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Rob
Cummings is a professional Orange County
Southern California graphic designer, writer, business consultant,
trademark consultant - and
more - in all media.
The
'more' is what makes the difference in improving outcomes.
It's
all about
how
we think >>
Once
you read our Client Stories, you'll
never settle for ordinary.
Rob
Cummings and those he recommends bring broad
experience
that results in far more consideration than a typical ad agency,
graphic design firm, or public relations firm.
Short list of graphic design firm services:
-
Logo
and brand development
-
Corporate
Identity systems
-
Trademarks,
company, and product naming
-
Packaging
-
Sell
sheets
-
Promotion
-
Direct
mail
-
Web
Site design and development
-
Exhibit
and trade show graphics
-
Printing,
vendor selection, follow-through
Rob and those he recommends provide design firm, advertising agency
services (and more) for clients everywhere - most not in Orange County,
and many not even in California or the United States.
Through extensive use of the Internet to expedite processes and
procedures, Rob and those he recommends work as effectively for clients around the country
and world as for those in Orange County, Southern California.
Click
the images above to see more.
The work is delivered faster and more efficiently, with greater focus
towards objectives, and without wasted time in
meetings, without driving in Southern California traffic, without travel
expenses, airports or hotels, and, via email, without toll charges.
Working on an ongoing month-to-month or
on a per project
basis, Rob and those he recommends can single-handedly provide an extensive range or services that
encompass the normal job descriptions of
Creative Director, Art Director, Marketing Communications Director,
Graphic Designer, Copywriter, Business
Consultant or Advisor.
Click
the briefcase to see more graphic design.
What you don't know
about graphic design can hurt you.
Graphic
design involves creative, legal, and technical aspects.
Many
are falling short, and clients fail to understand why.
Creative
should involve research and analysis to define the problem and develop the
best and most effective solution based on numerous criteria.
Legal
should help avoid or limit any risks or liabilities in relation to trademarks,
copyrights, and industry-specific laws regarding claims and other aspects.
Technical
skills, knowledge and experience (or lack of) are the reason that printed
pieces do not print well. This is most often not the fault of the
printer.
Graphic designers today do much of the pre-press work, yet few graphic
designers have any technical knowledge. The result?
Photos
print soft and out of focus, colors are off, print quality is poor, papers
for packaging are incorrectly chosen and fall apart. Though the printer is
often blamed, it is the lack of knowledge of the printing process on the
part of the graphic designer that is to blame. Don't settle for second
rate.
Rob Cummings as virtual Creative Director, a brief case history:
In the Internet age, it's more possible and cost-effective than ever to
have an off-site
Creative Director, Art Director, Marketing Communications Director,
Graphic Designer, Copywriter, and Business
Consultant
do everything a company needs - or at
least help in areas needed.
For
2 1/2 years, Rob personally provided 40 hours/ month for Benwin, a reasonably well
funded start-up. As a start-up from scratch, Benwin required a lot of work in a very short
time frame. Rob created and/or managed all of the work.
40 hours/ month covered everything the startup needed to launch and
perpetuate the momentum:
-
advertising, marketing,
promotion
-
packaging,
owner's manuals, collateral
-
trade
show exhibits, building banners
-
copywriting
and high-level marketing strategy
-
business
consulting
-
vendor
selection, management, negotiation
40
hours/ month was a great deal for Benwin, and a great deal of work.
The reason it worked, (and Rob still had time for other clients), is that
clients rarely see Rob - except maybe for lunch.
The
work is done almost exclusively via the Internet, faster, at reduced cost,
with greater accuracy, and without the need for face to face meetings,
presentations, and other aspects that are difficult to schedule and
generally waste time.
Pop
up the story
to see and read about how this began and how it might work for you, or click
here to buy a month now.
An
excellent fit to any team's efforts, all
your graphic design needs are met on a near-immediate basis from a single source.
This means no need to manage multiple vendors or graphic designers in a variety of
media which often wastes time and money.
The
New Shape of Sound Music Video
[02:45 - entire
video] Windows Media Player
Click
here to watch the entire video in Windows
Media Player.
Turn up speakers and adjust WMP size to 100%. Have fun!
If
you liked the video, you might want to learn about and see other things
Rob did as off-site Creative Director by clicking
here.
Rob's
work extends far beyond the typical graphic designer.
