About DTG

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A comprehensive Aesthetic Management Strategy incorporates Corporate Strategy, Marketing Strategy and Product Strategy to express the Company Mission, its strategic objectives and corporate culture.

About Down to Ground

Based in historic Salem, Mass., Down to Ground is a Visual Brand Consultancy founded by Doren Berge, an innovative creative manager with more than 15 years experience developing integrated design strategies for print publishing, consumer packaging, and Internet media. Since 2003, Down to Ground has created visual design solutions and interactive strategies for emerging businesses, eCommerce operations, high-traffic Internet sites, international clients, and nonprofit organizations.

Our goal is to help you create a consistent visual brand identity that connects with your audience, sparks a conversation, cultivates relationships, and delivers on your promise.

Our Approach to Your Projects

We understand how business works. We've been there. Executives come up with the Big Ideas that keep the company engine running, all the while minding the bottom line. Product Development is under pressure to execute those ideas. Marketing and Sales have their own ambitious goals. And Engineering and Web Development are told to Make It Happen. Sometimes it all works in concert. Other times, it's cacophony.

When companies grow, departments can begin to operate like silos­ vertically independent of one another. This can create gaps in brand expression. Down to Ground bridges those gaps so that your visual brand identity becomes consistent across your company and in the media you use to communicate your message to the world. We manage the creative process from helping you define your visual identity to hiring and managing the creative talent to get the work done on time and within budget.

Down to Ground:

• Manages your project and oversees the creative process, from idea generation to product launch
• Hires and manages the creative talent needed to get the job done
• Pays personal attention to your business needs and goals (we help create the "big picture" and sweat the details)
• Takes a holistic approach for consistent branding across all media
• Educates your team about the value of a unified brand voice and user experience
• Treats all of your communications as an integral extension of your brand
• Bridges the gaps between creative, technical, and other company functions (works with internal and external resources)
• Digs in and gets the work done on time, on brand, and within budget

About Doren Berge, Principal, Down to Ground

A sought-after creative strategist and team builder, Mr. Berge has managed or contributed to the creative product strategies of many leading Internet brands including American Greetings, Blue Mountain Arts, CMP's TechWeb, FoxSports.com, Gamesville.com, Hot Bot, Lycos Inc., Matchmaker.com, and Terra Networks.

Creative Management:

Prior to launching Down to Ground in the summer of 2003, Mr. Berge served as the Chief Director of Global Product Design, User Experience and Web Development for Terra Lycos Networks where he managed a team of 89 designers, researchers and web developers in 14 countries throughout the US, Spain and Latin America. While at Terra Lycos Doren was responsible for the integration of design standards, design process and the development of a centralized global design organization.

Prior to TerraLycos Mr. Berge served as Creative Director of Lycos Inc., responsible for all on-line and off-line design management including web production, product design, corporate identity and visual communications. Early in his Lycos tenure Mr. Berge conceived and implemented "Go Get It" as a trade marketing device and corporate dress element. This icon served as the cornerstone for 3 major media campaigns and today remains an internationally recognized brand icon.

Brand Experience | Research

While at Lycos Mr. Berge created, staffed and managed the Lycos User Experience Group and usability lab where he and his team conducted extensive, competitive research focused on product functionality, user behavior and brand perception. Research experiments included field studies, eye-tracking and routine user testing to optimize user experience and product performance. Mr. Berge Institutionalized usability research practices for all Lycos' product initiatives.

Before Joining Lycos Mr. Berge served as the Design Director of CMP Publishing's Interactive Media Group where he led the design development of TechWeb. Launched in the Fall of 1994, TechWeb was the first International, multi-brand network featuring searchable content from all 16 of CMP's consumer and trade publications.

Print: Packaging and Editorial Design

With a formal background in print publishing and Editorial Design, Mr. Berge also served as designer for a variety of CMP's print publications including, Communications Week, Information Week, Network Computing, EE Times, Macintosh News and Interactive Age magazine. As a freelance designer based in New York City, Mr. Berge's clients also included Random House, Snapple Natural Beverages and the Edison Toy Company.

Academics

Doren Berge is an honors graduate of the School of Visual Arts in NYC. He has served as adjunct Professor at Endicott College's School of Visual Communications, teaching a variety of courses in Typography and Web Design. He lives in Salem MA. with his wife, 2 cats and an extensive guitar collection. "So many Guitars. So little time."