Unison Agency

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Unison Agency is a global brand communications agency headquartered in Washington, D.C.

History

Unison was founded in 2003 by President Robert Fardi and Creative Director R. Julius Talvik. The agency’s focus is cross-cultural international branding and communications, with a specialization in the Middle East. Unison is most noted for its 2004 “Bahrain: Gateway to the Gulf” ([1]) campaign in support of the ultimately successful United States-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement (USBFTA). Major international clients include The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, US Green Building Council (USGBC), Qatar Foundation – United States, United Nations Foundation, The German Marshall Fund, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Bahrain), Contrack International (Orascom) North America), Environment Agency (Abu Dhabi), UN General Assembly, US-UAE Business Council, The New Republic, DuPont Fabros Technology, US-Jordan Business Alliance, Diligence, and many others.

Talvik and Fardi met while working at another Washington interactive agency. Fardi had worked previously for Accenture; Talvik with Internet integrator Scient/iXL among others.

From the beginning, Unison worked under the tagline “Good clean design.” which captured the company’s early reputation as a design firm with minimalist sensibilities. Later, as the company grew, that tagline gave way to “Experience. Design.” (Experience design) to emphasize the broader palette of services the company now offers, particularly interactive design and ecommerce.[1]

Brand Strategy

Unison has developed a thriving brand strategy and identity practice built around its minimalist aesthetic and visual acuity. Prominent examples include the bold simplicity of the “Bahrain: Gateway to the Gulf” campaign, the healing embrace of the Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, a renewed brand identity for DuPont Fabros Technologies prior to that company’s initial public offering, and the teamwork-inspired, oars-in-the-water identity for Bank of Georgetown.[2]

In 2008, Sweetgreen, a health conscious and environmentally friendly restaurant who's brand identity was designed by Unison, won the A.R.E. (Association for Retail Environments) Design Awards. [3]

Interactive

Unison has established a reputation as a leading interactive agency crafting promotional websites and ecommerce platforms for clients as broad and as varied as confectioner Edward Marc Chocolatier ([2]), top sock maker GoldToeMoretz making Gold Toe Brands ([3]), and non-profit foundation Friends of the Global Fight against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria ([4]). The agency’s austere-yet-powerful aesthetic and commitment to truly functional interactivity are ubiquitous throughout.

Unison has created and markets its own Content Management System known as Fuseon that allows clients the ability to easily manage their own content once the sites have gone live.

Event Management and Public Relations

Unison is noted for a multi-cultural, highly experience international events management and public relations team. Events produced by Unison include a nationwide roadshow in promotion of the US-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement, multi-lingual media relations at the Middle East International Film Festival Abu Dhabi (MEIFF), LNG Producer Consumer Summit, GoodWorks International, the Sullivan Foundation Tanzania Summit, and the cross-cultural ideas exchange at the Doha Debates.

Film and Television

Unison’s public relations specialist, Patrice Samara, is an Emmy Award-winning producer who works out of the offices of the Tribeca Film Center in Manhattan.[4] Andrew Myers studied film at New York University.[5] Unison gained notoriety for a career retrospective short-form documentary on the life of Gerald Cassidy, of Cassidy & Associates, the man credited with reshaping the concept of private lobbying in Washington, DC.

Music

Unison has established itself beyond the realm of design and brand, especially in music. Unison gained recognition for its work creating the website[6] for Grammy-Award-winning duo Deep Dish. Creative Director Julius Talvik is a well-respected DJ in the Washington music scene,[7] Account Executive Hamod Eid studied music at Juilliard,[8] and audio branding specialist Shahin Shahida is a top-selling world music artist.[9]

Charity

Since its inception Unison has been active with charities that focus on youth and technology. Unison delivers low-cost and pro bono services to a number of organizations including The Many Hats Institute ([5]), Tomorrow’s Youth Organization ([6]), as well as specialized grants for international videoconferencing between Algerian and U.S. students.[10]

Offices

Unison has offices in the Georgetown section of Washington, DC and at the Tribeca Film Center headquarters in Manhattan.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.unisonagency.com
  2. ↑ http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=27170125
  3. ↑ http://www.retailfix.org/awards_cat_dyn.cfm?cat=Restaurant&year=2008
  4. ↑ http://www.pdpllc.com/team.html
  5. ↑ http://www.spoke.com/info/p2LCXBi/AndrewMyers
  6. ↑ http://deepdish.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=section.home&id=9&sectionName=FAQs
  7. ↑ http://www.umblu.com/?p=64
  8. ↑ http://www.juilliard.edu/update/journal/475journal_story_0205.asp
  9. ↑ http://www.last.fm/music/Shahin%2B%2526%2BSepehr
  10. ↑ http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2005/April/20050426180323cpataruk0.2796747.html

External links

Wikipedia also has an article on Unison Agency. This article may use content from the Wikipedia article under the terms of the GFDL.

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