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.

Release Dates + Topics  (more…)

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 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 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.

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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.

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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…)