Partners Team Up to Offer 'Visual Identity' [Back]
By Jolene Bilinski
Tribune Correspondent
[PDF of Article: 204KB]
South Bend, Indiana—December 12, 2005—They even look like a team this Friday afternoon, right down to their light blue shirts and khakis. No company uniform, but the picture might be an indication of just how connected David Coleman and Kevin Fye can be as partners at Imagine Creative Design, along with Penny Coleman, David's wife. Penny heads up accounting and marketing duties for the firm.
The company, which provides graphic design for print, video and the Web, is located in the newly-renovated, fashionably-decorated Prairie Building in downtown South Bend (115 N. William St). The building itself is a team of sorts, featuring five other creative businesses.
David Coleman, 43, and Fye, 44, worked together at Golden Dome Productions in South Bend, prior to 2001 and the seed for a partnership was planted then by Coleman, who told Fye, "We should go into business together." He was only half joking at the time. They eventually teamed up to "craft visual solutions for companies" at a very turbulent economic time — about the time of the 9/11 tragedy in 2001.
"It was the worst economy with everything going on with 9/11, and we came through that and have done well ... we feel fortunate... our future is good," said Fye.
The goal for Fye and Coleman is to develop a visual impact for any company — to get consumers and companies noticed and remembered.
"When we first started we saw a visual identity gap," noted Coleman. "We want to give an appropriate visual face to an organization's identity."
That philosophy comes through in the marketing of their own company. "Great design is an essential part of your message that captures the public's attention in a heartbeat," their company brochure pitches to potential customers. That touch is also delivered in their own website at www.imagine-creative.com.
Coleman and Fye are the creative brains to the business. Together they have more than 35 years of design experience.
Coleman, who is a B.A. in Graphic Design from Michigan State University, and attended the College of Business Administration at the University of Notre Dame, specializes in graphic design, illustration and animation.
Fye earned his undergraduate degree from Indiana University and has an M.A. in Art History from Notre Dame. His experience ranges from logo to set design. He also has worked as an elementary art teacher and college instructor with experience in professional theater and television production.
Coleman and Fye consider the small size one of the unique aspects to their business. "We can sit down one-on-one with our customers," Coleman noted. "We don't have that hierarchical layer that other companies have. Also, we are able to focus on each client's unique needs. We can handle the appropriate design that matches the identity."
There's another aspect to their business that will always separate them from others. "If you are creative, I think you will be unique," said Fye. "There are things that larger ad agencies do that we don't," Fye added. "We're more design oriented than an ad agency, but we can also be a resource to the ad agency."
Among the other creative enterprises in the Prairie Building complex include AdImage (marketing and advertising); Big Idea Company (broadcasts and corporate media consultants); Force 5 Media (design and development for Web/CD/DVD, video production and live presentation); Grass Roots Media (broadcast and non-broadcast video production for businesses and organizations); and Phase Two Architects (architectural design).
Imagine Creative Design can be reached by calling 574-233-9903, or on the Web at www.imagine-creative.com.