Art & Merch Design with Coco Nella

Photo by New Perspective LA

In honor of Women’s History Month, we decided to interview some Los Angeles women artists, designers, and business owners. We start this series by talking to artist and designer, Coco Nella who has paved her way through the Los Angeles art scene after relocating from the Tri-State area. Coco has worked with several brands and businesses to elevate their brand with her abstract designs.

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Who Is Coco Nella?

Photo by New Perspective LA

Coco Nella is a Los Angeles-based mural & custom artwork business owned by Corinne “coco” Pulsinelle. Coco hails from the east coast, where she grew up fascinated by abandoned buildings and street art. After attending SUNY Purchase Art Conservatory in New York, she was able to refine her style and scale up her designs into large murals.

Since moving to Los Angeles, Coco’s painting style has caught the attention of major corporations, interior designers, business owners, and independent clients looking to have custom artwork in their homes. Her illustrations have also been used on packaging, clothing, and merch specifically in collaboration with local breweries.

Coco’s Background

Growing up in New Jersey, Coco became interested in the arts while taking an art class at her high school. Growing up, she took a specific interest in photography and graffiti as her artistic outlet. While in high school her teacher encouraged her and helped her apply to art schools.

After relocating to Los Angeles, Coco made connections with local interior designers and she began doing large-scale paintings and home murals as well as retail and office spaces. She has been able to create these connections through the years and building a brand for herself.

Although Coco’s primary work is painting murals and graphic design, she majored in Screen Printing while at SUNY Purchase where she learned the art of printmaking. This knowledge helped her understand design and plays a big role in how she works today. Coco has been able to pivot her knowledge of design and printmaking to create artwork for beer cans and apparel.

10 Questions with Coco Nella

We sat down with Coco to talk about her story, her inspiration for what she does, and the women in history that paved the way for her.

Q: How do you think learning the art of Printmaking in college influences your art today?

Coco: Printmaking is a cool knowledge base to come from because it is process-heavy and I am better at setting up a project overall because of it. For example, I approach murals by having a completely planned-out design first and pay close attention to things like color order as you would in printmaking. The heavy focus on design and image layering is definitely something I think is evident across my work.

Q: Growing up, who were the women that you looked up to as inspiration for making art?

Coco: I have always been inspired by strong women in general, especially those who are accomplished in male-dominated industries or have overcome very big challenges. I can’t pinpoint a particular idol in the art world, but I will say that seeing my grandma react to the drawings I was doing as a kid for example made me feel like maybe I had something worth pursuing. So maybe I didn’t know all of the art icons & hadn’t been to many galleries, but I had strong women around me who I looked up to and wanted to make proud.

Q: How do you help brands develop their visual assets?

Coco: My approach to working with brands is based on making a personal connection and understanding the ethos of the company and who their customer is. Developing color schemes, fonts, and images. Those are all tools we can utilize to communicate. Sometimes I feel like a translator, taking what it is a company wants to express and simply putting that into the language of design. I am not short on unconventional ideas and I value freshness and originality while keeping things approachable.

Q: What is your process when designing merch for a business?

Coco: On a technical level, it’s important for me to understand what the design is going to be used for. An image that translates well on a digitally printed t-shirt might not work on an embroidered hat for example. Once that part is sorted out, I really just focus on making the merch look eye-catching and awesome. People often buy merch because it’s nostalgic… you had a great time at a new brewery and there’s an awesome t-shirt hanging in front of you that you can wear and remember that awesome time. It’s built into the experience for the customer, but it’s also built into the advertising of the business. It’s a proper win-win scenario that should be treated as a fun and enjoyable creative process.  

Q: What do you enjoy about working with local breweries?

Coco: Local breweries are often down-to-earth social environments where things behind the scenes are often very creative and experimental. I feel like my goal as a visual artist to bring people together parallels the goal of many brewers that I have met, and that alignment allows for really cool artwork to happen.

Q: How important do you think it is for breweries to have label art for their cans?

Coco: Label art on almost any product is an integral part of creating/product brand awareness and making sales. A lot of people like myself will engage with a new product almost exclusively because I like how it looks, after all that’s often all you know about the product until you’ve tried it.