A
combination of graphic designer, copywriter,
business
consultant, and marketing
strategist, Rob works in all media related to
graphic design
including web design,
logo
design, identity, brand creation and brand development, video
& tv, retail
packaging
design, promotional
design, sell
sheet copywriting and design, exhibit
design, product design, business development and presentations.
Rob also helps source vendors including printers and large format digital
photographers in Orange County Southern California and around the world.
He negotiates prices, can provide pre-press and on-press approvals for print and
packaging (for clients in Orange County Southern California), and
offers numerous other services
that relate to graphic design including company and product naming,
trademarks, and much more.
The
right training, background, and approach.
Fortunate to have been raised in Northern Westchester County (50 miles
north of NYC), fortunate to have been trained by some of the world's leading graphic
designers, and fortunate to have received a full scholarship from the
leading design and marketing school on the east coast, Rob is a graphic designer who understands
business, psychology and people.
The work of
those by whom Rob was trained is timeless and outstanding and includes the
branding for Mobil Oil, NBC, and American Airlines, in addition to
numerous others. These leading world-renowned designers as well as others
helped Rob develop his professional approach to problem solving.
Rob
was trained and influenced by graphic designers who changed the world of
graphic design including Massimo Vignelli, Lou Dorfsman (then
VP/CBS), Herb Lubalin, Tom Geismar & Ivan Chermayeff. These are
the graphic designers who created the logos, images, and brands above, and
who taught Rob how to think about and develop graphic solutions
that are memorable, translate in all media, and which are timeless. Click
here to see some of the great achievements of other renowned graphic
designers in a timeline of modern
graphic design history.
Knowing
how to develop and judge creative solutions.
From these leading graphic designers and others, Rob learned a method
he uses to create, arrive at, and judge solutions.
Rob's approach and
methodology has little to do with personal taste or preference and a great
deal to do with thorough research, analysis, exploration, marketing and
competitive strategy, positioning and branding. The best solution is often
the simplest solution, yet to edit thoughts and concepts down to their
essence requires extremely careful thought and an analytically creative
mind.
Rob Cummings
knows about a lot of things - from training, self-education, and life
experience.
A
marriage of copy and design.
Atypical of many graphic designers today, Rob is equally adept at copywriting
as well as design, production and much more.
To
successfully create a brand image, position a company, and communicate
with an audience, a graphic designer must also be an excellent
communicator. Realizing this, Rob does the work of a copywriter and
graphic designer at the same time.
By
doing the work of a copywriter and graphic designer at the same time, Rob
is able to make all the pieces fit together seamlessly, create better
campaigns with greater focus, avoid errors, and produce
better outcomes.
A surprising number of graphic designers are not also copywriters, many
are not good at spelling, some get caught up in trends or fads, and a disturbing number are unaware of the history of graphic design and/or what separates a
poor or proficient
graphic designer from a great graphic designer. While computers have been
a boon to the graphic design business, they have also helped erode the
credibility of the professional graphic designer. Without any
certification program, it has become easy for many to perform the duties
of a graphic designer (on a technical level), yet only a select few have
the sensibility, training, and experience required to create solutions
that are timeless and of greatest value to the client.
Knowledge
and experience in all media.
Knowing the technical aspects of all media is
important to being able to develop solutions that cost-effectively
translate across all media. Rob is sure to factor these in to save money and
insure his results can easily be reproduced in any media. Many graphic
designers today do not understand all media and therefore do not account
for this in their design solutions.
A
professional graphic designer who is finished building his portfolio is much better for your business.
After more than 27 years, Rob is no longer building his portfolio.
While the less experienced graphic designer often focuses more on building a 'pretty'
portfolio than achieving a positive result and outcome for the client,
Rob's entire focus is on client goals and objectives.
If all you seek is a 'pretty' design, without strategy and
without a great deal of thought, you
should not contact Rob. Though Rob's rate remains at $95/hour, you will
likely be satisfied with a less costly alternative.
"Rob
is easy, fast, and fun to work with, however, he takes graphic design - as
a selling tool - very seriously."
You
should contact Rob if you want great copywriting,
graphic design that lasts for years and never looks dated, and solid
marketing concepts based on research, analysis and competitive
strategy.
A
sampling of Rob's work appears below on this page.
To see everything else Rob does in relation to
advertising, marketing, branding, positioning, and in a variety of media, click
here.
High
level creative solutions, designed to last and get results.
