Our 19th anniversary and no divorce in sight!

The business and artistic relationship between company president Warren Perley and Art Director Rodney Hall has outlasted many marriages — 19 years and counting since we incorporated on July 5, 1991. The addition in 1996 of Karen Boor, a graphic designer who oozes creativity and possesses superb organizational skills, cemented the alliance.

So was born The Three Catketeers — the hub of a graphic design and marketing company which prides itself on original graphics, cogent text and attention to detail. We call ourselves Catketeers as opposed to Walt Disney’s Mouseketeers or 19th century novelist Alexandre Dumas’ Musketeers because we love cats and have four patrician felines frolicking on “catwalks” — custom-built shelves — strategically placed throughout our 2,500-square-foot office located in west-end Montreal.

And, like Alexandre Dumas’ The Three Musketeers, we live by the credo "One for All; All for One." What that means for our clients is that we work as a team, bouncing ideas off one another, always in a position to give our best suggestions, keeping in mind our clients’ objectives, deadlines and budgets. Clients pay the hourly rate for one staff member, but are the recipients of the wisdom of three professionals with collective work experience in our field in excess of 70 years.

What sets us apart from other graphics firms is that our designers have double diplomas in graphics and illustration or graphics and fine arts, meaning that we have the capacity to produce original artwork. Our in-house editor, Warren, has more than 30 years of writing experience, including 16 years working full-time at Canada’s largest newspapers and wire services. We collaborate to follow every job through from the first meeting with a client to the day that the finished product is delivered.

Being self-financed entrepreneurs who have grown our clientele and equipment base organically, we understand the needs of small businesses. When we suggest graphic designs or marketing strategies, we do so with a keen awareness of our client’s financial constraints. Everyone has a budget and anyone who says that “money is no object” is being unrealistic.

The phrase, “That’s not my job,” is not in our lexicon. When a client calls to inquire about the status of a job, any one of us is in a position either to give an answer directly or to get back to the client within a short time. “A short time,” for us, means minutes or hours; not days or weeks.

More bang for the buck!

We don ‘t claim that our job quotes will be the cheapest that a potential client can find, but we feel confident that we offer the best value for the price. Before starting a job, we provide our clients with a written proposal which includes all costs, including photos and/or illustrations, prepress and up to two sets of client modifications. There are no hidden fees.

Unlike some agencies, we do not “lowball” the initial proposal and then charge for “extras.” We believe that the client should know before the job starts what the cost is going to be. We abide by our quotes, regardless of whether the job runs into extra hours.

“Integrity” and “honesty” are not empty words to us — they represent cherished values which are a way of life. And to those businessmen who justify ruthless, dishonest behavior with the platitude, “Nothing personal, it’s just business,” we say: If you’re dishonest in your business dealings, chances are that you’re equally untrustworthy in your personal life. To us, business is personal; whether you are a client or a supplier of ours, we pledge to treat you in the respectful manner that we wish to be treated.