This summer I said farewell to my friends at Hile Design and hopped on a plane to spend a 5-week stint in England, where I studied literature at Oxford University and learned the correct way to drink tea and play croquet. I did fairly well academically, but how does an A in English translate to quality work in the office?

I’d like to think that the expenses of this trip paid for more than college credit and that what I learned while across the pond may be applied to the work I’m doing here at Hile.

So, besides finally being able to define a “crumpet,” what have I learned? My literature courses revolved around legendary writers such as Jane Austen, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and Lewis Carroll. But, at Hile I’m not writing about ill-fated courtships or magical rings. Now that I’m out of the classroom and back in the office I feel like I’ve taken a tumble through a rabbit hole to land on my head in the world of advertising.

However, my job here can really be boiled down to one thing: words. Constructing, organizing, manipulating, sometimes even creating words is really what my job as an assistant copywriter comes down to. And what were Tolkien and Austen really doing but stringing together words to fashion a plot and characters? Read the rest of this entry »

Hile Design has been chosen to develop a new website for Ann Arbor-based software firm Llamasoft.

Llamasoft is a leading supply chain software firm and an active investor in technology development. Just in the past year, Llamasoft has doubled its workforce and expanded its client base to a global scale, taking on clients such as Ford, General Electric, Target and Intell. Llamasoft’s software enables clients to manage supply chain costs as a whole instead of in individual pieces.

Hile Design has been selected to design a new website for Ann Arbor, MI based Aastrom Biosciences.

Aastrom Biosciences, Inc. is the leading developer of patient-specific, expanded multicellular therapies for the treatment of severe, chronic cardiovascular diseases.

The company’s proprietary cell-processing technology enables the manufacture of ixmyelocel-T, a patient-specific multicellular therapy extracted from a patient’s own bone marrow and delivered directly to damaged tissues. Aastrom has advanced ixmyelocel-T into late-stage clinical development, including a planned Phase 3 clinical program to study patients with critical limb ischemia.

I’ve been interning at Hile Design for about four months now and I’d like to think I’ve lasted due to my writing skills and charming personality. However, as daughter of Julie Tibus (Creative Director at Hile) I can’t help but wonder if my being able to say “hi mom” when I walk through the door has anything to do with my current position.

I assist Monica Getz in researching, editing and, in those occasional, blissful moments, writing copy. I move in a nomadic fashion around the office as I hop from desk to desk depending on who happens to be absent the day I’m working. I’m usually stationed at Mary Cooper’s desk, but currently I’m sitting at a table in my mom’s office. Note to Dave: these chairs look very modern and stylish but they do nothing for the posture.

Now, I’m certainly not pampered at Hile because of my last name. Most of these people have known me since I was in middle school and have, through phone calls to my mother and the annual holiday parties, witnessed my maturation. Apparently they liked how I turned out since I am now employed, but just how much of an influence did mommy dearest have in this decision?

If I weren’t her kid, Julie Tibus would surely intimidate me. She knows what she’s doing, how to get it done and has the confidence to help lead this company wherever it needs to go.  Lucky for me, when she’s giving me an assignment in what I like to refer to as her “business mode,” I can think back to all the days I’ve seen her in a raggedy t-shirt vacuuming the living room and belting out a Michael Jackson song.

I wouldn’t recommend it for everyone, but working for my mother isn’t half bad.  And, if anyone says I’m only here because I’m a Tibus I will stamp my feet and call for mommy. She will fly over in her blazer and heels, lift that ferocious one eyebrow, and the perpetrator will be put in his place.  Or, I suppose I could just keep proving myself worthy of my position and see where that gets me.

Hile Design has been hired to design a new website for Ann Arbor’s recently launched Vis-à-Vis Skin Spa & Bodywork.

Vis-à-Vis (meaning face to face in French) is an intimate boutique spa located within walking distance of downtown Ann Arbor, offering a full range of massages, facials, body treatments and products for purchase.

Hile Design has been hired by Metro Detroit–based Kubica Corporation to develop a redesigned website representing a complete branding refresh.

Kubica, formerly known as Prime Technologies, was established in 1995 and serves customers throughout the United States and Canada. The engineering company provides software, hardware and control panel solutions to help a diverse customer base manage their manufacturing processes.

For the past 30 years Robert Pizzo has been one of the country’s leading, nationally recognized illustrator/designers. His client list would make any creative the envy of their peers and he has garnered awards for his illustration in nearly all the major creative competitions, including Print’s Regional Design Annual, Graphis, Society Of Publication Designers, Society Of Newspaper Designers, Creativy Awards, Annual Report 100, Desi Awards, Ozzie Awards and more.

But as anyone who knows the illustration industry will tell you, just being talented is not enough to make it for the long haul. The talented illustrator must equally be the talented businessman. You need to constantly stay before your existing buyers while you reach out to generate new leads.

One of Robert’s best promotional methods has been email marketing, so we are happy to share some of his thoughts on how to use the medium properly.

Robert: Are you looking for cheap “enhancement” meds in your inbox? Maybe a phony degree from a prestigious college? How about a can’t-miss scheme to collect millions from the government of Nigeria? I didn’t think so. Read the rest of this entry »

Marilyn and Mike Sullivan are special people. Not only because they are decent, honest and caring by nature, but also because they have lived through what many of us who are parents can barely comprehend. The Sullivans, along with their daughter Katie, endured the pain and loss of the unexpected death of their teenage daughter and sister, Erin.

Like many brave people who have suffered, Marilyn wanted to channel her anguish into something positive and meaningful. Just released is her book, A Patch of Comfort, A Guide for Helping Someone In Grief, which takes a different approach to dealing with loss than most books. Filled with honesty and even humor, Marilyn’s book grew out of her compassion for her friends as they tried to support and comfort her and Mike while they mourned. Some of her chapters include “Let’s Talk about How Grief Heals and Where You Fit In” and “Let’s Talk about What You May Encounter Trying to Help Someone in Grief.”

I was honored when Marilyn asked me to provide illustrations for the book. I chose a very simple style and have supplied a few samples here for your viewing. The book will soon be available from major retailers like amazon.com.