The Charlottesville 29

Among the many heartwarming aspects of The 2019 Charlottesville 29 Restaurant Auctions is how the extraordinary generosity of restaurants inspires the generosity of so many others. Vineyards, breweries, and other vendors around town see the benevolence of restaurants in donating amazing experiences for the benefit of our area’s hungry, and follow their example. Take T&N Printing. Without hesitation, T&N printed all of the posters for the auctions that are displayed at participating restaurants and other locations, just as they did for the prior auctions in 2016. (Want to display one at your business? Just ask!) Likewise, Monticello Media is running a free radio advertisement throughout the auctions, to help spread the word.

And then there is Watermark Design, the award-winning design studio founded by Darcey Lacy. With expertise in branding, logos, and package design, Watermark boasts such clients as Champion Brewing Company, The Clifton, and Castle Hill Cider, among many more. The company has become so popular that the demands of its paying clientele are more than enough to fill each work week. And yet, Lacy and her team still made time to do all of the design work for The 2019 Charlottesville 29 Restaurants Auctions, just as they did for the prior auctions. They designed the posters, coasters, and  logo for the auctions, all for no charge. As if those in-kind donations were not enough, Watermark Design went even further. For the coasters, they identified the best vendor to produce them, ordered the coasters, and paid the vendor for production — an expense of many hundreds of dollars, all in support of the auctions.

Thank you, Watermark Design. And thank you to all of the other vendors who have helped our area’s hungry by contributing to The 2019 Charlottesville 29 Restaurant Auctions. Those donations will help to create untold numbers of meals for our area’s hungry.

To help their cause, bid here.

It’s time to start recognizing some of the local vendors helping The Charlottesville 29 Restaurant Auctions to benefit The Blue Ridge Area Food Bank. Among the most generous of all has been the local branding and graphic design firm, Watermark Design.  Although I had no prior connection with the company, I contacted them because I had been so impressed with their work for clients like Veritas, Rosemont, and Champion Brewing Company. In response to my email sent out of the blue (today’s equivalent of a cold call), founder Darcey Ohlin Lacy not only enthusiastically agreed to design posters free of charge, but did much, much more. First, she suggested that Watermark also design a web logo and coasters, free of charge as well. Next, she helped find another local vendor to print the posters pro bono. And, if that was not enough, when we were unable to find a pro bono vendor to print the striking coasters that Watermark designed, the company offered to chip in money to help pay for those as well.

Thank you, Watermark Design, for your generosity, enthusiasm, and excellent work in support of the auctions. Please consider them for your own design and branding needs. Below are images of the coasters and posters you may see around town, which help bring attention to the spectacular showing of generosity by the Charlottesville restaurant community.