Local full service marketing and design agency, Ashgrove Marketing has been awarded six design awards in the 2014 Calendar Marketing Association's National and World Calendar Awards for its work on designing and producing calendars for various US clients. In the categories of Best Graphic Design, Most Informative, Best Classical Art and Best Subject, Ashgrove’s Art Director, Leigh Windell received 4 Gold Awards, 1 Silver and 1 Bronze Award for pocket, desktop and wall calendar design.
The National and World Calendar Awards recognise the highest quality calendar design and production in the world. Entries are submitted and judged by a panel of calendar industry experts based on a set of criteria for overall excellence in each of the categories. Entries come from production and design agencies worldwide.
Ashgrove Marketing works very closely with clients in the US and its operation in North America, based in Novi, Michigan, just north of Detroit is a relatively large player in the promotional products industry producing just over ten million calendars per year. Ashgrove’s US client portfolio includes Dupont, Remington Arms, Napa Auto Parts, Chevron Texaco, Gulf Oil, to name a few.
Ashgrove Marketing’s Managing Director, Terry Van Rhyn commented: ‘Ashgrove has been supplying marketing and creative services to US clients for the past seven years. Leigh is one of the very best art directors I've had the pleasure to work with in my thirty year career in advertising. About three years ago I asked Leigh to try her hand at calendar designs we produce for our clients as well as for our own stock calendar line. Leigh has a very unique and elegant design style and her attention to detail is staggering, especially when she starts to finesse designs to create perfection.
‘In the US, calendars are seen as a valuable marketing communication tool for companies with large agent, dealer or distribution networks. Leigh had to embrace numerous complex and detailed brand style guides as part of working with these Fortune 1000 type companies. In these cases the challenge remains to push the design envelope within the confines of these very stringent guidelines. Leigh has made my job in presenting the designs to these companies very easy and her designs never fail to impress. Leigh brings a fresh perspective to calendar designs and is willing to challenge the status quo in what can be perceived as a very old fashioned industry.
‘I am proud of the fact that Ashgrove has been recognised for its work on an international stage and these awards have given us the momentum to continue to "export" our services around the world.’
Leigh also commented: ‘It was a pleasure to be given recognition for the hard work I put into these projects. Designing a calendar isn’t just about pictures. It takes an element of precision and attention to detail in order to get the layout right without compromising on design. It was a challenge to turn my calendar design ideas into reality but I am very pleased with the outcome and look forward to many more successful years to come.’
Photo - Leigh Windell pictured with her awards.
