Green Is a Primary Color for eCity Design Group

By George Berkheimer, STAFF WRITER



Ellicott City-based eCity, a full-service branding and design agency, marks its 10th anniversary this year. With a focus on graphic design, web development, marketing and public relations, the company places further emphasis on social responsibility as an essential mission element, holding literally to the industry tenet that the medium is just as important as the message.

According to company founder and President Karen Carpenter, sustainability plays a significant role for eCity, both in terms of business practices and the products it creates.

With respect to the environment, "The printing industry has advanced in quantum leaps and bounds in the last five years," Carpenter said, helped along by an increasing availability of recycled materials and soy-based inks as well as growing customer awareness of eco-friendly choices.

"Not all that long ago these products were unattainable for most of our clients," she said, noting that the benefits to end users are just a small part of the overall equation. "These days our suppliers have cleaner plants; they're doing less environmental damage, and their papers are more affordable. The price of [recycled paper] is way down from what it used to be."

While eCity can't offer recycled products for every option it provides, it can find and recommend equivalent materials in most cases, including chlorine-free paper products from manufacturers that adhere to sustainable forestry practices.

"We see it as part of serving our customers," Carpenter said, "helping them move forward in their own efforts to be smart consumers."



Variety's the Thing

Carpenter's involvement in the marketing business grew out of her 35-year career as an academic focused on visual literacy with an emphasis in new media. She recently retired from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), where she served as an instructor and associate director of the Writing and Rhetoric Division of the university's English Department.

"[The business] became a practical application in my research," she said, deriving from a primary interest in how people communicate visual messages with integrity across businesses, cultures and ethnicities. She also recognized that running her own business would provide an opportunity to involve both sides of her brain as president and artistic director.

"We're a boutique agency," Carpenter observed. "We have the capacity to work with clients in any industry and in any direction they want to take their growth."

eCity's clients range from large organizations such as the Ronald McDonald House, Bank of America, the New York State Department of Health and FedEx down to smaller local companies and startups. The majority, however, fit within the mid- to large-size categories and are experiencing rapid growth.

Niche marketing wasn't in the cards for Carpenter. "It's too limiting," she said. "I like having a range of clients to keep things interesting."

It's also variety, she said, that helps foster creativity within the company.

"Our creatives are really sterling, and we have to learn about [each] client's business on every single project we do," Carpenter explained. "Each job gives us fresh perspective, and I think that's how we can still manage to be fresh every time a new client comes through the door."

With seven inside employees and 20 outside freelancers ranging from videographers to illustrators and other discrete skills, the company is flexible enough to assemble the appropriate team for any type of project, she added.



New Directions

Despite the fact that technology has drastically changed the way people gather visual signals and has made consumer expectations more sophisticated and demanding in the process, Carpenter observed that the majority of eCity's clients still prefer print advertising. Many of them find it easier to measure the efficacy and value of print products, she said.

"It's hard for many of them to shift over to anything that includes blogging or web blasts," she said. "If they don't have the in-house resources, then they have to account for that," and often can't afford it.

It's eCity's job to create efficient, effective and affordable solutions for them, she continued, which has brought the company to an electronic crossroads.

"We're in the process of re-branding, getting ready to launch some new materials in the spring," Carpenter explained. Goals include expanded web capacity and superlative web design, along with some sophisticated software tools to measure the effectiveness of the company's web-based products.



Creative Solutions

In a business that's all about connections, eCity looks to distinguish itself through its relationships. "We really do relationship building," Carpenter said, by partnering with clients, vendors and suppliers. "If a client comes in for one element - a web site or a newsletter - they're going to stay with us because they get the right attention and a positive experience."

In the community involvement arena, the company supports nonprofit organizations and small businesses whose values align with its own, and also performs case-by-case full-service pro bono work. Some of the organizations it has supported include the Susan G. Komen Foundation, the Howard County Arts Council, the Maryland Zoo Adopt-an-Animal Program and the Howard County Public School System's GT Mentor Program.

As a green company, eCity favors recyclable, non-toxic office supplies, tracks its environmental performance and seeks to include green solutions in its production work. "We always include sustainability in our decisions," Carpenter noted.

Going a step further, eCity's green marketing efforts extend beyond clients to include children with a downloadable coloring book on the company web site (www.ecitydesigngroup.com). Through the character eCo Ed, the book "tells the story of the recycling program we embraced," she explained, and gives tips on how to green up the workplace.

"These are all things we do to distinguish ourselves," Carpenter said. "It's an industry based on creativity. We're always looking for a better solution for our clients."