I believe Successful, lasting brands begin with a meaningful, original and timeless Brand identity which only can be achieved through laser focus, detailed craftsmanship, and good ol' fashion elbow grease.
Hello, my name is Chris Zahos and I am the founder of Moon Bear Design Studio. I am a designer and art director currently living in Austin, TX. I have a strong passion for designing beautiful, results driven brand identities and supporting marketing collateral for existing brands. I believe that good design plays a major role in how successful a business can potentially be, but don't take my word for it, read this article published by Fast Company that talks about an analysis conducted by the Design Management Institute over the last 10 years that shows how design-driven businesses out-perform their competitors.
I love the process of researching imagery that pertains to a company's history, target market, products, etc. and sketching out, designing, and refining logo concepts that embody the emotion and aesthetic a client is looking for. For me, it is one of the most rewarding feelings to build a brand from the ground up starting with the logo and then designing all the identity systems (stationery, marketing collateral, packaging, signage, messaging, and digital projects) to effectively represent the company in a cohesive and consistent matter.
My passion for art in general, especially drawing, started at a very young age. I was always doodling and day dreaming about nature. When I entered into college in 2000 I figured the best way I might be able ensure to have a career as an artist in this rapidly progressing technology-based economy would be as a graphic designer since the field incorporated computer software knowledge and principles of art and design. And so my new artistic journey began as I graduated from DePaul University in 2004 with a BA in graphic design.
In 2006, I started my professional career as a graphic designer at a marketing company called Royal Buying Group, Inc. (RBG) in Hinsdale, IL. My responsibilities included working with category managers to design ads for RBG vendors such as Kellogg's, Gatorade, Kraft, Unilever, PepsiAmericas, and Anheuser-Busch. These ads would get published in a monthly magazine that I was also responsible for designing, maintaining, and coordinating printing and distribution to the convenience store retailers that contain special promotions and pricing on products. I designed and learned how to front-end develop (HTML and CSS coding) web sites and marketing materials for special events like trade shows, charity/networking golf outings. I also completely redesigned and developed the RBG site. In addition, I created marketing materials such as business cards, brochures, postcards, booklets, flyers, sell sheets, flash banner ads, logos, sign up forms, trade shows booth graphics, digital online editions of their 'The Competitive Edge' magazine and large format signage.
In 2010, I started my own freelance business CZdezigns and began working for a web marketing agency called Ecommerce Architects (EAC). At EAC I was responsible for creative direction, web design (UI and UX), web development (CSS3, HTML5, JQUERY / JS widget customization & implementation, CMS skin building & integration for DNN, Wordpress and Magento Theme template design and code customizing (such as child theme development ), and designing brand identity pieces (business stationary, logo design, packaging, brochures, booklets, flyers, door hangers, etc.)
When 2014 rolled around I decided it was time for a new challenge to embark on that would reflect my professional growth as a graphic designer so I re-branded my freelance business from CZdezigns to Moon Bear Design Studio and set my service focus on brand identity design. The re-branding included my business stationary pieces and new responsive web site portfolio design.
George P. Johnson
Art Director,
April 2021 – Present
George P. Johnson
Graphic Designer,
September 2019 – April 2021
Moon Bear Design Studio
Creative Director,
July 2014 – Present
Download Resume
Birk.Creative
Freelance Senior Graphic Designer
January 2019 – April 2019
George P. Johnson
2D Experience Designer,
March 2017 – July 2018
George P. Johnson
Production Designer,
June 2015 – March 2017
Birk.Creative
Freelance Senior Graphic Designer and Junior Front-End Web Developer,
October 2014 – June 2015
Ecommerce Architects
Freelance - Creative Director, Junior Front-End Developer, Web Designer
May 2010 – 2014
CZdezigns
Creative Director,
September 2010 – July 2014
Royal Buying Group, Inc.
Graphic / Web Designer
January 2006 – May 2010
DePaul University
Bachelor in Graphic Design
2000 – 2004
An Important first step in visually illustrating a potential style for a brand identity project is to create a mood board that captures the overall feel through design elements such as typography, color scheme, textures, layout, illustrations, and photography.
A pivotal next step is getting concepts down on paper quickly and then elaborating on those ideas to reveal new creative paths to explore. This process can bring about solutions that may not have arrived if starting concepts on the computer.
After selecting the best sketched concepts, it is time to bring the concepts to full fruition by digitally designing them. Usually during this process the sketches will transform into clearer, more refined and simplified forms.
Moon Bear Design Studio offers unique, professional, high quality logo design, web design, and graphic design services. I love talking about design and branding. If your interested in starting a project or need a quote on any of my services, or just have some general inquiries give me a ring.
Call Me 847 962 8228 Email me c.zahos@moonbearstudios.com
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