NewswireTODAY - /newswire/ - New York, NY, United States, 2014/06/04 - Hearst Design Group magazines have collaborated to establish a one-stop database of the top designers in the industry, providing its readers access to the nation’s preeminent designers - Hearst.com.

For many aspiring home-decorators across the country, Hearst’s shelter magazines are reliable sources for not only inspiration, but also for discovering superior designers to hire. In order to consolidate and enhance access to the best design talent for its readers, the Hearst Design Group, made up of House Beautiful, ELLE DECOR and VERANDA, has introduced the Design Connect Directory. The new portal, accessible from all three magazine sites, presents consumers with a one-stop database of the top designers in the industry.

ELLE DECOR, which joined the Hearst Magazines family in 2011, has long maintained a designer directory that’s been very successful with readers. ELLE DECOR’s original program supported the design community and brought inspirational pictures to ELLEDECOR.com, in addition to boosting ELLE DECOR’s site traffic making advertisers happy and creating a new revenue stream. Inspired by the effectiveness of this program, the Hearst Design Group collaborated to establish a new system to provide its readers access to the nation’s preeminent designers.

“Through ELLE DECOR’s original design directory, Publisher Barbara Friedmann found that advertisers appreciated being in proximity to the database she was the one who really drove the Hearst Design Group to develop our new system,” says House Beautiful Editor in Chief and Hearst Design Group Editorial Director Newell Turner. “Combined, all three Hearst Design Group brands have so much history working with the country’s best designers, which makes the directory a natural extension to offer our readers.”

In collaboration with online design marketplace Dering Hall, the Hearst Design Group has curated a collection of exceptional interior designers and landscape architects, showcasing their portfolios and contact information in a beautiful and easy-to-use format. The Directory is also a great resource for members of the design community to house their portfolios and reach a broader base of consumers. Currently, the Directory features more than 450 design professionals and growing who apply to be included and are reviewed by Dering Hall in conjunction with editors.

The Directory also features landscape architects, including Conte & Conte.

“The Hearst Design Group believes strongly in the importance of the designer and the influence they have on bringing a client’s vision to life,” Turner says. “Our Design Connect Directory is a wonderful resource for readers and first time site visitors to findthe perfect partners to help them with their spaces.”

The Directory has also tapped in to House Beautiful’s “Next Wave” designers. The magazine’s popular column features an up-and-coming designer each month, and recently hosted a lunch to celebrate all of the featured designers from the past three years. At the lunch, Dering Hall offered all of the designers a complimentary one-year membership to the Directory, which will bring fresh talent offerings to users.

The Directory publishes a Designer of the Week feature, complete with a special showcase of the designer’s portfolio and highlighted contact information for potential customers. In addition to being prominently featured on the site, the Designer of the Week is occasionally promoted by Design Connect and Dering Hall in editorial features and email blasts to its customers.

Hearst Design Group magazines are spreading the word about the new Directory in-book with featured print ads and promotions. House Beautiful, ELLE DECOR and VERANDA are also promoting the database on their social media platforms.

“Working with a designer can be one of the most amazing experiences,” Turner says. “We want to help our readers become as knowledgeable as possible about what they like and what they are looking for in a designer so they can create the best possible spaces in their homes.”

Designers interested in becoming members of the Directory can apply through Dering Hall.

Agency / Source: Hearst Communications, Inc.

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