Jami Ouellette /
Jami Ouellette has been named to the board of directors for the College Crusade of Rhode Island. Ouellette is president and creative director of Im-aj Communications & Design Inc., founded in 1986. Ouellette and her firm have won numerous national and international awards. Her work has been published in several books and she also speaks on branding and marketing communications strategies at national conferences and universities.
PBN: What kind of participation will you have on the board?
JAMI OUELLETTE: Becoming a part of the board will hopefully allow me to use my expertise in integrated branding and communications strategies to assist them in continuing with their success and growing beyond it.
Crusaders are highly committed to their education and to becoming successful, in spite of insurmountable odds. Businesses in Rhode Island can greatly benefit from this pool of smart, dedicated kids who are connected to their communities, committed to learning and want to stay and work in Rhode Island. At the same time, the Crusade needs funding to continue helping more underserved kids develop and follow a college-career pathway. It’s a win-win.
PBN: Having worked extensively in the field, what do you think makes design and marketing for a company successful?
OUELLETTE: Successful companies do not underestimate the importance of branding and integrated marketing strategies. And graphic design, when done properly, is a form of communicating a brand or a message.
The identity, which is what many think of when they hear the term “brand,” is a visual representation of the brand. The brand is the company’s promise. If a company pretends to be something it is not or makes promises it won’t keep, then it has major branding issues that will almost certainly undermine its goals and, without the right fix, the company itself.
Once a strong, honest brand foundation is established, the marketing communications planning becomes a more natural exercise. Then the tactics can be selected from the universe of mediums based on goals, budget, audiences, etc. After that, design and writing come into play to shape the messaging to be consistent with the brand.
hen done right, it is a highly strategic, integrated process that results in long term success.
PBN: Can you discuss some of the reasons why graphic design is noted as a career path with longevity and staying power?
OUELLETTE: It an enticing field because it is flexible – for the most part, designers can work from almost anywhere as long as they take the time to be informed and stay a part of the team. And there is the technical aspect of it – they need fluency in all the software and various forms of digital media.
Graphic design is a necessary and highly regarded part of marketing. As a field, it is not going anywhere but up. •
