Sisters design business has a national reach

Walk into any bookstore or browse online, and you'll likely run across the work of Chris Gilbert and David Carlson. The graphic artists operate Gearbox (also known as Studio Gearbox) out of an office on Pine Street in Sisters, producing book covers that adorn the shelves of shops across the nation.

Closer to home, you'll find their work in the new branding and signage for Clearwater Gallery's new wine bar and art studio.

The 8-year-old graphic design firm does complete branding identity work, packaging, advertising and may be most visible in Sisters with their posters for Starry Nights. They've also done microbrew packaging.

While they have a national clientele, they really enjoy working face-to-face with their friends and neighbors in Sisters, and they want to do more work in the local community.

"We'd love to work with the local community," Carlson said. "We do so much work over the phone and the Internet. It's fun to work in person as well. That's a perk of working locally - working face-to-face with people."

That means work like the Clearwater Gallery project.

"That started out pretty much as a sign project," Carlson said. Soon it became a complete "branding system" for the gallery and The Open Door wine bar and gathering place.

"That's the fun part," Carlson said, "making it all consistent and giving it a face to the community."

While looking to expand their local portfolio, Gearbox is acutely aware that it's their ability to work nationwide that allows them to work in Sisters.

"If we were dependent on the local economy to stay in business, we wouldn't be in business," said Gilbert.

Their bread and butter - book cover work - involves a vigorous process of developing concepts with the art director and marketing departments of major publishing houses. And retail giants now have a say in design.

"Nowadays Barnes & Noble and Amazon have so much clout, they can refuse a cover," Gilbert noted. "They won't buy it if they don't like it."

Gearbox is gearing up to meet the major changes in the publishing industry - although they have few concerns about being rendered obsolete. After all, even e-books need "covers." Good graphics continue to sell books. The delivery of graphics is changing, though. Book trailers have now become an important component of marketing for both e-books and traditional print volumes.

Gilbert and Carlson acknowledge that they will likely need to add book trailer production to their toolkit.

The rise of e-publishing is also beginning to change the clientele. Authors are moving into direct publishing and marketing of their books, without agents or publishers.

"We get approached by people who have a book ready to go and they just need a cover," Gilbert noted.

Both men originally came to Sisters to work for Multnomah Publishing, Carlson in 1993 and Gilbert in 1999. Each stayed with the company for about a year and a half before working for David Uttley, who has since moved into photography work for international aid organizations.

Gilbert and Carlson became partners in August 2004. They like working in a non-corporate environment, and they love working in Sisters. Some graphic designers find stimulation in a bustling urban environment. The men from Gearbox prefer biking to work, getting it done and going home to enjoy Sisters Country with their families.

"Obviously, if you're in a major metropolitan area, there's a larger core of businesses to draw from for work," Carlson said. "I think the quality of life (in Sisters) really outweighs that."

Gearbox provides a model for a small business that can thrive in Sisters by working outside Sisters. And they hope to do more in their hometown.

"We want to be part of the community," Gilbert said. "To me, that's what Sisters is. I think for us, that's a creatively freeing thing."

Gearbox is located at 257 S. Pine St.. For information call 541-549-1478.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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