Branding Agency Cohere

If you're not having fun, what's the point?
As founder of Cohere, Antoinette leads the creative agency's mission to transform under-utilized spaces and stories. Her role is to create winning strategy and oversee creative execution for our clients in real estate, food and hospitality. Antoinette has earned a seat at the table with her background in Urban Planning and hustling design services to notable real estate developers - she served as a board member of the Arts + Business Council Chamber of Commerce, Urban Land Institute and Pennsylvania Horticulture Society. With offices in Philadelphia, Baltimore and NYC, Cohere continues to grow under her leadership. Most recently she has taken the company in the direction of a nontraditional agency, adding sub-brands of our own such as the Viaduct community space and Maidencreek floral design services. Antoinette proves that feminine leadership is the future, building a family of brands that are multi-disciplinary but serve the unique intersection of place + food + impact.

Antoinette regularly contributes to publications such as Forbes, The Business Journal, Technical.ly and other thought leadership outlets. Her personal mission is to help people become the "best versions of themselves", which in turn helps our cities reach their own full potential through projects + people.

A quote to best summarize Antoinette and the team she helps develop on a regular basis - "Johnson has made a career of image polishing and space reshaping ever since she founded At Media, a marketing and branding firm, in the mid-2010s, then transforming it into Cohere, the ever-evolving branding-marketing-placemaking-design enterprise with offices in three cities, a few years later.

Even though you will find men on the Cohere team, the company today is actually an example of what happens when you get a bunch of very smart women, put them together in a room, and get them to thinking about the character of a business or space. Cohere has produced several dynamite spaces in this town, including HipCityVeg, Harp and Crown, Alimentari at DiBruno Bros. Rittenhouse Square, and most recently, The Viaduct, an outdoor event/gathering space beneath the Rail Park viaduct and just down the street from Cohere’s headquarters in Callowhill." - Philadelphia Magazine

One of our board members once told us that there are two types of people in life - those who work for humanity and those who work for themselves. Chris is one of the former. We like to think that’s because Chris’s values are aligned with Cohere’s in that he chooses to work with projects that have intrinsic value and deep meaning. He approaches both local and nationally known brands with modesty and humility, in a way that keeps the entire project manageable.

In an earlier life, he pioneered social media engagement for the world’s largest international technology trade show, CES. Most recently, he has continued to apply his passion for meaningful marketing by expanding Cohere’s presence to new markets in Baltimore, DC, Virginia, and beyond.

Chris leads as a Partner in Cohere from the Baltimore office, managing branding, web, marketing, and placemaking projects across the country.

Erik Oberholtzer is the co-founder of Tender Greens, a pioneering fine casual brand founded in Los Angeles, CA in 2006 with a mission to democratize good food. A vision of the future he continues to drive as a Food Forever Champion on global biodiversity for the Crop Trust with whom he cooks globally alongside the world’s leading chefs. He joined the Rodale Institute’s board in 2019 to help drive awareness around soil health, regenerative organic agriculture and food as medicine. In 2009, he founded The Sustainable Life Program, a six month paid culinary internship program with a mission to provide a path forward for foster youth. Many of the students now hold leadership positions at Tender Greens, serving as beacons of success and inspiration to those at the edge of society.

In 2019, Erik joined Cohere as an advisor to founders of conscious brands as they navigate the headwinds of scale. With the success of Tender Greens, he provides a founder-centered roadmap to growth with emphasis on culture, supply chain integrity and long term strategic planning. Currently he is advising brands that are putting the health of people and the planet first, such as The Butcher’s Daughter in NYC/LA, Pocono Organic’s regenerative farm and Mulberry & Vine in NYC.

Victoria is guided by the belief that design is about revealing the true identity of a brand and is a tool that connects ideas to a larger story.

Her background in not just graphic design, but also in marketing and fashion merchandising, which becomes a useful influence when she is developing the visuals that drive a brand. It allows her to think beyond the graphics and at the bigger picture.

As a designer at Cohere, Victoria is motivated by the goal of creating brands that are simple and effective, yet visually powerful and memorable.

Alex has a passion for not just capturing compelling stories, but telling the right ones.

Joining Cohere as a content creator apprentice, Alex quickly became immersed in the culture. Fueled by new found inspiration, she realized she could become an integral member of the team by staying true to a simple mindset: aim first, shoot second. Telling the perfect story is a lot like taking the perfect picture or shot. Step back, check surroundings, look beyond the obvious frame and look for something impactful.

With a background in film and graphic design, Alex’s skills lend themselves useful for pursuing interests in documentary filmmaking, illustration, and content strategy.

Caroline’s personal motto is “Get Shit Done” and it’s what she's good at.

Caroline joined Cohere to utilize her floral experience and help grow the Maidencreek Co brand. However, she quickly became interested in the agency side of work and found her niche utilizing her Public Relations agency experience to help with marketing and media. She loves having the chance to watch Cohere’s projects through every stage of development and having the opportunity to help tell the world about the amazing work Cohere and its clients are doing.

With a background in Public Relations and Social Media Management as well as Floral Design and Event Planning Caroline’s skill set is useful in the diverse scope of work Cohere offers to its clients.

As a multidisciplinary designer, Katherine has explored a wide range of mediums – from web to print to events and packaging. She is always thinking of the “how” and “why” behind ideas of any form, but most especially when it comes to branding. For her, the story comes first before anything else.

This love of narrative has led Katherine to Cohere, where she aims to pair sincere, purposeful work with a compelling aesthetic. Her goal is to bring an empathetic touch to impactful projects.

Shandi aims to uncover layers to a story that often go unseen: the moments and ideas that help a brand define who they are and what keeps them going.

As Cohere’s Strategic Project Coordinator, she recognizes those layers are key to what’s next. By investigating the why and how, she seeks to connect each part of a project through a strong vision. Shandi’s background as an artist and graphic designer adds to this, helping to consider the creative needs of a project from the start.

Based in our Baltimore office, Shandi has worked with food, beverage, and hospitality professionals throughout the city and beyond. Through Cohere, she enjoys connecting with creators and entrepreneurs across industries.

Maurice is a natural storyteller who digs deep for the thread that illuminates a visual concept. At the heart of Maurice's designs lies a core concept brought on by questions and research, bringing brand's visual identity & graphics to life in a way that resonates and proudly represents the people they're intended for.

Joining Cohere as a Part-Time Designer while taking design classes at night, Maurice's goal is to become a Full-Time Designer with Cohere and continue the legacy of building iconic brands with tasteful nuance and bold strategy. As a Philadelphia-based designer, Maurice is fascinated by the local creative scene and the interwoven community that supports each other and brings about exciting collaborations, content, and events.

Brian is an integral part of the success of Cohere's clients in the digital advertising and marketing space. As the founder of his own boutique agency, Goldiata Creative, Brian brings a healthy sense of analytical thinking and creative marketing power to the mix to ensure our brands are just as successful online as they are in-person.

From Baltimore, MD, Brian leads a team of highly specialized marketing professionals and brings best-in-class results for digital campaigns across the food and beverage, hospitality, and retail industries.