About
Red Cowboy Designs was created in 2002 as a creative outlet for Josh Brown. He started out by helping his friends and family with small projects in his spare time while attending seminary. He then began working for a few non-profit and local churches on a part-time basis. Which then eventually led to a full-time desk job where he worked on projects that he wasn’t passionate about and for which he had no creative direction over.
In 2006, he decided that he’d rather give up his salary and benefits than to fall into the trap of “moving up the ladder” because that’s what you’re supposed to do, regardless of whether you enjoy your job or not. So he launched out like a wild-eyed pilgrim. Not sure of what he wanted to do but knowing what he didn’t want to do.
In the middle of that he sort of fell into the full-time work of graphic design. At that point Red Cowboy Designs as a full-on enterprise was born. In the upcoming months, he incorporated under a LLC and now there is the rather official title of Red Cowboy Designs, LLC that he can throw around at his fancy.
In the beginning of 2007 Josh also began to wrestle with the idea of his business being a “for-profit” for his own individual and family’s interest. After much thought and consideration Josh came to believe that he could do more than just design graphics. He could leverage his little company into something larger. Something that could play a role in creating a better world. So while he still enjoys “profit” (he does have a family to feed afterall), he now sees it as a means to an end of helping to make the world a better place.
So Red Cowboy Designs uses part of their resources to help finance micro-loans to third world business enterpreneurs like himself through Kiva. Red Cowboy is also a part of a loose collection of designers known as the Graphic Alliance who attempt to “promote fundamental social change through their work”. As well Red Cowboy Designs is doing what it can to understand and promote open-source software and creative solutions. Believing collaboration for the good of the world is better than the individualism of greedy profit chasing.
