About Cross Design

Who’s Cross Design? Cross Design is Joanne Cross, owner and designer.

I’ve been a professional designer for 30 years. In July 2000 it was time to open my own shop, Cross Design. I take a hands-on approach to all projects that enter the Cross Design studio, and each project big or small, gets a thorough analysis on how to best achieve your goals.

Design Background

My educational background is a formal design education with a bachelors degree from the School of Design at Arizona State University, a design program that was pioneered by Rob Roy Kelly, which I feel a great honor to have known and receive my design foundation from. Additional education from studies at the Rhode Island School of Design, and the on-the-job training that comes from working with design firms in Arizona, Northern California, and Oregon to give me my well-rounded and well-versed design capacity. Prior to opening Cross Design I was Art Director for a dietary supplement manufacturer, taught design & pre-press application courses at community college, as well as a motivated designer with caliber design firms that nurtured my design talents.

The Studio

At Cross Design most projects start and end with me, providing all aspects to fulfill a project. This offers the client clean oversight of a project from start to finish, eliminating additional costs added to a project that one could experience with a larger design firm. On those occasions when a projects requires a team to fulfill the complexity of a project, I coordinate and oversee all additional resources, providing a top-notch, seamless process.

Sustainability and the Environment

I have always been passionate about the environment and do my best to employ sustainable design options and business practices to foster a softer impact on the planet. Now more than ever we need to think about Corporate Responsibility (CR) and take responsibility for the impact of our activities on communities and the environment.

Why Hire Cross Design?

I am a thinker. When a project enters the studio I do not sit idly by and format a cookie-cutter solution. Your business is unique, the solution needs to be distinct to you and your audience. My years of knowledge in the practical hands-on application of design implementation and the intense formal background & training in design, typography, letterforms, color theory, and visual communications — as well as a strategic and practical business eye — allows for a comprehensive integration of a form and function solution.

Blog & Publications

I have always been passionate to communicate ideas with my peers and to assist clients in understanding the design process a bit more. By taking the mystery out of the process we all benefit.  Visit the Cross Design blog, DesignTalk, where I speak on design theory and the

Codex: The Journal of Typography

Codex: The Journal of Typography

practical applications of design. DesignTalk is geared to be a useful resource on the design process, as well as speak of  the benefits of investing in quality design and strategic planning to enhance the brand. In addition to DesignTalk I have also been a contributing author to John Boardley’s online blog, I Love Typography and the printed magazine Codex: The Journal of Typography.

Why Design?

Graphic design is all about problem solving, and it is that endless intrigue that comes with problem solving that has driven me. Above all, I always try to remember that good design must honor the human element in the solution.

  Find me on LinkedIn.