About Me

Where I’m From

When people ask where I’m from I always pause for a moment. I lived in many different places as a boy. When I saw mountains for the first time I couldn’t understand how they could be so massive, but now they’re more familiar to me than any other landscape. I was born in Winnipeg and moved to the West Coast when I was seven. I was then raised in Victoria, and later the Cowichan Valley.

My Education and Experience

The graphic design college I attended years ago was small but mighty: it had a world-class design program, and was located on Prince Edward Island. I started my design courses at Holland College in 2011, and after two years graduated with a strong understanding of the principles of graphic design.

I had already found multiple small clients to practice design work with, and I hit the ground running. I moved to a big city and worked for a branding firm, then an email marketing company, then Rogers, then Royal LePage, and more. I cut my teeth on multiple design roles in Toronto, helping businesses thrive by redesigning their marketing materials.

Founding Karbon Branding

I became an employee by day and a freelancer by night. I have always had a massive passion for brand design, and I gained direct experience with logo and brand identity design by working with my own clients.

Eventually I was ready to take the leap. In 2018 I opened my brand design company under the name Alynx, which I later changed to Apex Haus, and finally Karbon Branding. Naming a business is it’s own art form, and it’s why I changed my company name twice.

There is no special meaning behind my business name, but I now like to think of the word Karbon to mean “carbon” in the old term “carbon copy”. My business name was mostly based on how it sounded (and domain name availability, which is important). “Karbon” is a play on the word “carbon”, and has a somewhat alliterative sound when combined with “branding”. This is the explanation for my business name.

My Personality and Work Style

Design is not always a comfortable process, but being uncomfortable is often an indicator that the final design will get you more business. This means I expect you to trust my expertise, and allow me to lead, even when if you don’t feel completely comfortable. When it comes to graphic design I believe that the experts should do the work, and that I am the expert to help you.

My clients’ success is first and foremost in my mind. This has sometimes meant losing a design client, but in my mind it meant that they could save money and keep the logo that was already working for their business. I have even convinced some potential clients to keep their existing logos because I felt they were effective enough.

I’ve been told many times that I take things too seriously, but in the business of logo design I see that as a strength.

My Personal Life

When I’m not working I spend time with my family, go on outdoor outings, watch our favourite shows, and enjoy meals together. I have also played guitar since I was 15. I don’t think I will outgrow video games, I will also sheepishly admit, but thankfully that is becoming the norm with more adults these days. I just wanted to share a little bit about my personal life to give you more of a sense of who I am.

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