Design group puts premium on creativity

Working at website, digital marketing business is a ‘lifestyle more than a job.’

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By Tristan Navera, Staff Writer Updated 12:02 PM Friday, January 27, 2012

Libby Shillito’s official job title at Real Art Design Group is “Chief Awesomeness Officer.”

“I’m here to make sure everyone’s experience here is awesome,” Shillito said.

The design group, which creates corporate digital marketing and interactive websites, has a colorful work life and atmosphere where employees say new ideas are most welcome.

“We’re a unique workplace in the sense of our culture,” Shillito said. “We’re trying to constantly push ourselves. It’s a team environment.”

On Friday afternoons, Real Art’s employees sometimes have potlucks — but other times, they prefer shopping cart jousts, tie-dyeing, or roller disco.

But the company is anything but quirky — it’s made websites for companies like 7-Eleven, General Motors, DP&L and the U.S. Air Force.

Founded in 1985, the group originally focused on print advertising before going digital in the Internet age. In 2003, Real Art expanded its business by adding an office in downtown Chicago. Still, the group’s website proudly claims Dayton as its headquarters.

The nature of a design group like Real Art means new ideas are essential, especially with ever-changing technology and a unique audience for each client.

“Creativity tumbles down from the top,” said Betsy McFadden, a project manager and formerly the “Czar of Fun,” a 25-year veteran of the firm. “It’s a lifestyle more than a job, so everybody brings something different to the table.”

McFadden noted President Chris Wire’s leadership constantly strives to reinvent Real Art’s product, and the tight-knit team of designers at Real Art allows for ideas to bounce around and improve in the workplace. The designers are successful because Wire constantly challenges them to approach things from a different angle, she said.

“Our philosophy is that we work really hard, and we have to make sure we have fun doing it,” Shillito said.

The company relies on young energy as much as it does on a close group and strong leadership.

Newcomers to the field often bring new ideas, and a firm must ensure they feel welcome expressing themselves.

“We bring in a lot of people with our internship program,” McFadden said. “We have students coming through the building all of the time. We’re really good at getting them young and training them well.”

Still, the veterans make up the backbone of the business, and McFadden said she plans to stay with Real Art, which she fondly calls, “a pretty awesome place.”

“It’s unusual for someone to stay in a job for so long,” McFadden said.