I’m a Vancouver design professional who collaborates with cross-functional teams in the design and delivery of socially, environmentally and economically sustainable projects…
A B O U T A R L E N E C O T T E R
Arlene Cotter is a Vancouver design professional who collaborates with cross-functional teams in the design and delivery of socially, environmentally and economically sustainable projects that brand 2D/3D/digital/social spaces, communications and environments in both the public and private sectors.
P R O F E S S I O N A L P R O F I L E
Designer | Design Director | Strategist | Consultant
Environmental Graphic Designer
Integrates function with form by synthesizing research and project criteria to create award-winning, multi-platform design solutions for stakeholders.
Design Strategist
Develops integrative design frameworks for scaled systems and programs that brand communications in 2D/3D/digital/social spaces and environments.
Design Director and Project Manager
Connects cross-functional public/private sector teams through collaborative processes that support project goals from the design brief, ideation, budgets, critical path, production and implementation through to completion.
Content Creator
Explores diverse client/consultant perspectives to develop concepts, narratives, proposals, communications and design-driven solutions, that are creative, informed, culturally relevant, innovative and effective.
Whole Systems Designer
Contributes professionally and personally to a socially, environmentally and economically sustainable world.
A W A R D S A N D R E C O G N I T I O N
Partial Listing Only
American Institute of Graphic Arts | Communication Arts Magazine | Eberhard Faber | Georgie | Graphex | Lotus | International Council of Shopping Centers | National Post Design Exchange Effectiveness in Design | Fine Paper Mills | Sappi Fine Paper Ideas That Matter | SAM | Society for Experiential Graphic Design (SEGD) | Studio Magazine | University and College Designers Association (UCDA) | Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) | The Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education (CCAE)
E D U C A T I O N A N D A C C R E D I T A T I O N
Please use menu icon to visit: www.linkedin.com/in/arlene-cotter
Graphic Designers of Canada (CGD™ Certified / Agréé CGD™)
M O T I V A T I O N
A systems thinker, I like big, messy and difficult communication challenges. As a designer, design strategist and writer, I’ve collaborated on countless communication projects in both the public and private sectors.
C O L L A B O R A T I O N
The diversity of my design projects reflects solid experience and an integrative approach to design. I’m always interested in working with people who are passionate about what they do. Please contact me to discuss opportunities for professional projects. I live and work in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
P E R S O N A L P R O J E C T S
Synthesized of words and images, my personal projects reflect thoughts about creativity, healing and transformation.
a r l e n e is a space for me to share creative projects that encourage transformation across the continuum of human experience. I’ve collaborated on countless communication projects in both the public and private sectors. At some point, the volume of professional work has become too cumbersome to share on a website and, frankly, maybe not all that critical.
We live in a world driven largely by economics and the reality is that so many of my favourite projects were significant not for financial reasons but because I really believed in them. From early in my career I focused on projects for the public good—long before design for the public good became fashionable. In fact, I named my first consultancy PUBLIK Information Design Inc. and penned a mandate to serve socially responsible clients, responsibly.
a r l e n e samples recent work as well as archives from past projects that are meaningful for me because the people, the communication challenge and/or the ideas were stimulating. Whether profound or playful, macro or micro in scope, these projects have been catalysts for constructive change.
selfArchive is a monthly column published by arlenecotter.com about being human in the present moment, aka . . . Now.
We’re all on the front line and we cannot be complacent. This is a reminder that while many of us remain…
We’re all on the front line and we cannot be complacent.
This is a reminder that while many of us remain self-isolated in relative comfort, COVID-19 is devastating hundreds of homeless and at-risk individuals here in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES), as well as thousands of healthcare workers, carers, individuals and families across the street, the province, Canada, and around the world.
COVID-19 information resources that can help us protect ourselves, our families and our communities:
selfArchive Blog 04/20 | Awareness | Awakening | Transformation | Words
A new June Column about Presence
A new January post about Living Consciously in 2019
selfArchive samples recent work as well as archives of past projects that are meaningful because the people, the communication challenge and/or the…
selfArchive samples recent work as well as archives of past projects that are meaningful because the people, the communication challenge and/or the ideas were stimulating. Whether profound or playful, macro or micro in scope, the real value of these projects has been as catalysts for constructive change.
(more…)
selfArchive 770 This project will take a moment to load.
