Five Questions with: Dana Hoeck, DCH Design

We know the ins and outs of public relations, content marketing and social media. But when our Creative Services team needs additional arms and legs, or if we’re assigned a major branding project, we call on one of our partners. To help us with our creative needs, we call on DCH Design and its founder, Dana Hoeck.

Dana is no stranger to branding and design. Before starting her own creative business last summer, she worked for a small design firm in Washington D.C. for three years and then joined an advertising agency here in Richmond for 14 years. She has helped us on various projects, from applying ECE’s brand to the web to creating event booth materials for FastForward. On top of that, Dana is helping us with some of our own brand work.

Let’s get to know the woman behind the design.

Who are you, where do you work and what do you do?

My name is Dana Hoeck and I work for DCH Design. I do art direction and graphic design. I work on a wide range of things, anything from logos to print collateral to website design to larger branding projects. I have my hands in a lot of stuff.

What are some misconceptions about your industry and the work that you do?

I think a lot of people are surprised at how much work and strategy go into designing something. They just see a logo, but that logo is the basis of a brand and that brand came out of strategy. There are so many tiers of work that go into designing something that on the surface seems simple.

What has been one of your own personal favorite projects to work on?

One of the first clients I got on my own was Ford Richardson. They had a very simple logo, and they came to me and asked me to set a look for everything else. I got to work on their website, all of their internal collateral, stationery and bio-sheets. I wrote some brand guidelines for them too. It was a great project because it included all facets – there was print and there was web. It was great to be able to use all of the skills I have learned, but finally for my own company.

Where is your favorite place to work – outside of your living room?

I have a few friends who work out of Gather’s Scott’s Addition space, so I like the opportunity to collaborate in person and be in a “real” work environment every now and then. I’m addicted to people-watching, so I get too easily distracted at coffee shops.

What’s your favorite place to eat in RVA?

I was the Richmond Times-Dispatch’s food critic from 2004 to 2014, so I got to try almost every new restaurant in town each week. But there wasn’t a lot of time to hit my favorite spots. Now that eating out is no longer a job, I’ve become a bone fide regular at Continental Westhampton. We know the bartenders, the food is good, and there’s enough variety on the menu to keep anyone interested.

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