Andrew Wyeth: July 12, 1917 – January 16, 2009

Thank you for your contribution to American art. For more on Andrew Wyeth, click here.

Unseen Bean Coffee Labels

The Tenfold Collective designed 32 coffee labels for the Unseen Bean, a gourmet coffee roaster and cafe in Boulder, CO. The labels will be featured on their new e-commerce site website (launching soon).

We are Snot-Nosed Punks and Web Know-It-Alls

Christopher and I were interviewed recently by Lydia's Style magazine for a piece on business strategies for 2009. For the full article, click here. Our initial reaction is that is makes us sound like we are on a mission to get rid of old people, and nobody in Northern Colorado understands the web, but us (which is not the case).

The interview consisted of two parts: a questionnaire and a phone interview. Here's the questionnaire:

1. When did you open shop? Where are you located?
Christopher:
The Tenfold Collective opened in January of 2007. Our offices are located in downtown Loveland at 231 West 4th Street.

2. Where did you come from/what is your background?
Christopher:
I grew up in Fort Collins and moved to Savannah Georgia to attend the Savannah College of Art and Design where I had the opportunity to study Graphic Design and Illustration under some pretty big names in the industry. I was planning to come back to Colorado as soon as I finished school, but fell for a girl who soon became my wife and I ended up staying quite a bit longer than I had planned. While she finished school I worked as a designer at a prominent marketing firm doing branding work for Home Depot, Motorola, and a number of other big companies. One year later I was offered a position to head up the Art Department at an up and coming web firm in Savannah. When my wife finished school, we moved to Loveland and decided to take my experiences of branding and web design to form my own firm. A few years later I met Josh, we knew that we would make great business partners, and my firm morphed into The Tenfold Collective.
Josh:
I’m a midwestern import from Indianapolis, IN. I grew up around a lot of unartistic people in my family, so I’ve always had a talent for helping explain abstract concepts in a way that’s accessible to others. I graduated from the University of Indianapolis with a B.S. in visual communication design. I’ve worked in design firms, advertising agencies, and publishing, first in Indiana and then in Colorado. As a graphic designer, I love to blend intuitive emotions with insightful strategy to create strong visual brands.

3. Who is the owner/manager?
Christopher:
Josh and I are the two Principals. Amy Madden Copp heads up our new business and marketing strategies. Matt Wade is our interactive genius.

4. What is your business strategy for the tough year to come?
Christopher:
Thanks to some risks Tenfold took early on in '07 we are well positioned and planning to grow. We'll dream, plan, budget, project, and take calculated risks — which is really no different than any other year.
Josh:
We are going to do exactly what we tell our clients to do. When times are tough, it’s harder to tempt people to spend money, so you can’t stop marketing. It feels counter intuitive, but now is the time to invest in getting more creative, honing our message, and then “turning it up to 11.”

5. How is this a shift from previous years?
Christopher:
When a business person stops taking risks they cease to be a business person. I am not yet ready to cease being a business person. The Tenfold Collective is a young company and we need to continue the growth that we have begun in our first two years. There is a lot of risk out there, but with risk comes opportunity, and we plan not to miss it.
Josh:
As a two-year-old startup, Christopher and I have never had an opportunity to get too comfortable with our business model, unlike other agencies who have been around for awhile. We see this as an opportunity to thrive by continuing to re-invent ourselves and how we can help our clients succeed.

6. What makes your company stand out from others? What do you offer that no one else does?
Josh:
Anyone who first meets us probably walks away marveling at how young and talented we all are. We are all in our 20’s and 30’s, so we do bring a fresh perspective and enthusiasm. As a collective, we’ve put together a diverse team of subject matter experts. Our environment allows them to collaborate, learn from each other, and maximize their gifts. This means that we are able to offer a more holistic approach and a full-range of services for our clients while remaining small and accessible.

7. What is your advice for other business owners in 2009?
Christopher:
Now is not the time to retreat. The sit-tight-and-wait for a better economy mentality is an illusion. There is no economy at any time in history that offers security in any real sense. Risk is the ubiquitous reality in which we live and we can't afford to be afraid of it now simply because everyone is talking about it.
Josh:
Don’t live in a bunker. Businesses need to see this as an opportunity to gain market share by reevaluating who they are, what they represent, and fine-tune their message. I think we as Americans need to have faith in our ability to reinvent ourselves using our work ethic and ingenuity. This crisis is an opportunity to band together and heal the deep divisions in our country, as previous generations have done. It’s also a time to give some new people a shot—what has worked in the past isn’t working, leaving the door open to new ideas.

Kansas City Kitty Website

Tenfold was asked by Rocket Jones to design an e-commerce site for Kansas City Kitty's online store. Our good pals at Rocket Jones provided the programming, while Tenfold provided the visuals. The site features a top banner that randomly loads different KCK logo art and content managment system that allows KCK the ability to update product and featured products.

Kansas City Kitty is an independent clothing store based Fort Collins, CO. Their online store features brands like Volcom, Obey, Element and Paul Frank, as well as local goods. Tenfold had such a great time working with the Kitties that we've become lifelong customers of their store!