By Scott Mitchell Johnson
Staff Writer
FORT FAIRFIELD – Father-son team Charles and Craig Cormier have joined forces to create a design studio in their hometown.
According to Craig, c3 creative officially opened last Thursday, but the duo has been working in their 110 Presque Isle St., Suite 101 location for a while now.
“I’ve been here kind of working undercover for about a year now,” said Craig, who focuses on graphic design. “I do digital design for a variety of purposes. I can do logo design; if a company wants a logo for business cards, postcards, letterheads, Web sites, I can do that, plus I can design the Web site, and print the material. A person or business can come to me and get the whole package.
“I also do large format printing. The longest I can print is 10 feet and the widest is four or five feet. I can print everything from a two-foot by three-foot poster to a panoramic poster,” he said. “If you go on vacation and take a bunch of shots with your digital camera, I can help you put them all together and you can have a big panorama of your trip on your wall.”
Craig can print on photo paper, mat paper, vinyl (both adhesive and non-adhesive), canvas, as well as adhesive and non-adhesive transparencies.
“I started doing graphic design for organizations in high school,” he said. “My sophomore and junior year of high school, I started doing stuff for the Potato Blossom Festival. I’ve also done work for the Chamber of Commerce and the Fort Fairfield Housing Authority.
“There’s no specific graphic design program in northern Maine, and I didn’t want to have to go away to college,” said Craig. “My degree is international studies-history, with a minor in management information systems. I’ve also done a lot of self-taught stuff … workshops and things like that. I’ve tried to get as much as I can while living in Maine.”
Some customers come to Craig with ideas while others aren’t sure what they want their product to look like.
“It really depends on the person,” he said. “Some will come in and say, ‘Here’s all my stuff, this is what I want, but I don’t know how to do it,’ so you help them through it and they get to see their dream become a reality. Others will come in and say, ‘I need to do this, but I have no idea. Help me out,’ and we’ll sit down and work together on creating something that will work for them.”
Charles specializes in cabinetry, but is quick to remind people that cabinets aren’t solely found in the kitchen.
“We do kitchens, we do baths, we do libraries/home entertainment centers,” he said. “Any type of cabinetry we can do. I have been affiliated in the cabinet field the last stint for about 10 years. I did cabinetry when I worked at Sears & Roebuck, so I have a lot of experience.
“We feature two custom lines – Great Northern Cabinetry out of Wisconsin and Bothers Woodworking of New Jersey,” said Charles. “We have quite an array of countertops we offer.”
Charles has door samples on site, so when a customer comes in, they can see what the product will look like.
“I’ve got full-frame door samples people can look at to see the actual size and how it’s going to sit on the frame,” he said, “whether its inset, full overlay, or partial overlay.
“I’ve tried to build into our conference room a lot of features to show what we can do in cabinetry,” said Charles. “Once we place an order for a customer, the product is shipped here or I can drop ship it to the job site. We do not do the installation; however, I have contractors in the area that I can recommend.”
Though focusing more on graphic design, Craig said he is knowledgeable about cabinetry, and they sometimes work together on creating a piece for a customer.
“If there’s something a customer has in mind that they want,” he said, “we can figure out what components we have that will give them the storage or the look that they’re looking for, and then we can help them put it all together.
“Graphic design and cabinetry are usually considered separate businesses,” said Craig, “but we’ve found a way to work together. It’s nice … some of the stuff that I do can be put into a kitchen. For example, if you really want a custom countertop, I can design something for you that can be etched into it.”
The Cormiers chose the Presque Isle Street location for a number of reasons.
“We wanted something in town with good visibility,” said Craig. “This was right on the main drag, and it was part of a building that was sitting here doing nothing. We wanted to move in and make it something nice so they have something on this main thoroughfare going through town.”
Charles said he has done kitchens from Glenburn to Fort Kent.
“For word of mouth, we’re happy,” he said. “Once we get open and moving, I’m sure business will pick up.”
c3 creative is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
“There will be some days that we won’t be here 9 a.m.-5 p.m. because we might be out meeting with a client, but we’ll post that on our Web site and on the door,” said Craig. “We’ll also meet with customers by appointment. If someone wants to come in and look at kitchen stuff, for example, but is busy working, they can give us a call and we’ll schedule a time on a Saturday or an evening to come in.”
For more information on c3 creative, call 472-3464 or visit the company’s Web site at www.c3creative.info.
Staff photo/Scott Mitchell Johnson
c3 creative recently opened in Fort Fairfield. The design studio focuses on graphic design, as well as cabinetry. Shown at a ribbon-cutting ceremony held last Friday are, front row, from left: Charles Cormier, co-owner; Craig Cormier, co-owner; and Shawn Murchison, outgoing executive director of the Fort Fairfield Chamber of Commerce. Back row: Ruel Flannery, member of the Fort Fairfield Town Council; Stev Rogeski, council member; Tony Levesque, community development director; Janet McGillan, chamber director; Sue Fitzherbert, chamber director; and Janet Kelle.
Staff photo/Scott Mitchell Johnson
FATHER-SON TEAM Charles and Craig Cormier have teamed up to create a design studio in Fort Fairfield. Craig focuses on graphic design, while his father specializes in cabinetry. Here, Craig shows his father a logo he’s working on. c3 creative is located at 110 Presque Isle St., Suite 101. For more information on c3 creative, call 472-3464 or visit the company’s Web site at www.c3creative.info. 