Q: What is the best part of working with a local business?

Coco: The best part of working with a local business is that I am also a local business and we speak the same language, a lot of times as far as understanding the hustle, the highs, and lows. I come at those projects from a place of support and I really appreciate the support in return.

Q: What do you like most about designing beer can labels?

Coco: Craft beer is specifically cool to make art for because oftentimes the customer will sip on a beer and have a rare moment of pause where they can actually look at the can. I like to bring a lot of detail into these labels and give people lots to look at, it’s just fun and part of the whole experience of unwinding with a good beer. Plus I’ve seen people either collect or turn the can into planters so that’s been a meaningful and unexpected demonstration of how people respond to the work I’m putting out.

Q: What is the most challenging part of designing merch?

Coco: The most challenging part of designing merch for me is creating the best strategy ahead of time so that whatever artwork I send to the printer will translate really well onto whatever product we are making. At the same time, I want to create artwork that is versatile for my client, so if they decide in the future to turn the same image into a patch or a pin I need to hit that sweet spot of having visually interesting details, but not so many details that they get lost on the item or can’t be made at all. It’s not always possible but that is often a challenge I face being in between the client and the printer.

Q: What inspires your creativity when designing merch?

Coco: When I design merch, I am always on the lookout for unconventional sources of inspiration that can bring freshness and originality. I don’t look at other merch as much as I might look at old photos, advertisements, and even just cool color combinations that I might notice while I’m out on a walk. 

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Designed by Coco Nella for the 2020 Los Angeles Brewers Guild

Beer label designs

Coco has worked with some Los Angeles County-based breweries such as Lucky Luke Brewing and Pacific Plate Brewing designing their cans. She has been able to bring a brighter concept and an out-of-the-box approach to label design.

Colorful and eye-catching beer label designs have recently become a very integral part of the craft beer business in Los Angeles. Having a well-thought-out, colorful and fun design on a beer label has proven to increase sales, and breweries all around the country are beginning to notice that combining art and beer is a good way to create brand awareness and loyalty.

Check out The 20 best beer label designs of 2020

Read How to design a beer label: The ultimate guide for craft brewers

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Merch Design

Having a well-thought-out design printed on a t-shirt or stickers can get you noticed. Coco has created some very cool designs to establish a brand visual asset for some of her clients such as Leo & Mamas, which is a women-owned lifestyle brand and shop in Lancaster, California, and a cool bandana collab with Lady Luck Print Co. which is a women-owned print shop located in Carlsbad, California.

As a business with regular customers, selling t-shirts, mugs, or stickers at your events or establishment creates a beautiful flywheel effect: the more merch you sell, the more money you make, and the more your brand gets promoted by your regular customers. A nice mention on their social media also helps promote your brand and gets you noticed by orders in a way that is fast and easy.

Read 8 Reasons why your company needs branded merchandise

Author: Irene Floridia - Content Creator

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Our showroom at 2755 Fruitdale Street, Los Angeles, CA 90039 is open by appointment only from 10 am - 4 pm Monday through Friday.

Art & Healing with Rachel Howe of Small Spells

Photo by Chloe Jarnac

Continuing our series for Women’s History Month, we interviewed Rachel Howe. Rachel is the brain and talent behind @SmallSpells, a multi-dimensional brand, joining healing and the arts. We chat with Rachel about her process and about how she approached her unique business idea.

Illustrations for horoscope playlists on Spotify by Small Spells and curated by astrologer Chani Nicholas

Who is Rachel Howe?

Rachel is a Los Angeles-based illustrator, reiki healer, stick and poke tattoo artist, a potter, a tarot card reader, and a writer - she is basically the definition of creativity.

Rachel created her brand Small Spells by channeling her many talents and healing work into one creative output. Her work is oftentimes all-encompassing by creating visuals for her writing and vice versa. Her passion for creating art is incessant and the driving force behind her successful business.

Small Spells offers a variety of services which include, tarot readings and healing, Reiki sessions, stick and poke tattoo as well as workshops centered around tarot card reading. Her illustration work has been featured on the Spotify platform and other collaborations with both physical and virtual publications as well as collaborations with clothing and jewelry brands.

