a chance to brainstorm and work with your creative peers in a non-competitive environment.”

Meet the Artists Behind the Exciting, New Logo of the Region’s Chamber

Great logos don’t just happen—they are developed by talented artists skilled at visually expressing the spirit of an organization, creating a tangible symbol of organizational identity. Meet the artists behind the new logo of the Region’s Chamber:

Denarius Design

John Hartt launched Manassas-based Denarius Design almost five years ago. His firm specializes in graphic design for projects including logos, brochures, posters and large format graphics including vehicle wraps and trade show booths. From concept development to design refinement to final production, Denarius Design provides innovative, focused design solutions.

John says that, as a graphic designer, it is important to listen to clients, to understand what it is they are looking for and to help them to bring their vision to life. He also focuses on managing a project schedule and delivering products on time. About his work, John said, “It gives me the opportunity to provide something unique to the customer. One of the biggest rewards is hearing the customer say, ‘Wow’.”

As a business owner, John values his Regional Chamber membership and the opportunities it previces to play a part in the community and to support other local businesses. “Chamber President Laurie Wieder and the gang are great about recognizing how folks can be involved and actively getting them on the right committee,” said John.

Learn more about the services offered by Denarius Design at www.denariusdesign.com or by calling 703-335-7722.

ImageWerks

G.C. Schow had operated graphic design firm ImageWerks in the state of Washington for years before joining forces with Kathy Strauss and moving the enterprise to Prince William. A full service graphic design company, ImageWerks specializes in designing websites, publications, brochures and collateral materials. Additionally, ImageWerks can meet a variety of presentation needs—offering multimedia options such as animation, training videos and CDs.

The company uses contractors to create flexibility—its ability to add members to a project team means that it can easily adjust to help both large and small clients achieve their vision. ImageWerks meets with each client to explore how to best convey their products, services and philosophy graphically. G.C. is ImageWerks' technical expert and a master illustrator. Kathy incorporates G.C.'s designs into layout to provide a total communications package.

Of their work, G.C says, “We are able to help develop people’s vision into reality. We enjoy being able to help people in that way.” He noted that ImageWerks counts many not-for-profits and international development groups as clients.

The design team, winner of the Chamber’s 2006 Key Member Award, is active in the Region’s Chamber. In addition to providing opportunities to showcase their work, Kathy and G.C. see the Chamber as a way to connect with the business community. “If somebody needs something, I refer them to another Chamber member, because I know I can trust them,” said G.C.

To learn more about ImageWerks, visit www.imagewrks.net or call 703-492-8215.

Storm Graphic Arts

Being a commercial artist is a family tradition for Cynthia Rouillard of Storm Graphic Arts, who is a third generation graphic designer. Though Cynthia studied fine art photography in college, the first time she worked on a graphic arts project, she found that she loved it.

After doing freelance work for several years, Cynthia opened Storm Graphic Arts when she moved to Prince William in 2003. Cynthia’s specialties include graphic and web design and marketing support to help clients meet their business objectives.

Cynthia prides herself on offering personalized service. “I work within people’s budgets, and go beyond design to examine their complete marketing strategy.” She also helps clients meet the people they need to meet to grow their businesses.

Cynthia is a believer that building connections builds business—she found that the contacts she made by joining the Region’s Chamber were invaluable.

She particularly appreciates the Chamber’s community development efforts, especially its support of the arts and education. “I think that is unique to the Region’s Chamber,” said Cynthia.

To learn more about Storm Graphic Arts, visit www.stormgraphicarts.com or call 703-730-3022.

4320 Ridgewood Center Drive, Prince William, VA 22192
703-590-5000 FAX: 703-590-9815