I help people remember the deep story that drives their passion, then create the symbols, language, and visuals of that story. I'm a romantic about my work, and I strive to make it transcendently true, good… and frickin’ beautiful.

  • I fell in love with logos at ten years old when our mailman misdelivered a catalog of every sports logo. I was smitten with symbols.

    As I got older my natural yum for psychology and philosophy led me into the rich field of “semiotics,” a study of how humans create meaning through symbols.

    My heroes: the toga’d bros and their love of the transcendent, Carl Jung and his love of our shared human subconscious, the badass team of Carol Pearson and Margaret Mark, who taught me that vibes are valuable if tested…and Peter Parker, who always tries to save the villain.

  • I'm a professional improv comedian with twenty years of on-stage experience, including hundreds of live shows (in Colorado and across the country) and dozens of workshops teaching all ages the power of play.

    Nothing has taught me more about being a better listener, creative, and person. The practiced ability to say “yes, and” to the unknown is my most valuable skill.

    Playfulness done well… is art.

    • I help brands build a memorable identity.

    • I create beautiful symbols, words, and systems of style.

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Logo Refinement

You already have a logo, but maybe it’s old, or maybe your cool uncle Claude made it and you need a designer to hand-refine it.

    • Clean up your existing logo

    • Help you land on the right typeface

    • Help you define a color palette

  • A brand quick sheet: your logo, type, and colors in one place, ready to hand to a printer or a web person.

  • Starting at $300.
    Additional revisions billed hourly.

Services

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Brand Build

You’ve got a business and no logo, (or one you don’t reeeally love), and you want a designer to create a suite of excellent branding tools.

    • Sit down together, in person or virtual, and figure out what your brand actually needs

    • Build mood boards that show what works in your industry and what doesn't

    • Design a new logo from scratch, with two rounds of revisions

    • Design the assets around it: typefaces, color palette, badges, icons, textures, and photos for your website and marketing materials

  • A full logo suite with badges, icons, textures, and photos, plus a PDF reference guide so anybody you hire later knows how to use it.

  • Starting at $1,000

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Brand Identity

You’re serious about building a brand that’s consistent in visuals and values. You want a designer who builds for a long-term vision.

    • Build your brand identity using a proprietary archetype model: your values, how you want to be seen, and who you are when nobody's watching

    • Design a new logo shaped by that identity, with three rounds of revisions

    • Write your messaging guidelines, including taglines and headlines

    • Design the assets around it: typefaces, color palette, badges, icons, textures, and photos

    • Design business cards, letterhead, social media branding, and swag (shirts, pens, mugs, keychains) chosen for what your brand actually needs

    • Coach you on what it means to embody the thing once it's built

  • A full brand guide and toolkit. Everything you need to walk forward as the brand, not just print it.

  • Starting at $5,000

About the Team

John-Mark Rantal is the creative engine and maker of JohnMark.co. He’s got a heart for humans and will always raise a glass to the worlds we dream of, and to the one we live in now.

His work has been recognized by numerous award shows including the One Club for Creativity, the Addy Awards, and that time he tied for “Best Comedian” from the Colorado Springs Gazette.

In his free time he can be found at Chipotle, loving on his family, and starting deep conversations with strangers.

Tommy Johnson is a seasoned communications professional and John-Mark's second-in-command. He oversees strategy, marketing, scheduling, and invoicing.

Tommy serves as liaison between designer and client and helps ensure all stakeholders are happy with both process and product.

When not sending emails or proofing marketing decks, Tommy can be found camping, snowboarding, attending shows at Red Rocks, or cheering on his favorite hockey team, the St. Louis Blues.

JOURNALS

My professional work is to tell authentic stories with tech-friendly brand tools.

My personal work is telling my own stories with graphite.

My journals are not shown to any kind of camera… they are for human eyes only.

You can find me at Poor Richard’s Café for Tuesday open-mics, inviting one audience member to join me on stage, privately view a journal, ask one question, and hear an improvised story.

Let’s make you something useful, beautiful, and true to your story.

CONTACT