With over 15 years of experience in both web and print design, owners Eric and Soyung Key decided to leave the corporate world in 2007 to pursue their long-time dream of owning their own design firm.
It started out as a side project, Marin Design Company in 2002 in Marin County, California, then was renamed PDX Design Company upon a move to Portland, Oregon. In May, 2008, to be closer to family, they packed up once again and relocated to Cary, North Carolina. It was here that the business was renamed to IMGForge, LLC. The IMG being the abbreviation of image in coding and also as an acronym for International Media & Graphics.
About Eric
Eric's career began after college in 1988 when he was hired as a pyrotechnician for the then new Disney/MGM Studios. He eventually worked as an audio technician, crew chief and designer on many Disney themed shows and publications. He also had the privilege of working first hand with George Lucas, Jim Henson and Frank Oz among other entertainment luminaries.
After a back injury cut short the Disney stint, Eric returned to school to focus on computer generated graphic design and video production. In 1995 he began working for an ISP as both web designer and webmaster.
In 1998 Eric moved to San Francisco where he became the Web Manager for the Mindscape Games division. (now Ubisoft) When Mindscape underwent a buyout from Mattel, along with several other small software companies, Eric became Web Manager and Designer for world famous brands such as Cyan (Myst, Riven), PFMagic (Petz, Dogz, Catz), Mattel Interactive, Red Orb (Prince of Persia) and SSI (Warhammer - Chaos Gate, Panzer General and John Saul's Blackstone Chronicles among many others).
It was at Mindscape that Eric met Soyung and they married in 2000.
About Soyung
Soyung grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana before relocating to the west coast to attend the University of San Francisco majoring in Communications. After college she began her career at Mindscape as an Associate Producer on the American Greeting Software Product Line (Crafts! Crafts Deluxe, Print! and Spritual Expressions). As her love of web design grew, she then went on to become the assistant webmaster for GRS Network. During a time when Internet companies were struggling to survive, Soyung left her Web position and pursued a new career in the health industry. She became the only non-clinical Risk Management, Patient Relations, Compliance, Translations Services Specialist II at a 250-bed hospital in Marin County, California. She spent much of her time advocating for patient's rights as well as being an active member of Patient Safety and Medication Safety Committees. She also assisted in writing many of the polices including the HIPAA policy which is still in effect today and forming the Translation Services Program.
It was after the birth of their first son that Soyung decided to focus full-time on Marin Design Company which eventually evolved into IMGForge.
What makes IMGForge different from other design firms?
We are focused on our client and our client's needs. It's one thing for a client to know all there is to know about their project -- it's another when the client only knows they need a website. Static? Dynamic? PHP? ASP? HTML? This is where we stand apart from the competitors because we take the time to talk to our clients - off the clock - to determine just exactly what they need.
We listen to your situation, ask you a few questions and then assess your needs. We don't sell you anything you don't need and we make sure you feel completely comfortable with our proposal which is why so many clients choose us for complete websites or re-designs, then stay with us for new projects. We believe in empowering our clients to maintain their sites themselves so they don't have to worry about paying every time they need a simple change. Of course, we are here if your change requires something a little more involved. Just be assured we have no hidden charges ever and we're not here to nickel and dime you.
We believe in the long-term relationships of our clients.