Zodiac illustrations by Small Spells for jewelry brand Venyx World

Rache’s Background

Rachel is originally from New Jersey but spent most of the life in New York City after she attended college at Parsons School of Design where she studied Fine Arts with a focus on drawing. While she attended Parsons and after she attended college, she worked within the fine art world at galleries and for art dealers around NYC, at which point she began to feel discouraged by the business of fine art. She then decided to focus on carving her own path by creating functional products, and that is how she began making ceramic pieces. During this time, she was able to quit her job and focused on pottery full-time.

As her schedule became more flexible, Rachel took an interest in Astrology and healing modalities which led her to energy work such as Reiki. This is when she began learning techniques to channel energy for healing purposes. Shortly thereafter she began learning tarot card reading and started proving energy healing sessions. Rachel quickly and serendipitously began to gain momentum on social media and began posting horoscope-related content along with her ceramics which is what lead her to other opportunities such as creating her own tarot card deck and working with other brands.

“drawing on the imagery of cartoons, tattoos, handmade illustrations and low-fi graphic design, I’ve found a voice that is both accessible and aspirational. Whether through energy work, a hand-poked tattoo, or a t-shirt, the aim is always to lift up those around me, to raise the level of communication and self-awareness, and to enable personal healing and growth to occur.”

— Rachel Howe, Small Spells

Sticker for “The Bumper Sticker Show” by Small Spells

10 Questions with Rachel Howe

Small Spells is such a unique and dynamic concept that it has caught the attention of many publications and other businesses looking to collaborate with artists. We asked Rachel about what inspires her and how she combines her healing work with her art.

Q: What inspires you to make art?

Rachel: I've always made art since I was a child. I am a visual person, and an emotional person and art to me is a way to translate feelings into something that can visually express those felt emotions, so they can be shared with others. I love looking at all kinds of art, craft, and design for inspiration, and even more when they are combined in unconventional ways. I especially love drawing, as I feel it's something everyone can do in an interesting way, and it's the most direct expression from the brain to the hand.

Q: Is there a woman in history or in your life that has had an influence on your art?

Rachel: I don't know if there is one woman I can name, but I am definitely inspired by all the women I know who make things, design things, or have a small business. Actually, my high school photography teacher, who was also a family friend, was pretty influential on me when I was younger. She was very head-strong, committed to her documentary photography work, and always reminded me that being interesting was more important than being popular.

Q: How did you come up with the concept for your business/brand?

Rachel: My brand came about pretty organically, I didn't really set out to have a business. So much of how I run my business was learned on the fly. And it has kept evolving over time. But, I guess I did have an idea that I wanted to do things my way, and I wanted to make things accessible, both in pricing and in my messaging. I actually came up with the name, Small Spells, before I even had a business!

Q: What do you hope to achieve with the work that you have not yet achieved?

Rachel: The work of mine that I consider most successful feels purposeful and functional, while still being visually interesting. I always want, especially with the more esoteric or spiritual work, to make things accessible and understandable to everyone. I like to create art that also teaches, or helps people. I want to keep making things that open people's minds, allow them to connect with themselves, and teach them new information. I have some future projects in mind that continue to combine illustrations and writings.

Q: What is the connection between your healing work and astrology?

Rachel: My approach to healing is really about self-understanding, and the healing that we can do for ourselves, once we have a fuller awareness of our whole being. So my work as a healer is to guide others to see themselves more clearly. Astrology has always been used as a tool to know oneself, even the parts that we can't see objectively on our own. Both the natal chart and daily horoscopes are used to gain insight into our natural tendencies, our desires and motivations, our blocks and wounds, and to learn how to work with them.

Q: What motivated you to begin printing your designs on apparel and creating your own Tarot cards?

Rachel: My business really started and took off when I was making ceramics. I got really into making functional objects out of clay, but it is very time-consuming and labor-intensive, and I wanted a quicker and easier way to get my work out into the world. I was having fun making drawings, and putting them on t-shirts was even more fun, especially when I would see people wearing them out in the neighborhood. As I returned more to drawing and illustration, and at the same time was learning much more about Tarot, I wanted to express my deepening knowledge by creating my own deck.

