So, you may have stumbled upon this site looking for the designer who created the
- Chris Koens at Pike’s Place, Public Market Center. Seattle, Washington.
FAMOUS “Dish Bunny“… I’m not THAT Chris Koens.
Besides sharing a name, like the other Chris Koens, I am a working designer. I co-founded a company called OneExtra. OneExtra works with clients of all sizes – from entrepreneurs and start-ups to large corporations. We focus on design, social media, events, and creative problem solving. When organizations think they could do more if they just had one extra hand or one extra mind… now they can.
In addition to OneExtra, I work as an Adjunct Professor at Grand Valley State University in the School of Communications
The majority of posts on this site will be inspired by my class, my students, and the assignments in CAP105.
For more information
The Other Chris Koens: www.StudioChrisKoens.nl
OneExtra: www.OneExtra.me
Grand Valley: www.GVSU.edu
Social Media information
Twitter: @chriskoens
Facebook: ckoens
Instagram: @chriskoens
LinkedIn: /in/chriskoens
BrandYourself: chriskoens
AboutMe: chriskoens
Basic Statistical information
Education: BFA, Kendall College of Art & Design (now part of Ferris State University)
Employment: OneExtra & Grand Valley State University
Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S.A.
More about Me
So, now that you’ve found me, you want to learn more about Chris Koens? Okay.. As I noted above, I’m a designer, a strategist, a content creator, a creative solutions provider, and a university professor. My drive comes from my passion to be curious and explore how to create a solution to a problem that focuses – first and foremost – on the end user. I started my career in Grand Rapids, Michigan. While I have found myself loosely planted in 9 countries and two U.S. States, “Gravity Rapids” has pulled me back home and I’ve returned to this spectacular city to, once again, call it home. And with my return to Grand Rapids, comes a return to education. After nearly 2 decades away from the classroom, I returned to teaching in 2017 – this time at Grand Valley State University.
In addition to design and marketing services, I frequently find myself managing social media accounts for small businesses and organizations. In my personal life, I have accounts on the major networks as well as a Google Plus account, an account on Ello, and a Path account (update: in October 2018, Path finally died… so my Path, ultimately, ended).
Since receiving my degree from Kendall College of Art & Design (now part of Ferris State University), I’ve worked at various companies – from major corporations to startups – across functions focused on marketing, UX design, and product management. I’ve been Employee One at two separate start-ups and have navigated the shark infested waters of bringing a company to ABC’s Shark Tank – as well as assisted social media efforts for day-of-airing of two other Shark Tank featured companies. I’m passionate about building networks of talented individuals, storytelling, and assisting startups in taking their businesses to the next level.
In my spare time, you can find me sipping coffee in my home library while digesting multiple books at once, struggling to craft stories for my blog, or binge watching a program on Netflix or Hulu… episodic background noise is kinda my “go to.”
Thoughts by Chris Koens. 