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AIGA FELLOW: NAMED BY AIGA CINCINNATI, 2008
Kenneth Botts is the founding partner of Visual Marketing Associates
(VMA), launched in 1985. Born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Botts earned a
BFA degree in graphic design from Carnegie Mellon University in
Pittsburgh. Upon graduation, he moved to Southwestern Ohio when he was
recruited as assistant art director for Cincinnati Magazine,
published by the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce. After approximately two
years, during which he advanced to art director/production manager,
Botts accepted an offer to join the Design Center at Dayton-based Huffy
Corporation. There, he held several positions at the corporation over a
five-year period, including: art director, Huffy Corporation; design
manager, Raleigh Cycle Company of America/Gerico, Inc.; and manager,
corporate design, Huffy Corporation. Botts resigned as manager, advanced
product development, and creative design director at Huffy Bicycle
Division to continue his career at his own design cosultancy, VMA.
Over the years and in each position, Botts has provided environments
that have helped to launch the careers of numerous junior designers
through his support of co-op and internship programs. Since VMA's
inception, Botts has instituted a design-driven branding approach to
addressing client's opportunities, engaging the firm’s multidisciplinary
(graphic design, industrial design and marketing) capabilities. VMA has
supported numerous local, national and international organizations to
assist in product development, product packaging and communicating of
marketing/sales messages through environmental, digital and print
vehicles. A partial list of those clients include Aero Products
International, Audiovox Accessories Corporation, Aullwood Audubon Center
and Farm, Aviation Heritage Foundation, Crown Equipment Company, Gerry
Baby Products Company, InGEAR Corporation, JMB Retail Properties,
MeadWestvaco Corporation, NewPage Corporation, PQ Systems, Inc., Senco
Products, Suncast Corporation and W. C. Bradley, Inc.
Building upon his educational and professional experiences, Botts has
focused on developing collaborative relationships between
interdisciplinary creative entities that has lead to additional
opportunities that complement the expertise of VMA. In 2000, he joined a
partnership that developed the Firefly Building, a mixed-use
rehabilitation project in Dayton, encompassing luxury residential
condominiums and commercial lease space marketed to the creative
industries. Another collaborative venture includes the Litehouse
project, that features green, affordable homes aimed at developing a new
benchmark for the residential building industry. These collaborative
relationships have broadened Botts’ scope to encompass architecture,
digital design, graphic design, industrial design and marketing.
Botts is a past board member of AIGA Cincinnati, in addition to
serving on numerous subcommittees for the local chapter. He also has
taught periodically in the Department of Art (Graphic Design) and
Department of Architecture at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. He
resides in Germantown, Ohio, with his wife, Jo Ann, and two daughters,
Elizabeth and Sarah.
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