We recently connected with Chelsea Bay Dennis and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Chelsea Bay thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
I was a very artistic kid, always creating and playing in the woods, beaches and rivers so unique to my northern michigan home. In my teens, I spent a few months every summer up in Canada at a outdoors camp, and I paddled with a small group of girls hundreds of miles across the canadian wilderness with everything we needed to survive in our backpacks and canoes. Being in such untouched wilderness I really saw the impact we made on the land- and it made on us. I do believe this is where i fell in love with the environment, and had a strong conviction to protect it.
As an art student living in cooperative housing at the University of Michigan, that environmentalism really grew, and I was learning so much about social causes like fair trade and human rights. At one point I realized that I could combine my passion for environmental and social justice with my creativity and love for art and design by being a graphic designer for good. I believe strongly that design has a big role in making change in the world through raising awareness, building bridges, and educating the public through visual communication. I could make the companies that were doing good, look good and compete against the very large and well designed starbucks of the world.
I was focused. So what does a conscious kid do after college? Move to San Francisco in early 2000’s to be in the center of the organic and fair trade movements that were happening there. So here is where I started, January 2006, working remotely from home or coffee shops with companies all over the world in fair trade, organic, addiction treatment, clean energy, campaigns against slavery… you name it. Many of our clients were fair trade, and I wanted to experience it firsthand and share the stories and photos with the rest of the world. So my first fair trade delegation was to East Timor in 2006. Grateful that over the years ive been able to photograph and tell the stories of farmers from East Timor, Palestine, Chiapas, Central America, Africa and more.
I describe what I do as “good-for-the-world creative services.” Working closely with my clients- inviting them to be part of the creative team so we could partner in making their vision a reality. Every one of my clients MEAN what they do and love it, conscious entrepreneurs, and our creative partnership was fulfilling and inspiring to us both. I eventually was trained and certified as a life coach as well, and I bring that into my design work, coaching and consulting for entrepreneurs with a passion for good-for-the-world ideas and businesses aligned with their values, strengths… I want to see people come alive and make a difference in the world. Over the years of this design work, i recognize that all environmental and social justice is about people, and about living life more fully.
Im not a designer for designs sake – its all about purpose for me:)
Chelsea Bay, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am committed to using what I am good at for good by offering branding, design and creative consulting specifically for environmentally and socially responsible companies and organizations. This ranges from fair trade goods, to handmade clothing, good-for-the-world events, films, organic foods, locally-focused and small businesses, non-profits, sustainable agriculture, etc.
By working closely with each client as part of a creative team, we can move fast, stay true, and make creative services affordable for small ventures that want to change the world for good. I am committed to sustainable business practices wherever I can. From using wind-powered web hosting, 100% recycled paper and veggie-based inks, supporting local artists and collaborators, less-is-more, electronic paperwork, commuting by foot or bike, reuse or fair trade purchases, and more
Chelsea Bay Design is a graphic design firm based in Traverse City, Michigan, offering services in branding, logo design, print design, packaging design, marketing, creative consulting, and more.
That is why I work closely with each client throughout the entire creative process, taking their intuitive feelings into account as we address imagery, branding, fonts, colors etc. I am happy to provide personal, creative and affordable design services for smaller businesses who want to change the world:)
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
By staying small creative, I can be my free-spirit self. I can create new sidehustles or ideas all the time, take breaks for adventures (hiking, rollerblading, swimming, climbing) or make time to connect with friends anytime of day. This is so important to my spirit but also to my creative process. So when i do dive in to my work, Im fully tuned in and energized.
Storytelling is a huge passion of mine, and one of my other side hustles. “EXPAND is a storytelling event featuring individuals who find fulfillment from the inside out wherever they are. How they came to find the little things that make them come alive and how they continue to expand their being from right here, right NOW. Mindful, aware, present, grateful. Never arriving, always expanding.”
Everything I do is rooted in my 3 major values: Connection, creativity, purpose. Whether is video producing, photography, events, painting, narrating, etc. I love being able to wear many hats and work with many different collaboraters, and being my own boss and small company, i CAN!
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
ALWAYS word of mouth. Our work speaks for itself- and as someone who designs alot of prodtcs on a shelf, brands on the street or posters on the wall- its out there in the world as my biggest marketing tool more than any add or social media could ever do. And using what I am good at for good, Im always happy to donate a logo or design to causes I believe in. Im out in my community, part of its fabric, and that creates the trust.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://chelseabaydesign.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chelseabay_design/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChelseaBayDesign
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelsbay/
Image Credits
main headshot: Michael Poehlman