Meet Jose Fresneda | Co-Founder & Creative Director – The Collected Works

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jose Fresneda and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jose, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
The idea behind The Collected Works was born in the MFA Design program at the School of Visual Arts in New York. This is where I first met and started collaborating with co-founder Justin Colt. We both shared a big admiration and respect for each other, and we found a lot of similarities in our work. As graduation approached, we both worked at small independent design studios, while we also started to collaborate on freelance projects together.

As we navigated the transition back into professional life from grad school, we both wanted to start our own graphic design studio at some point in life. Working at other small studios, and gathering advice from our mentors, we quickly realized that there isn’t such a thing as a perfect moment to start a business. If you feel passionate about something, you must make it happen. 10 years later, it’s safe to say that we made the right choice.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The Collected Works is an independent graphic design studio that crafts brands in motion. We’re a team of creative directors, designers, animators, and technologists with clients spanning across music, art, technology, and culture. We’re able to deliver exceptional results that you might only expect from a big agency, with the speed, efficiency, and flexibility of a boutique studio.

Over the past decade, we’ve proudly collaborated with hundreds of diverse clients, making waves across multiple industries. We’ve designed identity systems for festivals and events that have sold over half a million tickets and have played an instrumental role in startups that garnered tens of millions in funding.

We partner with clients and collaborators that we believe in, guided by passion, not profit, and who share our mantra of creating Rad Work for Rad People.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
The studio is located in Tribeca, in New York City. Here are some of our favorite spots nearby.

Here’s some places to eat that we can’t get enough of:
Zooba
Thai Diner
Chipilo
Bahn Mi Saigon

And when we’re looking to have a little fun as a team or with friends, there’s so many fun and inspirational places. Some of our favorite things to do:

Gallery hop around Tribeca (The Hole NYC & Shine Gallery are two special highlights.)
Grab a drink at the Roof of the Walker Hotel
Citibike across the Williamsburg Bridge
Enjoy some music at The Lot Radio

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Design education has played a very important part in our career, both as students and as teachers at the School of Visual Arts. That being said, I also acknowledge the rising costs of education and how that might make it inaccessible to many.

That’s why I’m very impressed by the work done by Aprender Design, a Brazilian design and technology school that has started offering a series of online design courses in the US and the rest of the world. While I have not been part of the school in any way, I wish that I had had more resources like them back when I was a student. All of their courses and instructors look fantastic, and the work done by their students is top-notch.

Website: http://tcw.studio/

Instagram: @thecollectedworks

Image Credits
The North Face Zine (featuring Quannah Chasinghorse spread) – photo credit Newspaper Club All other images credited to The Collected Works