KBH1 Design — James Cross, art director and brand designer

I’m James Cross, an independent art director and brand designer in Copenhagen. For 20 years I’ve helped organisations explain complex things simply and look like themselves while doing it.

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Structure and intuition,
in the same room

I’ve worked in agencies, inside global technology brands and on my own independent projects. That mix taught me to think like a strategist and work like a maker. I care about the big idea and the last kerning pair, and I use new tools, including AI, without losing the human judgement that makes work worth looking at.

Four ways to work together

From 12,000 DKK

Brand Audit

See your brand clearly. A fixed-price, outside look at how your brand appears across web, print, social and space. You get an honest read on what works, what’s drifting and what to fix first.
From 45,000 DKK

Brand Identity Sprint

A new identity, without the endless process. A focused few weeks to build or renew your visual identity: logo, type, colour, image style and the core assets your team needs on day one.
From 15,000 / month DKK

Art Direction Partner

A senior creative eye, on call. Ongoing creative direction for teams producing a lot of content. I keep the work consistent and sharp, so your brand looks the same on its busiest day as on its best.
Packages from 30,000 DKK

Identity for Education

Schools people are proud to walk into. Visual identity, signage and wayfinding, website refreshes and shared asset libraries for schools and colleges, built so staff can actually use them.

Some of the brands I’ve worked with

Dell Technologies

A global visual language. Catalogue, photography guidelines, iconography and content direction for a huge product portfolio.

Open Dell education catalogue spread: “Bringing ideas to life”

Right To Play

Save Her Seat. Design that changed something. A campaign that helped raise £2 million and get 64,000 girls into school.

Save Her Seat poster: a girl in green uniform on a yellow school chair. “It’s not just a seat. It’s her future.”

Music & Culture

Visual worlds with feeling.
Album artwork where texture, colour and type carry the sound before you press play.

BLAZE album cover: blue printed circles on textured paper

AI & Emerging Technology

Making the unfamiliar feel human. Identities that make new technology understandable and recognisable.

PurePalette identity on a violet and orange gradient

Healthcare & Science

Clarity with a human touch. Credible communication with a human voice.

Black and white portrait, hair in motion

How I work

Solarised portrait in orange and pink spray tones

Look
We start by listening and auditing what exists. No assumptions.
Shape
I turn what we find into a clear idea and a visual direction you can react to early.
Build
We make it real across every touchpoint, and I hand over a system your team can run with.

Outside the brief

I also make music as LNX and build visual worlds around it: artwork, type, motion and video. It keeps my eye fresh and my hands busy, and it’s where I try things before clients need them.