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Agency Background
How to choose an ad agency
Deborah Spector Barry
Highland Park High School
Smith College
Executive Editor,
six00threefive magazine
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Wordspecs brings education and experience
in writing, design, graphics and consulting
to your organization
Wordspecs, owned and operated by Deborah Spector Barry, has been in business since 1987. We have a simple philosophy that serves our clients well:
- Understand that the primary purpose of advertising is name recognition
- Develop an overall business identity that is distinctive
- Maintain that identity consistently in everything we do for you
- Have an annual plan, and follow through
- Budget for advertising as a fixed expense
Our client list includes retailers, restaurants, services organizations and non-profits in the Chicago area and around the country. Some of our clients use our services throughout the year; others may call us only from time to time. New clients are invited to take advantage of our free one-hour consultation, to explore, at no obligation, how Wordspecs' capabilities fit with their advertising and marketing needs.
We also offer a "brainstorming" consulting service, on an hourly basis, to help clients develop an overall plan. Clients may then execute their plan with their own resources or hire Wordspecs for various elements.
Additional talent is resourced as needed for each project. We work with the most creative and accomplished people for public relations, photography, illustration, videography, and printing, but we are also happy to work with your own vendors. Please review how we work, take a look at our portfolio, and check our references. Then feel free to contact us by E-Mail or phone us if you have further questions.
Whatever we do for you, we want to make the whole process cost-effective, efficient, productive and yes, fun! Let us go to work today! Call 847-550-1275 or email deborah@wordspecs.com.
What's in a name?
 We're often asked where the name "Wordspecs" came from. In the earliest days of this agency, we concentrated on copywriting for other designers and production shops. At that time, type was set the old-fashioned way, line by line, and the type was then cut apart and pasted on layout boards. Alterations were time-consuming and expensive.
We specialized in "writing to specs"; that is, an artist would specify what typefaces and sizes the copy would be, and told us how much space we had to fill (or squeeze into). Our motto was "your words, your way." We're proud to say that we were always "on the money."
Background
Every project is completed under the direct supervision of Deborah Barry. Her talent for images was developed during six years of study at the Junior School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Deborah holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Smith College, with a major in English language and literature and a minor in creative writing.
Deborah has more than 20 years in the publications industry, with a unique background in newsletters and advertising campaigns. For four years, she held the position of Vice President of Marketing and Client Services at Health Education Publications, Inc., the company that innovated the generic newsletter concept for health care providers. After opening her own agency, she served as an outside consultant to that company to convert their publishing company from traditional production to an all-digital operation.
Awards
Deborah earned a Certificate of Achievement from the Printing Industries Institute in Advertising Design and Typographic Layout. And the work of Wordspecs has been recognized on a number of occasions.
In 1999, Wordspecs was a winner in the Golden Web Awards competition for this web site (and we've come a long way since then!) Wordspecs was given an Award of Merit from the Society for Technical Communication for the Harrington Institute of Interior Design Catalog. The company has also received The Communicator Awards of Distinction for the Merchants of Ravinia and the Highland Park Chamber of Commerce newsletters.
Community Service
Deborah is active in both community and business organizations. She is a member of the Highland Park Chamber of Commerce, the Mount Prospect Chamber of Commerce, and the Graphic Artists Guild.
She was a member of the Community Advisory Board of WBEZ-91.5 FM in Chicago for five years. She also served for two years on the Design Review Commission of the City of Highland Park.
In 2000, she became a member of the Internet.com Technology Advisory Panel, a member's only community of Internet technology professionals, participating in on-going research surveys. She served three five-year terms as Vice President of her class at Smith College, and created their first web site. In her spare time, she and her husband maintain and expand a large perennial landscape project, which draws visitors year around.
For more information, call 847-550-1275 or E-Mail deborah@wordspecs.com.
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