Communication

It's one thing to look better than your competitors, it's quite another to communicate more effectively than they do. Whether you're establishing a brand, promoting a cause or disseminating research we can help you efficiently and meaningfully deliver your message using print publications, web applications and social networks.

Graphic Design

We offer a full range of graphic design services from the creation of simple business cards to complete corporate identity packages. We've experience in print production, scientific research, business publishing and education.

Product Photography

We offer product photography services in our studio on Saltspring Island or on-site with local clients. We're particularly interested in working with craftsmen, artists and artisans.

Web Development

A glance at a page in a book will tell you whether it's a novel, a poem or a screenplay. Websites are similarly varied in structure, benefiting from different approaches for different purposes. We build our sites using a range of open source software and robust hosted web applications; configuring off-the-shelf solutions that fit your needs well.

About Us

We are a husband and wife team based on beautiful Saltspring Island in British Columbia. Christine, our graphic designer, combines solid, practical experience in print production with a tasteful appreciation of typography, photography, texture and composition. Our web developer, Phil, has spent over a decade working with a broad range of platforms, frameworks and scripting languages.

Enquiries

We have some time free for print and web projects in April and May. Feel free to get in touch at:

enquiries@designdifferentials.com

Our Services

Graphic Design
branding | identity | posters | brochures | flyers | publications

Product Photography
artworks | craft products | manufactured goods

Web Development
sites | blogs | intranets | communities | social networks

Contact Us

enquiries@designdifferentials.com

Ortlepp Rees Designs Ltd.
442B Cusheon Lake Road
Salt Spring Island, B.C.
V8K 2C2, Canada

Human Physiology Textbook

This is an open source textbook available and editable at Wikibooks.

Chris formated the available text for printing onto A4 or letter sized paper, single or double sided, with margins large enough for hole punching. Each chapter now has an introductory image and a custom colour scheme. Chris created and edited many of the illustrations.

Orthox Company Report

A returning customer.

Following on from development of Orthox's corporate brand Chris was engaged to produce their company report, presentation slides and exhibition stands.

Colourmart Logo

Simple branding for beautiful yarns.

Colormart is an online store in the UK that sells high quality cashmere and silk yarns.

Inspired Elements Logo

Chris designed this logo as part of a class project while studying at the Art Institute of Vancouver.

The inspiration for the design was a local raiki company looking for a new identity that incorporated the five elements: water, fire, air, earth and spirit.

Orthosilk Logo

Making visual connections.

Designed for a prospective spinoff, the Orthosilk logo echos the branding of parent company Orthox, while being different enough to avoid confusing the brands.

Orthox Logo

Shape echoes function.

Orthox is a biotechnology company in the UK that develops biomedical joint implants from silkworm silk.

Spring Crocus Logo

An A.I. project.

Based in Vancouver's North Shore, Spring Crocus Community Market Co-op is establishing a retail food market for sustainable organic produce.

Fern

Surprising nature.

Natural objects present a real opportunity to surprise people with colors, textures and shapes.

Glass Containers

Hinting at volume.

Lighting is critical when photographing glass to preserve a sense of volume while making the contents both visible and attractive.

Bellarmine Jug

Documenting Artefacts.

Photographed as part of a documentation project at Alderney Museum this Bellarmine Jug was one of the artefacts recovered from an Elizabethan Shipwreck.

Tulip

Focus and lighting.

Macro photography requires precision and attention to detail to harmonize technical and aesthetic aims.

We don't reinvent the wheel.

Web development is not rocket science ...

... and you don't need N.A.S.A.'s budget to get your site up and running. Where possible, we use open source software. So instead of starting from scratch with each site we take existing frameworks like 960gs or JQuery Tools, and use them to get a head start.

Bottom Line: We work faster. You pay less.

We don't put square pegs into round holes.

We know the difference between a diary, a flyer and shopping cart. We won't force you to use a blog when you need an image gallery.

So whether you need to display a brochure, update customers, showcase a portfolio or disseminate research we'll help you select the most usable solutions that match your needs. Then we'll make them beautiful.

Chris Ortlepp

Graphic Designer

I'm Chris and I'm a designer.

But I'm also a zoologist, photographer, cyclist, bio-medical researcher, widget builder, gardener and baker of delicious cakes. I bring a breadth of perspectives into the creative process. Then I make things that work for you, and for your customers.

Phil Rees

Web Developer

Phil Rees is a graduate of the University of Oxford who has worked as an educator and developer for over two decades. Most notably he has set up and managed websites for Templeton College, the Oxford Institute of Retail Management and the Learning Technology Group within the Medical Sciences Division of the University of Oxford.