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Oliver Creative likes to 'communicate in time' |  |
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by Joan Tupponce Special Correspondent November 1, 2004 Web design, development firm grows from Boulevard office to larger Innsbrook quarters Not many people would pay attention to the coaster under their drink in a restaurant or a poster on a nearby wall. But on a fashion-design trip to Holland more than 15 years ago, Kyra Oliver was awed by quality of the graphic design on both. "I felt like [graphic design] in the U.S. lacked that attention to detail," she said, noting that the incident sparked her interest in the graphic arts, eventually leading her to open Oliver Creative, where she and her staff provide strategic Web design and development. Shared two elements Before visiting Holland, Oliver had contemplated careers in broadcast and fashion design, studying both for short periods of time. Even though her interests varied, they all shared two important elements: communication and visual appeal. "The two help you to interact with clients," Oliver said. "[In Web design,] you have to build those two together for a strong user experience." Oliver enrolled in Virginia Commonwealth University in a communication-arts-and-design track. "I not only enjoyed the visual beauty [of graphic arts], but I also felt I understood the relationship of illustration and typography," she said. "Graphic design is not just about visual aesthetics. It's also about communicating in time." While at VCU, Oliver interned for Scribner, Messer, Brady and Wade (SMBW Architects) and was offered the position of senior graphic designer. She worked for the company for three years before accepting a position as senior designer with The Whitlock Group, now known as Whitlockebs and recently bought out by Ironworks. "I was doing more Web work," Oliver said. "I really gained a huge understanding of the Internet, Web design and development." Eager to learn all the aspects of managing a project, Oliver moved into project management for the Creative and Brand Services Department. While there, she began picking up freelance assignments. "I started thinking that if work was coming to me and I wasn't looking for it, then I bet if I would look for it, I would find it," Oliver said. Initially worked out of the home In 2001, Oliver decided to leave Whitlock and open Oliver Creative, working out of her home. "It was one of the best things I have ever done in my life," she said. "I started looking for work. I made a commitment that I was always going to pay myself. With the exception of a few weeks, in the four years that I have been in business I have been able to take care of myself." After a few months, Oliver moved her offices into an old home at 112 N. Boulevard. This September, the company moved from the Boulevard to larger offices in Innsbrook. Megan Williams, deputy director of the Virginia Sheriffs' Association, called on Oliver to redesign the organization's seven-year-old Web site, adding purchasing provisions and online registration for conferences. "I really liked her style," Williams said. "She took an interest in our company, which is a nonprofit. She is familiar with nonprofits, and that was a big plus. We had a long meeting to go over what I was looking for as far as design. She took it from there and came up with the concept." The redesign gave the Web site an updated, professional look. "It's very clean, and it functions well," Williams said. To alleviate ambiguity, Oliver has created a strict process for each project. "We provide a creative brief that restates what the project is and the client's goals, as well as who the client is," she explained. "Then, each document has to be signed off on by the client." When Dominion Virginia Power wanted to create a design template for the company's Internet site in 2000, Charlie Donato, manager of Internet communications, tapped Whitlockebs to do the job. Oliver served as project manager for template and design. "We are now in the third phase of development and we are still using many of the designs and ideas Kyra helped us develop in 2000," Donato said. "Kyra is a delight to work with. She's a great person and a good communicator. She's precise in her work, an intuitive designer." Today, Oliver has a staff of five and a 100-plus client base. Clients range from the Virginia Economic Development Partnership and the Richmond Association of Realtors to the March of Dimes and the VCU Health System. Maria Curran, vice president of human resources of the VCU Health System, contacted Oliver when the system was applying for Working Mother Magazine's 100 Best Places to Work recognition. "Kyra worked with us to pull the documentation together for a Web site for the application," Curran said. "She helped us put a face to our working mothers and we won the award. The product was warm and genuine. What we loved about the application she helped design is that you could sense our corporate culture and how important our family-friendly benefits are to our working mothers." Pleased with Oliver's work, Curran asked her to also help design the department's new Web site. "Kyra is a really sincere and compassionate person," Curran said. "The way she runs Oliver Creative, you get a sense of her commitment to the community." Recently, Oliver was named a finalist in the Community Involvement Program of the Year category in the 2004 Stevie Awards for Women Entrepreneurs, a new national awards competition recognizing the accomplishments of women small-business owners in the United States. She also is the winner of the Owens & Minor Community Service Award presented recently by the Richmond Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners. Trade Names is a regular feature about established Richmond-area businesses. |