Principals

Jill Howry

Principal and Creative Director

Jill opened the doors of Howry Design Associates in 1988. After graduating with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Communications from California State University, Chico, Jill’s career began in production for Atari in Sunnyvale, CA, producing graphics for some of the first computer games such as Pole Position and Donkey Kong. In 1984, she moved to NYC to work for leading agencies designing brand and corporate communications for Fortune 500 Companies.

Jill’s career spans many communication art forms including brand identity, annual reports, integrated marketing programs, environmental graphics and packaging. Her work has been widely published and she has received awards from the American Institute of Graphic Arts, American Corporate Identity, Black Book’s AR 100, Print, Communication Arts Magazine, Creativity and Graphis. Jill has served as a judge for multiple national and international design competitions including Communications Arts, the American Institute of Graphic Arts, Graphis and the Mead Annual Report Show. She has held lectures at universities and national AIGA events.

Howry Highlights

Generate ideas efficiently

McKesson’s VP of Corporate Communications told us on December 19 that the company needed a new logo/corporate identity and was planning on putting this out to bid. However, if we could present ideas to him by December 28, he would show these to his team. He presented our solutions to the Board of Directors on January 5 and received a standing ovation from the Board. (more…)

Strategic approach and brand messaging

In the midst of presentations by other firms, our pitch presentation to Gilead Sciences in August 2007 was so well prepared and enlightening that we were awarded the job the following morning. Susan Hubbard, the Vice President of Investor Relations said that our design presentation was the best she had seen. (more…)

Solutions that make an impact

An international genetics conference in New York City needed a theme for a genetic conference which would help ordinary people better understand the scope and relevance of the genetic revolution. They asked if they could use the work we had done with Affymetrix, as it captured their message in a unique and compelling way that was easy to understand. (more…)

Exceptional project management

When Affymetrix relocated their headquarters to a new building in Sunnyvale, we designed and managed the construction of a new lobby museum, including the design a 3,500 piece stained glass window representing the company’s Gene Chip Array. Working within firm budget constraints, we found a way to cost-effectively produce this window using hand-cut Italian glass and worked closely with Affymetrix management team, facilities crew and stained glass fabricator from conception through to delivery. (more…)

Proven ability to meet budgets

We excel at working within strict budgets. Amgen needed to increase their publication quantity by more than 100K and expected that we would have to reduce page count to make it work within their original budget. But we worked to help Amgen maintain the necessary page count, while still staying within their original budget agreement. (more…)

Philosophy

Our work has been recognized in some of the world’s most respected design competitions – and not only for our consistent ability to produce creative visuals. These competitions recognize our work as a whole, from concept development to how well we articulated a message to a specific audience and whether the result exceed expectations. The metric is how well we solved a communication problem.

Ability to work remotely and independently

We produced an effective mini-site portal for the Geron website while working with management in the UK that we never got to meet in person.

Proven experience and long-term relationships

Our key strength over the past 23 years is generating strategic solutions and innovative ideas for clients, which lead to long relationships. This says a lot about our trust, our integrity and the importance we place on building relationships. We also know that we need to be flexible and change when our clients change. One example of this is our 18 year partnership with First Republic Bank. Over the years we have grown and changed with them, creating innovations communications solutions that strive to exceed expectations and beyond. When we see a need within the Bank, we often initiate and present a new idea that helps to solve that need. Our proactive approach generates action. (more…)