Q: What got you into stick & poke tattooing?

Rachel: There was a certain amount of freedom that I felt when I was making ceramics, and working for myself. I felt more like an artist and creator of my own style, more than when I was in art school or working in the art world. So, I had the flexibility and the desire to branch out into anything that felt interesting at the time. A friend taught me how to hand-poke tattoos, and for a while, I just tattooed myself, and my friends. It really sparked my love of drawing again, after taking a break from it to work with clay, and it felt exciting to work on other people's bodies, and have that personal interaction. I've been taking a break from tattooing during the pandemic, but I can't wait to get back to it.

Q: Did you always intend on Small Spells being such a dynamic brand concept?

Rachel: I didn't really intend for my brand to be any sort of way at the beginning! It really just coincided with my own personal development and healing in a way where I felt able to make things that reflected my own authentic interests, no matter how diverse they were. I feel really lucky that people who support my work followed me from ceramics to astrology, to tattoos, to illustrations and clothing, and anything else I got into creating.

Q: What was the inspiration behind writing your Healing & Self-Help book?

Rachel: This book is a kind of compilation and re-write of small essays that I would post on Instagram over the last few years. I felt they were meaningful writings, but had gotten lost in the void of past posts. I also had a large collection of drawings that I hadn't used for anything yet. So I collected everything together and assembled it into a cohesive book that could offer support for people on their own healing journeys. It came out the fall before the pandemic and quarantine happened, and I think it was good timing for it since people suddenly had a lot of time to read, think, and do some self-investigation and healing.

Q: What do you enjoy the most about collaborating with other brands?

Rachel: Most people I've collaborated with have been friends, people who I know and admire, and I feel connected to their work and the way they run their businesses. It's really fun when other people make interesting things, and then invite you into their process, like with the jewelry collection I made with Tuza. It's validating as an artist when people want to share their vision and work with you, and also humbling to learn more about materials and methods that others have mastered.

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Illustrations

Small Spells has been featured in publications related to Astrology and Horoscopes, and she has also done illustrations for jewelry designers such as Tuza Jewelry, and Venyx World as well as publications and event posters. Her minimal approach to illustrations makes her work recognizable and playful.

Illustration work can be applied to anything and can feel very authentic and personal, as opposed to graphic design which leans more towards commercial use. Illustrations are more of a fine art form, in the sense that the work embodies that artist’s sensibility and style.

Illustrations are a visual way to portray or illustrate a written text and it helps to explain an idea or tell a story by providing a sort of decoration to the piece. Illustrations come in many forms both traditional and digital; and just like graphic design, illustrations can be applied to clothing, posters, and branding.

““Graphic design’s ability to deliver explicit messages makes it a major (if little recognized) force in the modern world: it is embedded in the commercial infrastructure. Illustration, on the other hand, with its woolly ambiguity and its allusive ability to convey feeling and emotion, makes it too dangerous to be allowed to enter the corporate bloodstream.””

— Adrian Shaughnessy

Apparel, Tarot Cards & Books

When Rachel began doing tarot readings and workshops she decided to illustrate her own deck along with a guidebook, which took her over a year to complete.

Her creativity goes beyond her illustrations and healing work, as she has always been a writer and often times likes to combine the two art forms. Her writing had led her to create a book of short inter-connected essays on different aspects of healing and self-help, with related illustrations throughout. You can also see the same theme of lo-fi illustrations along with her writing on her apparel line.

Using simple illustrations for apparel has become more and more popular with the rise of tattoo culture. Rachel’s love for stick and poke tattoos helped her develop her illustration style and making apparel has been another way to channel her creativity.

Check out: How To Make a Fashion illustration in Adobe Illustrator

March 19, 2021 | Author: by Irene Floridia

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For any inquiries, send us a message!

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send us an e-mail at quotes@familyindustriesla.com

Our showroom at 2755 Fruitdale Street, Los Angeles, CA 90039 is open by appointment only from 10 am - 4 pm Monday through Friday.

Meet A Family Member - John August Roberts

Each month we bring you inside our warehouse to introduce you to a member of our Family.

