Cori Corinne
Creative Director / Designer
Cincinnati, OH
www.coricorinne.com
instagram @coricorinne
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Q What do you do?
“Designer for employment. Writer for fulfillment. Artist for growth.”
With that being said, I’m an independent creative director and graphic designer with a focus on brand identity and website design. Like anything, graphic design is a term that can feel so overwhelming as design can be EVERYTHING, that is what is so beautiful about it.
Currently, I work with brands to visualize and establish their identity. What most clients don’t realize is the logo is just the beginning. Once a logo has been designed the excitement continues with identifying the brand system from color, typography, photography style and how these aspects live through the brand experience: i.e. websites, print collateral, packaging, etc. To put it simply and hopefully poetically... I visualize and bring to life a client’s dream. I make a client feel heard and seen through design.
Q What steps did you take to get to where you are now?
I always thought luck was on my side, but as I continue to evolve as a creative, I realized it wasn’t all luck, it’s been me working my ass off to get to where I am now. I thought I’d grow up to be an artist, in the fine art sense of the word, but what actually happened was I found the creative power in design. I went to a 5 year program for graphic communication design where every semester changed from academia to internships back to academia. I found out what I loved and hated about design, eventually finding my way to New York pursuing work with a brand studio. Since then I’ve had ongoing relationships with studios, agencies and personal client’s through freelancing.
Q How do you stand out in your field?
My initial dream of becoming an artist never subsided, rather it transformed and became a part of my process as a designer. I’m conceptually driven, rooting absolutely every design decision into a narrative created by a client, myself or in collaboration of the two. I’m a visual storyteller with a deep love for typography. You could say I’m a type junkie that has spent countless earnings on typefaces and finding myself at 2AM in an Instagram rabbit hole of newly suggested type foundries. I have even gone as far as to teach typography at university, which I dearly love. My process and passions make for an ever-evolving visual storyteller.
Q What are you working on right now?
Currently I’m working on:
Branding and packaging for a shapewear startup.
Branding and web design for an ‘escape from the city’ hospitality group.
Branding and web design for a home decor and tableware brand designed in New York.
Soon I’ll be starting on rebranding and packaging for an established beauty brand.
Q What’s your style?
I’ve always struggled to define my ‘vibe’. Dare I say boujee, bold and at times absurdist? If that seems too abstract, just know I’m curated. No matter the project I bring refinement and a strong sense of typography and an eye for imagery to make for an immersive brand experience.
Q Out of all your slashies, which one do you wish you could do more often?
I’d like to continue focusing on brand identities and website design. I’ve always identified as a brand designer, but over the past 3 years I’ve fallen in love with site design as well: the structure, the interaction, the dimension. But I also won’t say no to Wes Anderson if he hits me up to design all forms of collateral, specifically the opening credits.
Q What is frustrating you right now?
Putting in the time to market myself, to have a digital presence that is meaningful and intentional. Who doesn’t scroll through Instagram aimlessly lying in bed while shamelessly lying to yourself you can’t sleep. What am I even looking at and what is engaging me? How do I want to be perceived when my content flashes across your screen as you groggily stare, not caring in the first place?
Q If you could hire someone for $20/hour, what would you have them do to make your day easier?
What wouldn’t I have them do? On a personal note, can someone clean my house? Unload my dishwasher? Do my 3 week old laundry? When you work from home you are constantly reminded of these tasks and try to avoid them like the plague. On a career note, can someone answer all of my emails and keep track of my expenses? Where is ‘Ask Jeeves’ when you need him?
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Q What do you wish you could have told yourself, when, and why?
I would travel back to 2014, me as a fourth-year design student having an identity crisis, questioning the past 4 years of little sleep and what seemed like little reward. I still had 1 more year left of school and was paranoid as hell that I had chosen the wrong creative career.
I was trying to define design without much experience
while romanticizing the artist life that I did not have (being a fan of Patti Smith did not help my hazy romanticization). I’d sit that art school kid down (we all know the type) and tell her that design is endless, it can’t be defined. Rather, design is malleable and to focus on the process of combining what I love about art and apply it to design.
Design is art. I am a creator. I am a designer. I am an artist.
Q If you could talk to an expert to gain more insight on something, what would it be about?
Process. I love learning about people’s creative process. It’s part of what draws me into freelancing for a variety of design studios and agencies. However, it doesn’t just have to be design-related, it can be an artist, writer, director, there is so much to learn from absolutely every creative. I’m obsessed with the idea of creative momentum, how to continue to evolve your process to give yourself enough structure to pursue a creative flow.
Q What kind of opportunities/projects are you looking for?
I’m looking to continue connecting with design agencies, studios and personal clients on branding, website and editorial design in an art director and/or designer role.Q Describe your ideal job/client/collaboration.
Trust. Trust that all that I do is to benefit you and your end goal. No matter the client, job or collaboration if there is trust the process will be truly magical. With trust comes value. When I work for or with someone and they recognize the value I bring to their idea, business or project there is an unimaginable creative freedom that allows me to explore a world all their own.
Q How should someone approach you about working together?
Pop in and send a digital hello! It’s always best to email me directly at coricorinne01@gmail.com with the scope of work, timeline and budget.
If you are a design studio or agency reaching out in need of a designer and/or art director it’s helpful to know if the role is a full-time position (40 hours) or a part-time position (20 hours or less) and if you are looking for project needs or retainer work.
I also will never say no to your favorite dumpling spots. Who doesn’t crave soup dumplings?
Q Oh! and… how do you stay creative?
Collaboration. Surrounding myself with other creatives.
This member profile was originally published in February 2020, Updated July 2021.