Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeremy Coon.
Hi Jeremy, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, and was always into art and drawing as a kid. I spent a lot of my time creating, whether it was sketching, painting, or diving into anything creative. I was also really into soccer and skateboarding. Skate culture, especially, had a huge influence on my love for design. I was obsessed with skate mags. I always had a Thrasher mag with me. I loved flipping through the pages, checking out the deck designs, wild layouts, and photo treatments. That stuff really stuck with me. By high school, I knew I wanted a career in art and design. At one point I thought I’d be a painter, lol—but then I took a Photoshop class my senior year and was like, “Yep, this is it.” That’s when I decided to go to school for graphic design.
I earned my BFA in graphic design and minored in studio art at Oklahoma City University. After graduating, I stayed in OKC for about a year working at a pizza place and grinding out job applications every day. Eventually, I landed a gig in St. Louis at a screen print and embroidery shop that specialized in Greek apparel for fraternities and sororities across the country. I worked my way up to Creative Director, handling everything from managing the art department and pre-production to designing.
My brother and I started Brethren as a side hustle back in 2018, and by December 2021, I took the leap and quit my job to go all in on running our own business.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Making the jump from a steady 9–5 to running your own business is scary. My brother and I always knew one of us had to take the first leap, turns out, it was me. He quit his job about 5–6 months later, and we haven’t looked back since. Like any new venture, there were definitely growing pains. We were super DIY at the start, tracking expenses in Excel, sending out PDF invoices ourselves. Now, we’ve got an accounting team, we’re using QuickBooks, and we’re officially on payroll.
One thing that caught us off guard was the tax bill when we switched to QuickBooks. We had to pay taxes for the previous year and estimates for the current year all at once, which definitely hit harder than expected.
As a small, up-and-coming studio, one of the bigger challenges has been going up against larger agencies for projects. We know our work speaks for itself, and we’ve realized presentation plays a huge part too. That’s why we’re investing in a proper website redesign. My brother put together our current site (he’s not a web designer, but he made it work), and now we’ve got a new one in the works from our talented friends at Forefathers launching later this month.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Brethren Design Co is a maximalist design studio built on originality and craft. We create bold branding, packaging, illustration, and typography that connect with people. We believe that artistry has the power to shape commercial design. We take on projects that inspire us, collaborating freely and executing with precision—call it brotherly intuition.
We Specialize in Attention—getting it, keeping it, paying it. We’re obsessed with nuance, surroundings, details. That means every touchpoint, every interaction, every visual & verbal signal is considered. The result: a brand presence that feels authentic, cohesive, and impossible to ignore.
We’ve been lucky to work with some big-name brands over the years—Netflix, Disney, Marvel, Warner Bros, and DC on some really fun projects. We’ve designed everything from consumer products for Netflix House and Stranger Things, to a custom deck of playing cards for the new Fantastic Four movie.
At the same time, we’ve had the chance to collaborate with smaller clients, branding and packaging for breweries, board games, even pickleball paddles. We love the range.
It’s still just my brother and I. We run lean on purpose. It lets us stay hands-on and focused, which is exactly how we like it.
Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
Since I mentioned skateboarding earlier, here’s a memory that’s always stuck with me. One day after school, I rushed home to grab my board so I could skate at my elementary school nearby before the older kids showed up. I had to knock out a quick chore first, and by the time I finally got there, the older kids were already skating. I stopped a little ways off, just watching them from a distance. I was too nervous to go over. I could barely ollie and didn’t want to embarrass myself.
I eventually turned around to head home, feeling kind of defeated… but then I heard them yelling. They were waving me over, telling me to come skate. I was super nervous, but I sucked it up and rolled over.
And man, they were so cool. They welcomed me right away and made me feel like I was part of the crew. That moment really stuck with me. It was the first time I felt like I really belonged somewhere.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.brethrendesignco.com
- Instagram: brethrendesignco
