In written prose, the three dots that form an ellipsis can signal a quick transition between topics. Ellipsis Design, an up-and-coming graphic design firm founded by three Oregon State University graduates, uses the symbol to represent the inspired leaps that happen among the company’s co-founders when they collectively create a promotional look and feel for their clients.

The dots also represent the company’s co-founders, thereby providing a perfect example of the layered communication that becomes possible when Ryan Armstrong (’08), Monte Guerber (’05), and Dau Nguyen (’08) put their heads together. The trio creates and manages brand identity for their clients by designing for print, Web, and video. They offer Web development services and particularly enjoy leveraging social media to help their clients establish a strong online presence.

It was Armstrong who first had the idea to start a graphic design company. He began his education in computer science, but as his interests broadened, he changed his major to business. When the Austin Entrepreneurship Program was launched, Armstrong was among the first students to take advantage of the opportunity.

Participation in the entrepreneurship program gave Armstrong real-world experience in numerous aspects of running a business, including writing and presenting a business plan and creating promotional materials. He graduated with degrees in business/entrepreneurship and psychology.

When the idea to start a design company occurred to Armstrong, Nguyen was the first person he thought of as a potential partner. He and Nguyen met while they were both working in the student computer lab on campus. They enjoyed working together, and gained valuable hands-on experience related to the intricacies of color management and other computer design issues by helping students troubleshoot their projects.

Nguyen also started out as a computer science major, but soon found his artistic side emerging and chose to pursue a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design. Guerber, on the other hand, took a more linear educational path. He started and finished his higher education as an electrical engineering major. He and Nguyen met at a social event on campus, and Nguyen often solicited Guerber’s opinion on projects he was preparing for class.

Guerber found himself drawn to the work, and the stage was set for their subsequent partnership. Nguyen said Guerber’s feedback helped to anchor his more organic and abstract communication style. Today, when the company gets a new assignment, the partners go off to work on concepts separately at first. Afterward, they come together to share and refine their ideas, and that is often where the magic happens.

“Dau is very aggressive with his design, which produces some beautiful work,” said Armstrong. “Monte is a little more concise, and I’m kind of in the middle, which I think helps hold us together…. It’s that melting pot that really makes our designs unique.” Although the process is not always comfortable for the partners, bringing everything to the table and remaining open-minded and humble helps the partners to deliver dynamic designs that meet their clients’ needs.

Some of the clients Ellipsis Design now works with came through connections initially made on campus. Armstrong said he gained valuable experience learning and practicing the art of networking while participating in the Austin Entrepreneurship Program.

For example, the trio made inroads into a unique market by doing pro bono design work for the Pride Center, which provides programs and support for the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender) community. “We started out doing pro bono work to give us some portfolio samples, but we ended up networking in that segment, and it has been really rewarding and a lot of fun,” said Armstrong.

Networking within the LGBT community led to an assignment with the Human Rights Campaign in Portland, where Ellipsis Design is pushing its boundaries by designing an interior space for an upcoming gala event. “It’s been a lot of fun to apply our design skills to a medium we haven’t tried before,” said Armstrong.

The young company wants to continue to ride the cutting edge by working with forward-thinking companies who embrace modern trends in Web development and marketing. “We’ve been focusing on start-ups, specifically new restaurants, bars, and nightclubs, because they tend to not only appreciate designers who are on the cutting edge, but really demand it,” said Armstrong.