 A
graphic designer who works in all media, as Rob does, can facilitate
translating
graphic design created in one media to all media, planning ahead, and
saving a great deal of time and money.
Rob's work as a graphic designer involves in-depth research and analysis of
each situation to develop a solution that is rational, logical, appropriate, affordable,
and achieves all goals and objectives.
The
retail packaging for Naturebright may be appealing, and the look on the
shelf is important, yet Rob marries copywriting and design so that the retail packaging
'speaks' to the
consumer at the point they are making the decision to buy. See the retail package
large
enough to read.
You will see that the copywriting reflects the design and the design
reflects the copywriting. With the opening headline 'Bathe in the natural
color of daylight', Rob distills the essential feature of this lamp to a
single phrase. The other features and benefits are equally clear, quick to
read and understand, and appealing to the consumer.
Graphic
design must include writing that is clear and concise and informs, sells and persuades.
While the NatureBright logo above 'looks like light', the
positioning statement Experience the true color of natural light
positions the company and describes the feature of all NatureBright full
spectrum light products.
Since
Rob is a copywriter
and graphic designer, his copy fits the design and his graphic design fits
the copywriting.
Audience appropriate, market driven, every
project has its own unique look and feel.
There's no specific style to Rob's graphic design since the type of
graphic design Rob does is always appropriate to the intended audience.
If there is a 'look' to describe all of Rob's work, the look is clean and
clear, professional.
'Swiss', 'classic', or 'sophisticated' might also describe Rob's style.
One of the unique benefits of Rob's approach is that it makes companies
and products appear to be 'familiar', even if they are brand new. Without
being overly faddish or trendy, Rob's solutions give companies and
products a look of value and stability.
The name and the trademark.
Rob also helps name products and companies, developing memorable names and
product/service naming conventions.
Rob helps create fanciful or coined names
that offer the highest levels of trademark strength and protection as well
as many features
others may not take into consideration.
With Rob's help and advice, Kwong Quest became Benwin, NatureBright had no
name and would have had trademark issues with the names it originally
selected (another area of Rob's expertise); Eclipsys and ESSENTUALE and
keyword.com were born.
Rob works directly with you without an agent or account
rep.
Rob
personally creates nearly all the design for Cummings Design, working directly with your senior management, marketing, sales, management, and PR team
to achieve their objectives, not Rob's. If you have an in-house graphic designer,
use another graphic designer, or web designer, Rob can consult and
is great to work with.
Rob helps everyone make the right decisions.
Throughout the process of exploring and refining solutions, Rob understands that a graphic designer needs to
clearly communicate with everyone and achieve the support of all involved.
Some may like blue better than green, however, everyone appreciates a
solution that they understand and have been a part of.
The
simple RE was a memorable solution for Trenwick, a reinsurance
company.
From beginning to end, Rob helps everyone involved understand potential
solutions, the justification for them, and the reasons behind them. All
likes, dislikes, and opinions are considered, however, Rob initially sets
the judgment criteria based on goals and objectives rather than personal
preference. Also, unlike some graphic designers, Rob has no ego about his
own work. His entire focus is on achieving the best solution based on
well-defined client goals and objectives.
The consultation Rob provides helps clients evaluate and judge
alternatives, and may be as valuable as the work itself.
Rob
will help your management team judge design solutions by strategic
rationale, rather than by what colors Rob or others might like best, or other criteria
that don't really matter. He helps team
members determine the approach that is most likely to produce the
most profitable and effective result - and works until all agree and
support the solution.
If
you want graphic design that generates immediate results and profits, a
graphic designer who is fast and easy to work with yet serious and
professional, and you have a realistic budget, Rob Cummings is the graphic
designer to call on.
Rob works effectively for clients everywhere.
By email and Internet, Rob can work with you in Orange County Southern
California as easily as if you are located around the globe. Many of Rob's
clients are not in Southern California.
Client 'meetings' take place on the Internet rather than face-to-face,
which helps expedite the process and enables more effective and documented
communications via email. Rob's thorough approach to client and vendor
communications help teams collaborate no matter where they are located.
What
Clients say about Rob and Cummings Design:
Both open in Windows
Media Player.
Sound
Bite 1
Sound
Bite 2
Contact Rob
to find out what he can do for you - no matter where you are
located.
See more of the Cummings Design portfolio.
See more work and read some client
stories.
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