Redefine Remarkable

Rethink the agency experience.

Our team is one of the most versatile you’ll find in a small agency.

(And now we get to be yours!)

Tackling topics from matrimonial law to hair care products, our talented crew brings decades of experience in corporate marketing departments from some of our region’s top companies.  We run a lean core team and have built relationships with amazing writing, design and videography pros across various industries to partner with top talent for specific projects, while keeping costs low for clients.

We’re honest and hard-working, yet playful. Detail-oriented, yet creative. Fun and funky, yet obsessed with getting it right.

Meet Our Core Team

Susan Paff

PRESIDENT & LEAD STRATEGIST

“A lot of businesses forget there is a culture behind their brand and those values are their foundation in marketing. Ideality exists to celebrate that discovery and convey your unique story to the world.”

With her roots in writing and a passion for tackling exciting customer challenges, Susan founded Ideality Communications in 2009 to help small businesses achieve large-scale marketing goals.

She began her career in Pittsburgh-area public relations and marketing before migrating into journalism at the Pittsburgh Business Times. After working her way across research, reporting and editing positions, she got the PR itch again and wanted to focus on telling the unique stories of nonprofits and smaller businesses without the luxury of internal marketing departments.

Channeling her insight into the inner workings of the media world and her drive to find the right individualized solution for each client, this lady boss grew her agency from a simple writing services company into a dynamic marketing and branding firm. Whether creating a “moo-tiful” logo for a local dairy or rebranding an established, successful legal practice with a fresh, modern style, Susan embraces every business challenge as if it were her own. This marketing ninja will cut straight to the essence of your brand and punch out impactful communications strategies to help you connect with your target audience.
Susan knows every client project inside and out, with a firm grasp on the gritty details and her eyes focused on overall brand strategy. In addition to creative leadership, she manages all aspects of quality control and assurance including project timelines and budget. She’s always the final editor, the last line of defense, with a back pocket full of red pens. Nothing makes her happier than a squeaky-clean finish.

With two young children, active participation on several nonprofit advisory boards and an oversized, over-eager chocolate lab, this entrepreneur has well learned the need for balance. Susan’s passion for cooking is an exploratory journey. She and her husband often say they’ve prepped (spoiled?) their children for a future devoid of mediocre food experiences. Sorry (not sorry), future spouses — the bar is high.

Daria Kovacs

CREATIVE MANAGER

“One of the designers I admire most says great design is born of simplicity and clarity. I take that to heart, designing to tell your story through clean, strong imagery.”

Her title may say “creative manager,” but that’s only because we had to try to encompass all that Daria does in one tiny title. In reality, it would take a multitude of monikers to describe our fabulous, immensely talented graphic designer. She’s a rare breed, what those in her field call a “disciplined creative.”

What does that mean? She harnesses the chaos from our brainstorming sessions and manipulates it in a goal-oriented way. She unleashes creativity in pursuit of eye-catching motifs while staying uber-focused on reinforcing the brand. She designs both to meet immediate needs and protect the brand long term.

With experience working for a book publishing company, at Giant Eagle and as a freelancer, Daria’s versatile work has garnered multiple accolades. Over more than 15 years, Daria discovered her niche; she likes simple, clean, clear, yet visually appealing designs. Her enthusiasm for photographic arts and experience directing off-site photoshoots showcase Daria’s skill in balancing quality presentation with efficiency and effective brand messaging in photography and video.

At Ideality, her passions fit perfectly into our project roster. We greatly appreciate Daria’s attention to detail and her quick turnaround on projects, all while creating compelling designs reflective of our clients’ needs. She’s great at deciphering what a client is envisioning even when a client doesn’t know yet. That sweet spot is especially important as part of an agency serving a multitude of clients across various industries. Daria just gets it — plain and simple.

Think Daria’s creativity is only linked to the computer screen? Not so! Like most creative souls, her artistry is interwoven into everyday life. She dabbles in photography (her two kids and beloved Rottweiler make great subjects), sewing and DIY house projects. And, she loves to cook and bake from scratch too. So, she definitely eats up projects revolving around food concepts (but hey, who doesn’t, right?)

Jennifer Davis

MEDIA & MARKETING MANAGER

“I’m a label reader – interested in how companies describe their products and services. Making yours stand out through well-written copy is what I’m all about.”

Writing and editing are always at the heart of what Jen does. Five years as a print reporter after college taught her to present information in a correct, concise and captivating way. And, there’s no better place to learn the importance of meeting deadline than a busy newsroom.

Jen spent the early 2000s at Allegheny Health Network, first crafting marketing plans and writing for the web, consumer education pieces, annual reports and print, radio, television and direct mail campaigns before shifting her focus to boosting the network’s media relations efforts. As senior media relations specialist, Jen built relationships with journalists, editors and producers to secure positive news coverage for the health network’s seven hospitals.

In 2016, Jen and her family made a bold move across the pond to London, England. Somehow, moving nearly 4,000 miles from Pittsburgh landed her a virtual gig at a southwestern PA-based company! Jen crafted copy, proofed layouts and managed projects for Ideality, while drinking in Britain’s tea and culture with her husband and two kids. But crumpets could never trump pierogies for the long haul. After making her 2019 Brexit, Jen remained part of our team and loves the opportunities Ideality gives to flex her creative content muscles and fierce brainstorming skills.

Trying to figure out how to sell a line of red hair dyes in a world where blondes usually have all the fun? Need to help reporters explain the intricacies of a new tax law change? Leave it to Jen to find a less “taxing” way — See what we did there?

Emily Fox

MARKETING INTERN

“For me, writing is about connecting with my audience by communicating in the way that will resonate with them the most. Words are truly powerful, but only if you use them wisely and intentionally, considering the purpose behind every syllable.”

Ideality’s newest intern, Emily, has known she wanted to be a writer as long as she can remember. Yet, her love for the printed word has evolved into a more sophisticated style as she’s learned more about the different techniques (and persuasive purposes) of writing. Emily wrote fictional stories for her own enjoyment as a child, and in high school she discovered an enthusiasm for informational writing. She even reached out to Ideality for a job shadow experience in high school too. (So, of course, we were thrilled to have her back as an intern!)

Emily is a sophomore at Grove City College studying English and minoring in writing. She worked as a copy editor for the college newspaper, the Collegian, her freshman year of college and was recently promoted to the executive staff as the new editor of the community section of the paper. Working for the Collegian helped her to develop her writing and editing skills, and one of her favorite tasks at Ideality is to meticulously perform final edits on materials developed for clients. Emily is currently considering adding a second minor in digital marketing, and her hope is this internship will help her determine if she’d like to pursue writing for advertising as a career.

Outside of writing, Emily enjoys volunteering in a worship band at a local church, reading, playing tennis with her sister and hiking. She has also discovered a love for learning through travel, journeying to Italy for a travel course offered by Grove City this past January, and, most recently, exploring her English roots visiting family in the UK.

Emily is extremely appreciative of the opportunity to work for Ideality this summer and to learn, not just about writing, but about management and leadership as well as the technical aspects of operating an agency and a woman-owned business. 

We are always thinking with high-impact, brand-building vision.

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