Falls Church, VA, advertising and marketing services agency SmithGifford announced two key appointments to the agency’s award-winning creative team:  Melanie Fitts has been named Senior Art Director and Rachel Cook has joined the agency as Associate Creative Director/Copywriter.

“I’m very happy to announce that Melanie and Rachel have come aboard at SmithGifford,” agency founder-CEO Matt Smith said in making the announcement.  “They’re both award-winning talents who bring a fresh perspective coupled with extensive experience in their respective fields to an already strong creative department.  We’re lucky to have them.”

Fitts, left in photo, has worked on ad campaigns for national marketers including Discovery Channel, TLC and the Coca-Cola Co.  Prior to joining SmithGifford she worked as an art director for the RP3 agency in Bethesda, MD, and as a graphic designer at Discovery Communications.  She is a graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design.

Cook, right in photo, is a 12-year veteran of the advertising industry who was most recently Associate Creative Director of Copy at an engagement agency in Austin, TX, where she worked on accounts such as Capital One, Fannie Mae and Amazon.  She earned an M.A. degree in both Account Planning and Copywriting from the University of Texas, and has worked on clients including Olay, TRESemmé, TJMaxx, CenturyLink and SunTrust while at agencies including what is now Mullen-Lowe and Saatchi & Saatchi.

Smith said both appointments are effective immediately.

SmithGifford, a creatively owned, Falls Church, VA-based agency and Capitol Communicator sponsor, came into the world in 2002, started by much-awarded advertising veterans looking to do outstanding work without conglomerate compromise. Specializing in strategic, integrated creative, branding and advertising, SmithGifford excels at developing messaging meant to be experienced, and not just seen. The agency’s culture of good work, good people makes it a destination for a range of national and local clients from healthcare, nonprofit, retail, tech and manufacturing.