John August Roberts

In-House & Live Embroidery

Screen Printing

With as much traveling as John does on behalf of our live team, it’s a miracle he’s physically up for coming into the warehouse. This would be quite a feat for most people, but for John it almost seems second nature. As soon as he steps foot into the warehouse, he is laser focused. While that sounds super cliché, it wouldn’t if you saw him in action. He’s kind of like a superhero. Whether it’s intentional or not, he’s even got a costume! Can’t knock it though, cause when he places those headphones on top of his signature beanie he makes magic happen.

Hustle like John’s is hard to come by, and we are insanely lucky to call him a Family Member.

Introducing, John August Roberts…

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What do you do at Family Industries?

That’s a complicated question… I pretty much do whatever Family needs, but my main focus is on embroidery and screen printing. Outside of the shop I do a lot for the live team. It’s rare that I spend a full week JUST in the shop, as we’re constantly doing events. The live stuff is great though cause I love to travel, and the experiences at some of these events are pretty awesome.

What piece of clothing that you own could you not live without?

My beanie, no question.

At the moment, what are your top three songs?

1. “Y Control” - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

2. “Hierophant” - King Woman Instant

3. “Instant Disassembly” - Parquet Courts

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“THE OVER-SHARE QUESTIONNAIRE”

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Like many of us, John has passions that extend beyond the office walls. One of those passions is poster printing.

John started poster printing at Pasadena City College, and wanted to make a series of poster prints comprised of people he knows and places he’s been. The majority of his pieces are four color process prints or posterization.

The print below is a 12"X12" posterization portrait he made back in 2017, and it as it happens: it’s his favorite.

AND FINALLY,

DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN ONE GIF:

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Meet A Family Member - Kerin Amit

Each month we bring you inside our warehouse to introduce you to a member of our Family.

Kerin Amit

Fulfillment Department Manager / Master of Direct to Garment

Though it is far from finished, we’ve been working out of Camp Family (our new facility in Frogtown, LA) for quite some time now. Simultaneously managing the workflow of two separate locations would be a much more difficult and stressful situation if it weren’t for one person: Kerin Amit. Over here at the Chinatown warehouse we’re fortunate enough to work alongside our fellow Family members, with someone always there to help pick up the slack. Meanwhile, at Camp Family, Kerin has had to handle the bulk of everything on her own. Most people would lose their minds, but somehow she manages to stay above it all. She’s the very definition of hard worker, and her ability to handle everything with poise and a level head is what makes her an invaluable member of the Family. The Fulfillment Department is a non-stop, ever-changing machine; yet somehow Kerin makes managing it look easy. Add to that the fact that she’s our go-to Direct to Garment printer, and you begin to wonder: is Kerin half human, half machine? Simply put, without Kerin we would be lost. Very few people could do what she does on a daily basis and manage to keep their head on straight. There is never a moment of nuttiness (of which there are plenty) that Kerin let’s get to her. She’s Camp Family’s knight in shining armor, and there isn’t a day that goes by that she doesn’t make us feel lucky as hell for getting to call her a member of our Family.

Without further ado, we’re excited to finally introduce you to THE Kerin Amit.

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What do you do at Family Industries?

To put it simply, I manage the Fulfillment department and run the Direct to Garment printers. I also do live events. I can pretty much do anything. DTG, embroidery, screen print, sublimation, vinyl, heat transfer.

Breaking it down, my main job is to work with clients in managing and maintaining their online store. We offer on demand printing for fulfillment, so when orders come in, I’ll either print them or if there is printed stock I’ll pull from inventory. And then I ship everything out. We can get anywhere between 40-100 orders overnight, so it’s always busy.

What piece of clothing that you own could you not live without?

High waisted pants.

At the moment, what are your top three songs?

1. “Lost On You” - LP

2. “Little Bit” - Terror Jr.

3. “Needy” - Ariana Grande

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“THE OVER-SHARE QUESTIONNAIRE”

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On top of steering the ship known as Camp Family, Kerin is also an incredible artist. If you attended Record Store Day 2019 at Amoeba Records, you might have snagged a shirt with Kerin’s design on it. That’s right, she’s the amazing artist behind this year’s Amoeba Tape design!

AND FINALLY,

DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN ONE GIF:

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