If creativity is the key to keeping a relationship fresh and exciting, a marriage between two naturally creative people should be happy indeed. Jose and Pam Barcita are a case in point.

Jose is a veteran of 34 years in graphic design and advertising, both in Hampton Roads and in Richmond, where he attended Virginia Commonwealth University. He has worked as a creative for some of Virginia's largest and most prestigious advertising agencies, including The Martin Agency in Richmond and Chesapeake Advertising in Norfolk. He is also the recipient of the Silver Medal Award from the Advertising Federation of Hampton Roads, which was established to recognize individuals for their creative excellence and outstanding contributions, professionally and socially.
Pam graduated from Maryville College in St. Louis and holds a master's degree from Marywood University in Scranton, Pennsylvania. An award-winning children's book illustrator with over 40 books to her credit, Pam's art has also been featured widely in advertising media. In addition, she has been teaching art at Tidewater Community College since 1988, specializing in advanced watercolor painting and two-dimensional design.

Together, Jose and Pam are the creative forces behind Barcita & Barcita, Inc., a design firm specializing in advertising for print, digital, and broadcast media. Jose serves as the firm's owner and president, while Pam is vice president.

Their union, professionally and matrimonially, began in 1983 when Pam applied at a Hampton Roads advertising agency where Jose was Art Director. Jose was going through a divorce, but when he met Pam, he knew his single days were numbered. "I saw this beautiful little blonde and said to myself, 'Bingo! She's the one for me!" Jose recalls with a laugh. "I wined and dined her, and eventually, we got married."

In time, both left the agency that brought them together. Jose was the first to go, deciding to freelance as an Art Director. Pam then took a job in the Virginian Pilot's advertising department, where she created ads and illustrations for the paper. In 1986, she began teaching art at Tidewater Community College, which, in turn, led her to a new career.

"I saw an article in an artist's magazine about publishing and illustrations," Pam recalls, "so a student and I decided to attend an illustrators' conference in New York City. We met many people there, including publishing reps scouting for illustrators for children's books. I brought my portfolio (this was long before digital) and left it in a room where reps from various publishers could look at work by the artists attending the conference. After it was over, I went to collect my portfolio and discovered that several publishers were interested in my work and had left their business cards. When I got home, I contacted them and was offered a major assignment for a publisher in New York. That led to a ten-book deal about a cat-my favorite animal-which snowballed into illustrating other children's books."

By 1988, Jose left the ad agency he had founded with two partners and decided to found his own advertising studio/ad agency-Barcita & Barcita. As fulfilling as it was to own an agency, in 1994 came the opportunity for a position that was too good to pass up: Director of Creative Services for The Family Channel Cable Network-one of the most popular national cable channels at the time. "I worked for The Family Channel for three and a half years," Jose says. "When the network was sold and moved to the West Coast in 1998, we decided not to go with them but to stay here and restart Barcita & Barcita."

The philosophy of Barcita & Barcita is simple: create the best possible promotion on time and on budget. Believing that the client is the expert on their product or service, Jose serves as an advisor, providing guidance, experience, and expertise on how clients can best achieve their advertising and marketing goals.

"Over the years, I've learned that what a client initially wants isn't always what that client needs," Jose explains. "I listen to clients carefully so that I understand where they're coming from. Then I ask them to listen to me as I show them a new strategy they might not have considered otherwise."
Jose and Pam believe that by keeping their staff small and hiring outside professional talent, they can organize a unique creative team to produce the best possible work while minimizing the client's costs. "We work with writers, illustrators, and photographers to create what is best suited to meet the clients' particular needs and achieve their objectives," Jose says.

"My personal style of illustrating might not be suitable for everyone," Pam points out. "When I do an illustration for one of our clients, it's in the specific manner and style they want."

"One of my loves is creating logos for clients," Jose notes. "A good logo communicates what a company is all about. I usually do a dozen variations of a logo but don't show them all to the client because they may be unable to make up their mind if given too many options. I present the best three, recommend my favorite and take it from there. If working for a committee, I usually find one person to speak for the group. This makes communication easier and helps the creative process move along smoothly."

Jose and Pam take great pride in establishing and maintaining a positive, easy-going working relationship with their clients, accepting and working within the client's design, marketing, and budget guidelines.

When not serving clients, the couple not only enjoys time with their family but also channels their creativity into other venues.

"Recently, I haven't been as involved in illustrating children's books; watercolor painting has become my passion," Pam says. "But I have a huge amount of artwork I created for past children's books, and I've discovered a market for it; people will buy these original pieces for their homes and personal collections. This has led us to a new venture: selling my original illustrations and prints online-through a webpage ( www.creationsjourney.com ) whose logo Jose designed."

Through Barcita & Barcita, clients can access the same creativity that has touched every aspect of Jose and Pam's life together.