Translating complex ideas into visual stories across brand, design and motion, from print to film.
I can lead the creative, collaborate with an existing team, or take the work from idea through execution.
Selected Work
Anthropic
Visual campaign storytelling for Claude, translating enterprise AI into a clear, human narrative.
View case studySevenRooms
An ongoing motion and editorial partnership translating product features into premium brand content.
View case studySyfy
Network rebrand and on-air visual system, built for a network in cultural transition.
View case studyIBM
A technology storytelling film translating big data infrastructure into a clear visual explanation.
View case studyOther America
A directed documentary series, with storytelling depth beyond commercial work.
View case studyNBC Winter Olympics
Broadcast brand-systems design for one of the most watched live events in the world. Emmy Award.
View case studyBeyond the screen.
A focused, independent practice: design, motion and film for product and brand storytelling.
Explore Cogent ↗Brand Strategy & Identity
Building brands that hold together everywhere they show up, from a printed mark to a broadcast package, for organizations including Syfy, Honeydew, CBS Sports and NBC.
Syfy
Full rebrand from naming through brand mark and rollout across 87 countries.
View case study
A brand is a system, not a logo.
Design & Visual Systems
Visual languages built with intention, not instinct, so an idea holds its shape whether it's moving, printed or on screen, for organizations including Anthropic, IBM, SearchStax and Broadcom.
Anthropic
Visual campaign storytelling for Claude, translating enterprise AI into a clear, human narrative.
View case study
When there's no visual reference, every decision has to be invented and defended on its own terms.
Product Storytelling
Turning technical complexity into stories people actually want to watch, for product and platform teams including SevenRooms, Reebok, Broadcom and IBM.
SevenRooms
An ongoing motion and editorial partnership translating product features into premium brand content.
View case study
Not dumbed down. Distilled.
Motion & Film
Motion and live-action craft built for meaning, not decoration, from award-winning brand films to network campaign work, for Investigation Discovery, Battlestar Galactica and NBCUniversal.
Investigation Discovery
A continuous overhead camera move, never cutting once. Clio Award.
View case studyThe harder the brief is to visualize, the more it matters to build something real.
Film Titles
Title sequences built to set the tone before the story even starts, for Pitch Perfect 2, Nitehawk Cinema, and feature work from Lionsgate and Rockridge Pictures.
Pitch Perfect 2
Opening titles built from handmade, in-camera light drawing. Universal Pictures.
View case study
The first thing anyone sees. The tone for everything after.
Personal Work
Work made on my own terms, without a client brief, still built with the same care as everything else: documentary, festival film, and authored design.
Other America
A directed documentary series, twelve films across fourteen thousand miles, screened at Nitehawk Cinema.
View case study
The work I make when nobody's briefing me.
Cogent turns complex products and ideas into clear, compelling stories through design, motion and film.
A focused, independent creative practice led by James Coulson.
Organizations are rarely as clear from the outside as they are on the inside. What’s obvious inside a product, a market or a body of expertise doesn’t always translate: the internal language rarely lands the same way with a customer, an investor, or anyone new to it.
Cogent steps back, finds the story, and gives it visual form.
Small by design. Senior creative thinking and hands-on making stay close together throughout.
Projects that need more (more scale, more specialist craft) bring in collaborators and production resources. The thinking never changes hands.
Making the complex clear
Turning products, platforms and ideas into stories people can understand.
Turning expertise into story
Giving knowledge, perspective and conviction a clear, compelling form.
Every engagement is scoped to the project. Most fall into one of three shapes.
Projects
A defined piece of work across design, motion or film, from concept through finished execution.
Ongoing Partnership
Ongoing creative support for teams with recurring needs across product launches, campaigns and content.
Creative Direction
Concept, visual direction and senior creative oversight for projects that already have a team or production resources in place.
The best way to see if we’re a good fit is a conversation.
No pitch deck, no obligation: just a straightforward discussion about what you’re trying to build and whether Cogent is the right partner.
Get in touch →