If you’ve made your way to this blog post, you’ve already gotten at least a little bit of a look at our rebrand. (Hello, gorgeous new website!) But allow us to formally reintroduce ourselves: Welcome to the new Creative Design Consultants.
The rebrand we’ve undertaken over the last 12 months is more than just skin deep. The process has been an inside-out transformation unlike anything we’ve done before. And, like any good design, our new look tells a story—one that is rooted deeply in the legacy of our firm. It shines the spotlight on what we do best, and leaves room for us to boldly move into the future.
Here, we share the why, how, and what of the new CDC.
Design for a new era
The feeling that CDC was ready for a new chapter came to us in mid 2023. Our old brand identity had served us well for over a decade—but it was clear that the design industry, the world at large, and, importantly, we’d changed.
So, we embarked on a journey to define the next evolution of the firm. To do so, we partnered with the branding experts at Truss Creative and spent countless hours researching, brainstorming, and getting to the root of what makes us CDC.
What we landed on feels exactly right for where we’ve been, where we are today, and where we’re going.
A peek into a few of the (caffeine-fueled!) brainstorming sessions that informed our rebrand.
Our new name: embracing a legacy of excellence
Our new name—Creative Design Consultants—isn’t actually new at all. It’s the name we had when we first opened our doors in 1981, and one we moved away from when we rebranded simply as CDC in 1995 and again as CDC Designs in 2012.
Returning to our original name isn’t a step backwards: it’s a way to plant our feet firmly in our legacy as one of the longest-standing interior design firms in Southern California. Our new tagline—Defining spaces since 1981—communicates the same message. It makes it clear that we’re not the new kids on the block, and that’s a good thing. We are the originals. In our four decades of business, we’ve pioneered our field, and have continued to set the standard for vision, professionalism, expertise, and innovation that others follow.
Introducing CDC Home & CDC Studio
Our new name has also allowed us to better organize the types of projects we excel at into two distinct, yet synergistic practice areas: CDC Home and CDC Studio.
Under CDC Home, we provide full-service model home and sales environment design—it’s the type of work we pioneered four decades ago in the infancy of model home merchandising. CDC Studio, meanwhile, is our commercial design practice. Dedicated to multi-family, re-development, clubhouse, and lifestyle-driven projects across every scale and setting, CDC Studio recently brought home a Calibre Design Award for its work at Acadia, a Shea Properties community.
Our new logo: owning original
Our new name had to come with a new logo, of course. As we considered which direction to take for the next iteration of CDC’s logo, we were deeply inspired by the iconic logos of celebrated arts and cultural institutions.
It’s easy to see the impact of our influence in our new logo, featuring a stacked design and custom lettermark inspired by the simplicity of shapes used in space planning diagrams.
Our new look: layered, luxe, & interiors-inspired
As it became clear that our rebrand needed to nod to the past while looking to the future, we set out to create a visual identity that felt both instantly familiar and distinctly modern.
In our search for inspiration, we turned to some of our favorite projects we’ve worked on over the years. While our designers pride themselves on being chameleons who can adapt to the needs and style of each client, the CDC signature is clear—layers, luxe textures, refined color palettes, and always a sense of lived-in sophistication.
We took this design DNA and applied it to our visual identity, and the resulting look is one that is clean, sophisticated, and warm.
Capturing our people
Our people—their heart, humor, and expertise—are what set us apart. To really bring our new brand to life, we had to authentically capture our people in the spaces where they work, create, and connect with each other.
We shot three types of original photography for use across all of our new brand assets. Portraits were inspired by magazine editorial features. In-office candids and vignettes were curated, intended to showcase life at CDC and add life to the brand’s visual story. Lastly, our leadership team sat down in our newly renovated foyer for updated headshots that feel warm, personable, and professional.
HQ makeover
It wouldn’t be a CDC rebrand if we didn’t reimagine our headquarters. Our office renovation included new signage, furniture, and art, including a large-format, hand painted textile commission for our lobby by Kelly Porter of Porter Teleo. To pull off the makeover in record time we relied on the support of beloved brands and partners such as Possibles Signs and Otherwise, Autex Acoustics, Lititz Flooring, Luum Textiles, and so many more, who donated their products, materials, and craft to make it happen.
From richly colored textures to nature-inspired layers and details that evoke the tactile nature of our brand, every corner of our office now reflects the new CDC.
The talented Kelly Porter putting the finishing touches on the hand-painted textile art we commissioned as part of our office renovation.
“We’ve been defining spaces since 1981, and this rebrand brings new clarity to that purpose. It’s a recommitment to the heart of what we do—creating interiors that move people, drive results, and stand the test of time.”
Julie Ann Stark
Partner, President of Design
“The Originals”
To bring it all together, we worked with Truss on a narrative video, shot at our offices and on location at our Acadia project. Called “The Originals,” it charts the CDC story from the early days of pioneering model home design to where we are now—expanding our reach and dreaming of new ways to lead the interior design industry. We are so proud of how this piece turned out and hope you connect with it too.
Pulling back the curtain on what makes CDC so special.
Looking forward
Our new brand is distinctly us, and we couldn’t be more thrilled with it. But we love it even more because it tells a story of who we are. The new CDC has been shaped by every project we’ve ever worked on, every client we’ve collaborated with, and every designer who’s lent their skill and passion. But we’re not done—not even close. There’s plenty of room for the new and next to come, and we hope you’ll be with us for another decade of life-defining design.
