ACES Design The Only Maine Graphic Design Agency To Win A National Mar Com Platinum Creative Award

FARMINGDALE, ME (December 29, 2006) – ACES Design announced today that it received a MarCom Platinum Creative Award from the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals. The award is for the Prevent Mental Illness education and outreach campaign print materials created for The Portland Identification & Early Referral (PIER) Program. The award-winning bookmark and other materials are available at www.preventmentalillness.org. There were over 5,000 entries from throughout the United States and several foreign countries in the MarCom Creative Awards 2006 competition. Winners were selected from over 200 categories in seven forms of media and communication efforts - marketing, publications, marketing/promotion, public service/pro bono, creativity and electronic/interactive.

Entries were judged on concept, writing and design of marketing and communication programs and print, visual and audio materials. “We developed and designed educational materials, including a colorful bookmark and resource guide that tackle the difficult subject of psychosis,” says ACES Design‘s Creative Director, Alan Claude. The strategy was to avoid scare tactics and focus on empowerment and prevention. The stigma and fear of mental illness demand that the campaign deliver a positive, hopeful message to the youth, parents or other influencers. Claude asserts that is why the communication materials focus on hope with dignity, which is the hallmark of PIER’s prevention strategies.

MarCom Creative Awards are a way for the industry to recognize talented individual and team efforts in outstanding marketing and communication projects. The MarCom Creative Award is a majestic symbol of artistic strength and finesse. The award signifies the attention to detail and creative achievement of winners. Typically, about 15% of winners receive the Platinum Awards.

The Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals administers and judges the MarCom Creative Awards. They look for companies and individuals whose talent exceeds a high standard of excellence and whose work serves as a benchmark for the industry. The international organization consists of several thousand marketing, communication, advertising, public relations, media production and free-lance professionals. The Association oversees awards and recognition programs, provides judges and sets standards for excellence.

About ACES Design

Founded in 2000, ACES Design is a design and marketing agency dedicated to designing creative, insightful solutions to meet business and marketing challenges. With a small, resourceful team, ACES Design develops and executes design and marketing that drive results, generate interest and inspire and move people to take action. Their clients include Fortune 100 companies to medium size businesses such the Portland Identification and Early Referral (PIER) program of Maine Medical Center and Spring Harbor Hospital, Kingsley Pines Camp, Maine Department of Labor, Cingular Wireless, Atlantic Gas Resources, HP, Weyerhaeuser, MAERSK and Coca Cola.

About PIER

The Portland Identification and Early Referral (PIER) Program is a community-wide clinical research project with a simple goal: Stopping the progression of mental illness before it deteriorates into psychosis and long-term disability. PIER provides confidential assessment and early assistance for young people between the ages of 12 and 35 in the Greater Portland area who are at risk for mental illnesses. The PIER Program provides education and treatment for young people and their families and conducts research about the effects of early identification in off setting the progression of mental illness. The PIER Program is part of the Department of Psychiatry of Maine Medical Center and Spring Harbor Hospital.

About the MarCom Creative Awards and Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals

The Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals administers and judges the MarCom Creative Awards. The international organization consists of several thousand marketing, communication, advertising, public relations, media production and free-lance professionals. The Association oversees awards and recognition programs, provides judges and sets standards for excellence.

The Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals began in 1995 as a means to honor outstanding achievement and service to the communication profession. As part of its mission, the Association fosters and supports the efforts of marketing and communication professionals who contribute their unique talents to public service and charitable organizations. Each year, the efforts of generous marketing and communication professionals are acknowledged through grants and special recognition.