Name: Coty Beasley
Bio: Entrepreneur, Designer, Developer, Tech Enthusiast and Hobbyist Photographer. Designin’ for the users, keeping the web a tidy place to code and a fun place to visit.
Title: Founder of Beasley Creative
Age: 23
Thanks to our sponsor
Residence: Kansas City, Mo.
Website: cotybeasley.name
Twitter: @beacrea
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/cbeasley0
Intro music: “1940 (Amplive Remix)” by The Submarines
Silicon Prairie News: Can you explain what Brand Your Startup does and describe the motivation for that project?
Coty Beasley: BYS is a division of Beasley Creative that focuses on helping startups and small businesses get brand essentials. A critical factor in a new business’ success is often presentation. Working in a coworking space, I see a lot of new businesses that just need the basics, but don’t understand effective branding. As a designer, I feel obligated to help — there’s this drive to make sure people don’t start off on the wrong foot.
SPN: You have written that “design should be deliberate,” and your personal logo (dissected at left) certainly reflects that. Can you break down all the elements represented in your logo?
CB: I strongly believe that design should have purpose – to just be flashy or look presentable misses the point entirely. When I created my personal logo I was inspired by the HTML5 Class logos and wanted to reflect that in my own image. The three main pieces are aesthetics (deliberate design and beauty), interaction (engagement), and a digital core, represented by the most fundamental element — the bit.
SPN: As a big believer in building code that’s based on the latest standards and maintainable for years to come, how do you manifest that belief in your work on a daily basis?
CB: From the start, I hand code everything. It lets me create something efficient, and I know how it works, which helps when problems come up. While it’s a bit more tedious, it also means that clients get code that’s up-to-date, well-commented and organized for future maintenance and takes fallbacks and cross compatibility in mind. You also get to push cool features like adaptive layouts, HTML5 and clean semantics, which aids in SEO.
SPN: Two weeks removed from Startup Weekend KC, what’s the latest from your TutHopper team? What do you see as far as the potential for the idea?
CB: We’ve certainly gotten some great support from people interested in the idea. Officially, we’re weighing the options and looking at the legalities. I think it’s a great idea and a way to help new generations get a leg up on something so important. Educational organizations have a less-than-optimal approach that doesn’t work — most programmers are self-taught, myself included. Projects like this get me excited because they have the potential to really make a difference.
SPN: As an avid hobby photographer, what are three destinations you’d most like to shoot, and why?
CB: I’d love to explore the world with my camera someday. The first stop would be the northern lights across a ice-covered landscape — the way light interacts with ice has always fascinated me. Another would be clearings in the rain forest — ancient rock and dense vegetation around waterfalls are simply breathtaking. I’d also love to shoot eastern culture. The people, the bright colors, and the timelessness of the architecture make powerful shots with deep emotion.
Credits: Photo courtesy of Beasley.
Prairie Portraits: To learn more about this series, see our introduction post, or visit our archives for past Prairie Portraits. To suggest an individual for a future Prairie Portrait, contact editor@siliconprairienews.com.
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