When it comes to creative services, most people can imagine what graphic design, copywriting or even website design might entail. But the secret ingredient behind all of these tangible deliverables is the more subtle art of strategy. For us, strategy is about prioritizing your unique business goals and creating work that can directly support them. It’s also a matter of providing objective perspective and challenging existing assumptions about what makes your brand truly interesting or different.

After several years of collaboration with the team at JNS—one of Denver’s leading independent architecture and interior design firms—we were excited to see our rebrand for the company featured in The Denver Egotist.

As a creative team, we spend the vast majority of our time telling the stories of other entrepreneurs, makers and innovators—yet we rarely have the opportunity to share our own story. That’s why we were so excited to sit down with Darryl Kelly, the CEO of Hectic, to talk about our own journey as small business owners and the values that drive our work.

When we talk about the value of brand photography, it’s more than maintaining an eye-catching Instagram profile or website. Rather, photography is an opportunity to exude your brand’s values and ground your visual aesthetic in the real-world experience of your services or products. For us, much of this inspiration comes from our editorial work, where the focus is on storytelling rather than selling. We find that this more authentic vision for a brand photo library also helps to create evergreen assets that stand the test of time.

The relationships we’ve built with other entrepreneurs and small business owners has been one of the most fulfilling aspects of growing Cognoscenti Creative. That’s why we were honored and excited to sit down with Darryl Kelly, the founder of Hectic, to chat about our individual careers and how we developed the shared creative vision and best practices that guide our work to this day.

We often describe our work at Cognoscenti Creative as “informed by editorial”—but what exactly does that mean? For us, it’s a combination of connecting with the most exciting leaders in Colorado food, hospitality and agriculture, as well as bringing the energy and style of the work we do for editorial outlets to our branding and creative services.

When beginning a website project, it’s common to focus on the design details—the white space, the continuous scroll, the photo layout, the top navigation, etc. Yet many websites that catch our attention ultimately fail to provide an intuitive user experience. In fact, while looking at other websites for design inspiration is helpful, it can also lead you down the path of creating something that may stray from your unique business needs.

Whether you’ve previously worked with freelancers and agencies or are seeking contract services for the first time, one of the most important steps in that process is establishing creative fit. At Cognoscenti Creative, this process is essential to how we navigate new client relationships, as we only take on projects where we feel we are the best possible resource. So how exactly do you, as a client, go about making that decision? Below are a series of questions to guide your thought process.

For some of us, branding can feel like a superficial process, a glossy sheen that glazes over the day-to-day realities of running a business. Yet the best branding—the kind that meaningfully connects with customers—reflects the real-world experience of your business or services, as well as the values and personalities of the people on your team.

Looking back over the past year, there’s one primary trend we’ve seen in our business. While we continue to work on a wide range of creative services, websites have become one of our most frequent requests, as our clients’ digital presence has replaced their in-person meetings and physical storefronts.

Prior to founding Cognoscenti Creative, our careers were built on in-house marketing and design teams. For us, that means we’ve seen the full lifecycle of creative: from brainstorming, to iteration, to dissemination, to results (or lack thereof). Through that experience, the most important lesson we’ve learned is that not all catchy creative ideas actually move the needle on your business goals.

When it comes to gift-giving, we’re always on the lookout for unique ideas that delight our friends and support small businesses. Over the years, through both our creative and editorial work, we’ve had the pleasure of meeting and collaborating with movers and shakers across Colorado’s food, hospitality, wellness and lifestyle industries—and more often than not, we become customers of these incredible clients! What’s more, we can vouch that behind each and every one of these vetted gift ideas is a wonderful team of creative, innovative, lovely humans. And that’s something we can all get behind this holiday season.

When launching a business, it’s typical to focus all your energy on developing a product or refining your service lines. But as many entrepreneurs and small business owners can attest, simply making or offering a great product isn’t enough to attract your target audience.

We loved collaborating with founders Adam Hodak and Alex Lerman on the concept for L Bar—an unpretentious, uniquely Colorado bar serving decidedly upscale cocktails. Thanks to The Denver Egotist for featuring this foundational copywriting and menu design work!

While our clients come to us for a wide variety of creative services, nearly all of them struggle with clearly and persuasively communicating the value of their product or service. Of course, that isn’t to say founders don’t know why they started their business. Rather, it’s an owner’s closeness to their brand—their passion for the work and intimate knowledge of their company’s history—that often prevents them from seeing it from the perspective of a new customer.

We’ve been ardent believers in Moxie Bread Co. founder Andy Clark’s vision since the bakery opened its doors in 2015. After years of friendship and collaboration, we were thrilled to help create a website that lives up to the bakery’s dramatic influence on the local food and agriculture industries. Thanks to The Denver Egotist for featuring our work!

Human connection, hospitality and creativity have always been defining elements of our work at Cognoscenti Creative. Over the past few months, we’ve been challenged to reimagine these high-touch interactions from a social distance—not only for our own business, but also for those of our clients.

Over the past week, we’ve had countless conversations with clients and collaborators across Colorado (and beyond). As we all adapt to this “new normal,” many of us are wondering how to best communicate with our staff, team members, guests and larger brand audience. This transition has been challenging on a number of levels, especially for businesses built on in-person interactions.

We’ve always been incredibly influenced by storytellers—individuals who know how to tie together observations and details in a compelling, transformative light. So we were truly honored when Carly was chosen to become a featured storyteller at Creative Mornings—one of the world’s most respected platforms for continuing personal and professional education.

The new year will mark five years since we founded Cognoscenti Creative, and it's incredible to look back on how much things have changed since then. We're so grateful for the skills and experiences we gained in New York City, as well as the feeling of home that we've found and fostered in Colorado. As we begin the next chapter of our business, we're proud to continue evolving alongside the Front Range's creative and entrepreneurial community—and to be a small, women-owned business in Denver.