Our Culture

Cultivating a Culture of Purpose.

We believe that design is an impact multiplier that can help organizations doing good to do better.

Eric Ressler

Founder & Creative Director

Lisa Benson

Impact Strategist

Cosmic Dscf3492

Cosmic Dscf3481

Ryan McGibben

Brand Strategist

Brian Jensen

Designer

Matt Steele

Content Strategist

Katie Winkler

Designer

Jared Loson

Developer

Neil Ruud

Developer

Our Location

Nestled between the redwoods and the ocean, Santa Cruz has a legacy of creativity, innovation, and activism. We’re inspired by our environment every day and channel that energy into helping organizations with a social purpose thrive.

Cosmic Studio Facade — Our studio in the heart of Downtown Santa Cruz

Cosmic Studio Facade — Our studio in the heart of Downtown Santa Cruz

Sunset Steamer Lane — Sunset looking out at Steamer Lane

Music keeps our creativity flowing

Studio Playlist

Khruangbin
Bon Iver
Loyle Carner
Chaz Bundick Meets The Mattson 2
Dave Matthews Band
Townes Van Zandt
The Dead Weather
Mac Demarco
Vintage Trouble
Vulfpeck
Drake
Broken Social Scene
The XX
Tigers Jaw
Animal Collective
Skepta
Descendents

Culture Beer — We keep local craft beers on tap to celebrate successful launches

Culture Beer — We keep local craft beers on tap to celebrate successful launches

Talia Culture Page — Our studio dog, Talia, reminds us to step away from the screen every once in a while

Talia Culture Page — Our studio dog, Talia, reminds us to step away from the screen every once in a while

Powered by caffeine in many forms

Caffeine Intake Breakdown

Our Principles

01

Impact

We transform passion into something practical. Our approach is to be brave and daring, so that you stand out, your passion shines through, and your marketing efforts are thoughtfully crafted to achieve results.

02

Intention

Strategy is our guiding star. We start every project with a strategic phase to ensure that our actions are well-informed and that we’re pursuing the most effective approach to reaching your objectives.

03

Integrity

We take personal pride in the work we do. Our standards for honesty, clear communication, and follow-through are very high. We say what we mean, mean what we say, and hold everyone accountable for achieving excellence.

04

Kaizen

We strive to continuously improve. Our boundless curiosity leads us to steep ourselves in the latest advances in technology, marketing, design, and social purpose branding to remain informed, progressive, and relevant.

05

Balance

We live balanced lives. Our four-day work week keeps us focused, calm, and available for new experiences that keep us creatively fueled. As a result, we are able to see the big picture while concentrating on the details.

06

Empathy

We’re all human here. Life throws us all curveballs at times and we are happily supportive when everyone’s treated respectfully. We find that clarity, open-mindedness, positivity, and a sense of teamwork are critical to overcoming obstacles.

Explore Our Services

Learn about how we can help you reach your goals.

Our Services

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Eric Ressler

Founder & Creative Director

Experience

As our Creative Director, Eric has extensive expertise in brand development, strategy, extension, and maintenance. Over the years, he has delivered complex web and brand projects for local Santa Cruz organizations through international brands. These projects have given him in-depth experience with both minimal and large, content heavy websites. A self-taught photographer and cinematographer, he's the man operating the camera on our photo and video shoots. He's also one of our primary video editors and colorists. His musical background frequently comes into play during post-production.

Interests

Design, Branding, Typography, Photography, Video & Film, Music, Technology, Outdoor Exploration, Climbing, Surfing.

Background

Hailing from San Diego State University, Eric launched Cosmic in 2007 and has been helping organizations launch, pivot and re-invent themselves ever since. He's led the strategic growth of Cosmic - keeping it small, responsive, professional and fun. In addition to his personal contributions to each project, Eric keeps an eye on overall strategy while ensuring that Cosmic consistently provides high creative value and achieves our clients' goals.

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Lisa Benson

Impact Strategist

Experience

Lisa leads our business strategy and new business development. She's helped Cosmic grow from a solopreneur studio at Santa Cruz coworking hub NextSpace, to an 8-person full-service creative agency. She combines her decade of financial management with the aesthetic sensibilities she honed at the Art Center College of Design to provide a unique perspective on business strategy.

Interests

Zen of Modern Business Strategy in the new economy, Exceptional Communication, Vampire Hunters, Kick-Ass Heroines, Cool Hunting, Classic Blues.

Background

Born into a business family, Lisa's been an entrepreneur since she could pronounce it. She followed up stints in the UCSC Theater and Art Center College of Design Film departments with 15 years in finance and business consulting in multiple industries.

