Growing Companies

Through a chance meeting, two strangers - one from Cincinnati and one from Dayton - connected for a small print marketing project and soon after Topic Design Group was launched in 2005.  Nine years later the company is a growing creative marketing and design services company aimed at taking a cutting edge approach to engaging people.

The company started in more traditional print media, but Chris Witham, a founding partner and current managing director, quickly realized it needed to take a wider ranging approach to meeting their clients' marketing needs. They soon expanded into web-based, social networking and other services focused on custom, multi-platform branding.

The company employs ten people including programmers and designers. In 2010, they brought on a public relations director. After several years of working remotely along with employees in Dayton and Columbus, an office was opened in Over-The-Rhine where all employees now work.

"We started out with traditional print and design, but as opportunities become more varied we got into animation and web design, expanding into custom application development and now PR. We went from a very focused specific type to diversified types of work," Witham said.

Among Topic Design Group's Clients are Indiana Insurance Company, Garfield Suites and the City of Cincinnati (they created the city's economic development site).

In 2009 and 2010, the company planned MidPoint Music Festival's branding, advertising and web presence, and will tackle the local festival's marketing again this year. One of Topic Design Group's popular ideas during MPMF involved social media. Using the hashtag #MPMF on Twitter, Cincinnati Bell text number and an online form, users could engage and interact across multiple music venues by reading and contributing to the live MPMF.com feed that was projected at many venues.

Topic Design is working toward better promoting the businesses, events and people of Over-The-Rhine, a neighborhood they are dedicated to supporting.

Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Source: Chris Witham Topic Design Group