Great design moves us all forward by pushing past good enough toward better for all.

We’re creatives putting our talent, curiosity and energy to the test. Together with our partners we’re striving towards a future where great design moves us all forward. Where creativity makes progress irresistible. Where brands celebrate difference while bridging cultural divides. For over 25 years we’ve pursued the ideal that if you want to make things better, make better things.

Our team comes from across the world, working across regions with centers in —

Portland

San Diego

New York

Our creative collective is lead by trusted design veterans.

Kirk James
Founder, President

Inspired to help craft a new generation of design-driven brands, Kirk formed Cinco in 1998 to help innovators connect big ideas to people who crave them. Since then, he’s been leading a dynamic team of strategic thinkers and designers working to bring 360˚ brand experiences to life, building brands that not only endure but keep breaking through year after year. Working with start-ups to Fortune 100, from C-Suite to the front line, he knows what it takes to drive affinity and growth. A designer at heart, he can’t resist a blank sheet of paper.

Jeff Meakins
Partner, VP Innovation

Guiding global brands into new territory takes forging fresh connections. Always ready to go deep with partners, Jeff is quick to reveal new possibilities in any brand challenge. Working across teams, he helps bring holistic and systematic digital brand thinking to every touch-point of the customer journey, inspiring users and accelerating progress. And as brand, digital, and product ecosystems converge, his teams are ready to weave a common thread clean through. With plenty of time in the surf, he’s always tuned to read the waves.

Susan Hawkins
Managing Director

Susan has been leading agencies to success for a generation, porting best-in-class principles into building Cinco’s operations platform to keep us flying in tight formation. A master of keeping everything in motion and all eyes on the horizon, she coordinates our business, systems, and infrastructure to support our teams and focus our energy on designing next. This morning, she likely finished her 10k before you made coffee.

Elena Butler
Director Programming

End-to-end, top-to-bottom, Elena and her team run a tight ship. An expert in every aspect of creative development and production, she leads our program management group with an eye always toward continuity, quality, and maximum creative impact. Her seamless partnership with creative, account, and operation leads helps her team deliver comprehensive programs with continuity, finesse, and plenty of smiles throughout. She brings that same precision and joy into coaching young athletes. Naturally.

Jared Milam
ECD Brand

Master of brand and a proven strategic leader, Jared sets the standard for our collective design practice. Hyper-focused yet always relaxed, he dives deep into complex branding challenges with clarity and confidence. His commitment to innovation through collaboration helps us achieve breakthroughs in next-gen strategy, identity, content, and integrated systems. He’s an OK native, so if you shout “Boomer”, you’ll get a “Sooner” right back.

Kevin Wolahan
ECD Lifestyle

Compelling lifestyle brands lead with a cultural point of view. Kevin brings an insider's perspective to crafting integrated brand solutions, blending smart design systems, content-rich campaigns, and physical environments. Our partners love his ability to span complex business challenges and category trends quickly and then pivot right to a big idea that will deliver impact. This is why his teams keep helping our partners step onto bigger stages. As a New Yorker, he’s learned to love hiking but misses the subways.

Scott Layton
ECD Product

Product is core to a brand’s promise. As an industrial design leader and a brand strategist, Scott brings a big-picture perspective and obsession for detail that proves the point. Working across categories, he unlocks the irresistible details that deliver incredible user experiences. His commitment to elevated design thinking, human-centered principles, and real-world build-ready solutions helps his teams land fresh innovations with style. He’s at his best when his hands are dirty, and we’re building from scratch.

Lauren Sobolik
Account Director

The key to building incredible brands is partnership - along every step in the journey. Lauren takes big challenges in stride, guiding the way as a strategic ally to our clients, a constant advocate for their customers, and a seamless extension of our creative teams. She has a special knack for taming complexity and helping find the throughline to turn clients' briefs into action plans. She’s fluent in tech, gaming, and outdoor lifestyle. When she’s not on the hill… look closer, she’s probably out there on the hill.

Ben Morrison
Account Director

If you want to connect the dots, start with a connector. Ben always sees the big picture and can look with you into the future to see where great brand solutions today can lead to bigger opportunities tomorrow. A champion of partnerships, he’s relentless in doing what’s right for the strategy, the creative, and the audience - all while balancing complex brand and retail programs with all their moving parts. His passion for sports culture and active lifestyles is full throttle. Meet him on the golf course and try to keep up.

Based out of Portland, Oregon and working collaboratively from across the country—our love for creative innovation unites our community.

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Steve Lewis
Product Designer
Jeff Immer
Creative Director
Kamilah Dove
Creative Director
Jared Milam
ECD Brand
Ian Collazo
Production Designer
Megan Hetrick
Program Manager
Nathan DeCeasar
Art Director Motion
Joe Packer
Program Manager
Scott Layton
ECD Product
Mike Endreola
Creative Director
Caroline Collins
Art Director
Rafer Stromme
Product Designer
Pavlina Summers
Art Director
Patrick Hennessy
Senior Production Designer
Susan Hawkins
Managing Director
Kirk James
Founder, President
Isabella Barna
Art Director
Becca Telthorster
Brand Studio Manager
Lauren Sobolik
Account Director
Sarah Wilson
Art Director
Sean Nemoto
Senior Product Designer
Brian Foster
Art Director
Kelsey Orosz
Senior Designer
Ryan Rossi
Program Manager
Jenya Andeev
Art Director
Hiu Man Law
Designer
Andrew Gervais
Designer
Leah Gross
Senior Designer
Elvin Qin
Designer
Julie Kasprzyk
Studio Manager
Christian Sellers
Account Manager
Scott Cook
Creative Director
Angel Ramp
Finance Director
Mimi Pham
Art Director
Elena Butler
Director Programming
Thaia Tzickas
Sr. Designer
Ben Morrison
Account Director
Zach Allott
Associate Creative Director
Steve Ebert
Creative Director
Adam Demorest
Technology Director
Kevin Wolahan
ECD Lifestyle
Adam Bender
Senior Designer Motion
Tim Ploeger
Design Director, Product
Jeff Meakins
Partner, VP Innovation

Substance drives style

Diversity accelerates progress

Bravery builds the future

Ingenuity insures relevance

Dedication delivers excellence