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Ryan McGibben

Brand Strategist

Cosmic Dscf3481

Experience

With over a decade of experience managing websites and developing strategic marketing campaigns, Ryan has considerable experience executing in both B2B and B2C business models. He makes sure we’re thinking through our outreach strategies and is constantly on the lookout for new opportunities to connect us with, and support, social purpose brands.

Interests

Cooking, traveling, exploring the outdoors, surfing, volunteering at Idea Fab Labs, NPR driveway moments, stand-up comedy, classic movies, experimental art, Bay Area sports teams.

Background

A Santa Cruz native, Ryan was educated in Audio Science at SAE Expression College, in Emeryville, CA. Before starting at Cosmic, he spent four years leading the marketing efforts at an audio software company where he managed an international team of designers, developers, and content producers. There he handled digital content, web projects, and eventually served as the Director of Operations. His expertise in digital marketing dovetails perfectly with the strategies we develop for our clients.

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Brian Jensen

Designer

Experience

Brian's the designer we turn to for brand extension and evolution. He's excellent at envisioning brand usage and application in new ways. A fan of impactful design, Brian produces work that is clean, elegant, and consistently on-brand. Brian has worked on a diverse array of web projects, and has helped extend brands into digital applications for a variety of industries and demographics. He even pitches in on video projects, providing us with motion graphics.

Interests

Design, Branding, Travel, Cooking, Typography, Homebrew, Simplicity, Coffee, This American Life, Sweaters.

Background

Growing up in San Jose, Brian graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Design Studies from San Jose State University. Brian focuses on how design influences and shapes all forms of culture.

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Matt Steele

Content Strategist

Experience

Matt brings 20+ years of experience as a writer and photo & video producer/director to the table. A natural storyteller, he delves deep into companies and organizations, learning their industries, markets, competitors, and differentiators in order to tell their stories in words and pictures. He works tirelessly to define and refine brand messaging and establish voice across web and marketing collateral. A strong advocate of short and long-term content strategy, he clearly defines the goal of each piece of content, either written or visual.

Interests

Copywriting, Brand Messaging, Video Direction & Production, Black Tea, NPR, Vintage Trouble, Semi-pro Tabletop Gaming.

Background

A film geek out of the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Matt's career began in Hollywood. Over the past two decades, his writing branched into marketing, brand messaging and web content development.

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Katie Winkler

Designer

Experience

A client-focused designer with a background In industrial Design, Katie is able to create visuals that speak volumes. She takes a holistic approach to design, analyzing all aspects of what truly affects people in their environments. An advocate for people and organizations doing good in the world, she designs with focused intent. In addition to digital design, Katie’s an illustrator who loves unconventional processes, sometimes flipping ideas totally on their heads. Her goal is to create fun and engaging graphics for compelling brands and revolutionary thinkers.

Interests

Mountain Biking, Hiking, Yoga, Cooking, Adventures with her dog

Background

With roots in Philadelphia, PA, Katie picked up a BS in Industrial Design at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. That background helps her look at design using a systems and big picture approach. While she remains connected to her east coast origins, Katie came to Santa Cruz in search of an inspirational place to live and work. She believes that design can change the tides and create better futures through visuals that communicate powerful messages and push boundaries.

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Jared Loson

Developer

Experience

Jared is our UI/UX developer. He uses React and React Native to build fast, intuitive interfaces for web, iOS and Android. Jared is right at home in that murky phase when it's time to translate ideas and static designs into dynamic, user-friendly experiences.

Interests

A good, restful night of sleep, family outings in the Santa Cruz mountains, upscale backyard shacks, California desert rock (music genre), going to hockey games.

Background

During a stint with an education startup writing math problems, Jared decided he liked working with developers and set about becoming one himself. He remembers when IE6 support was a common requirement, so he's happy to see how the modern web has shaped up. A tinkerer at heart, he still gets a little thrill when some complicated bit of functionality finally works.

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Neil Ruud

Developer

Experience

Neil's open-minded, goal-oriented approach to development stems from the belief that the best ideas are shared and we all have something new to learn each day. For Neil, each project deserves a fresh approach with an awareness of context and a laser-sharp focus on client goals. His years as a consultant have given him the chops to explain complex ideas in ways that anyone can understand.

Interests

Music, Coffee, Cooking, Photography, Gimlet podcasts, Animals (pets and wildlife), Surrealist Games.

Background

Neil received a Bachelor in Political Science from UC Davis. He spent 3 years as the Webmaster and General Manager at KVDS—a freeform creative format radio station based in Davis, CA. Born to two teachers in rural Sonoma County, Neil grew up with an intense curiosity for all things and a knack for DIY solutions.

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