Chicago-based Reputation Partners has acquired marketing and brand development agency Words&Pictures, Inc.

The acquisition, the terms of which were not publicly disclosed, became effective June 16.

Reputation Partners

Words&Pictures specializes in web development, marketing strategy, brand and identity creation and print and online advertising. The Chicago-based agency, which has done work for regional and national clients such as The University of Chicago Medicine, Walgreens, Lurie Children’s Hospital, Blue Cross Blue Shield, The University of Arizona Medical Center and Ingalls Hospital, was founded in 1982.

All Words&Pictures staff will move into Reputation Partners’ West Monroe St. offices in downtown Chicago’s loop. Principal Nick Quirke joins Reputation Partners as senior vice president and director of creative services. The agency will retain its branding for the time being.

Reputation Partners founder and president Nick Kalm told O’Dwyer’s that the acquisition deepens the agency’s design, website development and brand strategies toolkit, providing clients with a wider range of capabilities.

“The work we’re doing and our clients’ work has become much more visual in nature, and our clients are asking for more visual capabilities, whether it’s design or website development. As a boutique firm, that’s something we used to have to hand off to other companies, but now we’re able offer our clients what they want and what they need in-house.”

It’s the second acquisition in as many years for the full-service agency: Reputation Partners in April 2016 acquired Milwaukee-based corporate communications and investor relations shop Vollrath Associates, effectively doubling the agency's Brew City presence (Reputation Partners has maintained a Milwaukee office since the beginning of last year).

Reputation Partners, which specializes in corporate and consumer PR, issues/crisis management, financial/IR and corporate social responsibility, now staffs a total of 25.