November is an opportunity to reflect upon the impact of war and peace in our lives…
November is an opportunity to reflect upon the impact of war and peace in our lives… (more…)
Release Dates + Topics
Several years ago I had an opportunity to stay with the internationally renowned psychiatrist and thanatologist Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross (1926 –…
Several years ago I had an opportunity to stay with the internationally renowned psychiatrist and thanatologist Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross (1926 – 2004). Dr. Kübler-Ross was a pioneer of hospice in the USA, a courageous advocate for both adults and children suffering from cancer and AIDS, and author of the ground-breaking book On Death and Dying (The Five Stages of Grief) along with over 20 other books.
Ideation is where any communication project begins. Without a good concept and a sound foundational strategy, there is no business case to create…
Ideation is where any communication project begins. Without a good concept and a sound foundational strategy, there is no business case to create a project at all. In fact, an idea only assumes a shape when it is measured against its unique set of project criteria, things like: communication goals, timing, budget, function and curb appeal. (more…)
Redux celebrates a long overdue thank you to my readers, contributors, publisher and agent. It is a formal acknowledgement of my…
Redux celebrates a long overdue thank you to my readers, contributors, publisher and agent. It is a formal acknowledgement of my first book.
For years, I tried to keep my professional and private lives separate. When I wrote From This Moment On: A Guide for Those Recently Diagnosed With Cancer, the schism further widened. While I will comfortably present to 500 people on the topic of design, I had reservations about publicly sharing my private struggles with cancer. I’m an introvert by nature but that wasn’t the reason; I felt uncomfortable about sensationalizing what is for cancer patients and their loved ones an intimate and life-altering journey. My intention was to guide people on their own journey, not to distract them with mine.* (more…)
Whether an institutional campaign or brand standards, communication benefits from a strategic approach. My projects incorporate whole systems thinking that anticipates connections and…
Whether an institutional campaign or brand standards, communication benefits from a strategic approach. My projects incorporate whole systems thinking that anticipates connections and results in expanded solutions. Communications are designed not as one-offs but as part of an integrated framework of templates within a broader program. By shifting ideas across diverse applications, I embed potentials that anticipate future opportunities.
As the world has become more complex, so too have the roles designers are required to fill. Digital technologies are…
As the world has become more complex, so too have the roles designers are required to fill. Digital technologies are only partly responsible; social, cultural, economic, and environmental factors have also exerted powerful forces for change. Ideation is a valuable resource that can be fostered and tapped in any strategic group. As a creative consultant, I act as a catalyst for initiating, leveraging and supporting change—from abstract concepts to critical paths with concrete deliverables.
Designers breathe life into ideas by synthesizing information and knowledge to create new things. By collaborating with multidisciplinary teams, I design and deliver projects…
Designers breathe life into ideas by synthesizing information and knowledge to create new things. By collaborating with multidisciplinary teams, I design and deliver projects that raise consciousness, create value and serve communities. Whether profound or playful, macro or micro in scope, I am especially interested in projects that encourage personal transformation across the continuum of human experience such as education, health and awakening. (more…)
All lives are precious. This suggestion makes some people indignant. But to judge one life as more valuable than another is…
All lives are precious. This suggestion makes some people indignant. But to judge one life as more valuable than another is an unsettling idea for many of us.
I thought a great deal about this when I survived my own encounter with death, and continued to live. My experience was not so uncommon. Every day, human beings die from violent trauma and ordinary things like the flu or falling down the stairs.
The Canadian Cancer Society celebrates Daffodil Month each April in an gesture to honour people with cancer and those whose lives have been impacted as survivors, family and friends, researchers and healthcare professionals. April is over but I’m celebrating May by recognizing the individuals among us who have overcome the odds and continue to live—regardless of what they’ve faced. I’ve known many such people, and have lost many others. I’ve also come to respect life more than I have in the past. I now realize that we all have an opportunity to wake up and live our lives consciously.
My new book project honours our every small intention to live an awakened life. It shares what experience has taught me: Every life is valuable and deserves to be honoured. This is our birthright.
If we’re conscious,
our lives can transcend
the privation of
our own self-interest.
On 10 May 2018, please celebrate The Courage to Come Back Awards
Over the past 19 years, Coast Mental Health has celebrated 114 British Columbians who have shown courage in the face of extraordinary adversity to emerge stronger and with a deep compassion to help others. Each year, at the Courage To Come Back Awards, we share their stories of triumph with the goal of helping others facing adversity regain the belief that, with courage, reclaiming their lives is possible.