Option-G

Option-G is a multidisciplinary creative agency founded by Cole Gerst. We pride ourselves on delivering quality design for companies both big and small. From large brand or advertising campaigns, to one-off illustrations, we treat each client the same, delivering award-winning work.

Cole Gerst is an award winning art director, graphic designer, illustrator & painter. After stints as the art director for two record labels, art directing and designing album packaging and ad campaigns for some of the world's most influential musicians, Gerst became the first in-house art director for the House of Blues corporation. Here he established a full service art department and created company wide brand guidelines overseeing a nationwide group of designers. In 2002 Gerst left House of Blues to create option-g visual communication. For the last 10 years option-g has been continuously growing and gaining notoriety with its design and illustration style. It has been highly influential and accredited for helping foster the resurgence of the "gig" poster, designing posters for such bands as the Shins, Beck, Modest Mouse, Bright Eyes & Interpol. He has won multiple awards for design from Communication Arts, Print and How Magazine.

In 2005, Option-G continued to grow as a t-shirt line was added to the mix, selling t-shirts to such companies as Urban Outfitters and Fred Segal. Moving into the digital realm, Option-G has recently been creating & directing original animated, mobile and flash content for clients such as Sundance Channel, Mazda, Toyota & Nickelodeon. In 2009, Gerst partnered  with Greg Tomlinson, a leader in digital media marketing and content creation, to further expand Option-G’s overall reach and vision in the digital space.  Option-G won the Sundance Channel “Greenimation” award for the "Yung Yeti" cartoon series and was nominated for a Streamy Award for their Good Magazine "Inventions" animated work. Option-G's second series "DreamStates" for the Sundance Channel has recently been completed and slated to launch mid 2011.

Cole Gerst's paintings have been shown worldwide in both group and solo shows. His work is highly influenced by his surroundings and have a "man vs. nature" theme. He is influenced by having grown up in the south and visiting outisider and folk artists as a teenager. Speaking on "Naive Modernism", the LA Times wrote "he's probably the Southland's finest exemplar of this fruitful movement".

His latest exhibits have been a solo show in Los Angeles, CA entitled "Turf Wars" at Ghetto Gloss gallery (2010), a group show entitled "Los Angeles: I'm Yours" at Space 1520 (2010) which included some of Los Angeles' most influential artists & another group show featuring Robbie Conal, William Wegman, Cole Gerst, Sue Coe, Gee Vaucher & Emek among others (2011) entitled "Evolution: Revolution" in Santa Monica, CA. In 2010 Gerst was also nominated for an Art Prize by the National Resources Defense Council for his work in environmental awareness.

photo: Rob Sinclair
rep: art-department

email Cole: cg@option-g.com