Trend Setting Design

Personal Project – Set a Trend Be Yourself

Joseph Cotten — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 17:30:32 +0000

Jessica came up with this slogan, in true copywriter style. “Set a Trend…Be Yourself” encapsulates a major part of our message as branding consultants and identity designers. The first (and most important) step for a business to become a trend-setter is to be yourself. Know who you are and be that! You are unique, and you hold a unique place in your sphere of influence.

Our message to clients is to not be content with simply following trends. Don’t be trendy! Be steady, strong and confident in who you are. This will lead you into a place where you set the standards—where you set the trends for others to follow.

I was inspired by this slogan to create a personal art project which conveyed it. If you’re curious what I used, it was done in Photoshop using a photograph of an old grungy cafe tabletop taken by Caleb at Lost and Taken, a photo of cracked concrete taken by Jay at Bittbox and a photo of a ladybug that I found at iStock Photo. The font is Bree Extrabold from Type Together. I made adjustments/changes to all the source elements, for instance making Bree into a stencil font, adding a leg and doing some dodging/burning to the ladybug, plus lots of tweaks to the coloring of the concrete and tabletop photo.

I ended up using this as a free giveaway on Twitter & Facebook, making it into a computer desktop wallpaper and a printable greeting card.

Winter’s Vestiges

Joseph Cotten — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 18:14:24 +0000

Jessica and I were on vacation at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC. It was our last day on the Estate and as we were exploring the banks of the French Broad River, I saw this small plant—dry and cracked but still clinging to life. It seemed to me to embody the seasonal transition from Winter to Spring, which was the time of year we were at Biltmore. I was particularly intrigued by the interplay of the plant’s petals and the sunlight behind it.

Image Data:

Camera: Canon S90
Date: March 24, 2010 3:09 PM
Shutter Speed: 1/1600 second
F-Stop: f/2.0
ISO: 80
Focal Length: 24mm
Size: 10MP

Specials in June & July

Joseph Cotten — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 18:29:58 +0000

We decided to celebrate Summer’s arrival with special discounts! During June and July, all print designs are discounted 15%, web design projects are discounted 20% and identity design/branding projects are discounted 25%. Details below. . . When you book a new design project between now and July 31, 2010, you receive the following discounts off the standard price:

Print Design: invite cards, posters, fliers, direct mail postcards, indoor/outdoor vinyl banners discounted 15%.

Web Design: new website design projects and website redesign projects discounted 20%.

Identity Design & Branding: new corporate identity design and redesign projects, including logo design, business card design, letterhead, color scheme, typography and brand standards guide discounted 25%.

Contact me today to find out what we can do for you. A good rebranding or well-designed marketing effort can make all the difference during a recession. We wanted to offer these discounts to encourage small–medium businesses to be bold and keep themselves in front of their client base. It’s important during hard economic times to stay ahead of the curve. Now is the time to set trends so that when the economy picks back up, you’ll already be an industry leader.

-Joseph Cotten

Specials in June & July!

Joseph Cotten — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 18:29:19 +0000

Print Design: invite cards, posters, fliers, direct mail postcards, indoor/outdoor vinyl banners discounted 15%.

Web Design: new website design projects and website redesign projects discounted 20%.

-Joseph Cotten

The Door

Joseph Cotten — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 18:26:54 +0000

From the basement of a pre-Civil War era home in Jamestown, NC.

Potting

Joseph Cotten — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 18:12:46 +0000

Potting some new plants in a small, square terracotta pot.

Curious Turtle

Joseph Cotten — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 18:02:05 +0000

While walking Pippen (our dog), I found this little turtle in a stream. The little kid in me got all giddy and I had to examine him! He immediately withdrew into his shell, but he got curious when I set him on the ground and started taking pictures. He never fully came out of his shell, but as you can see here, he was thinking about it!

Hello Moth

Joseph Cotten — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 17:50:33 +0000

Found this little guy on some ivy. I love how he almost glows amid the dark green ivy. It seemed like he was as curious about my camera as I was about him!

Iris, Desaturated

Joseph Cotten — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 17:46:24 +0000

Another one from our small garden. I played with the saturation of this one.

Brightly Hidden

Joseph Cotten — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 17:43:24 +0000

Found this little guy in our yard after a light rain. He was hidden, but as you can see he’s very vividly colored and reflective.