NEW YORK, NY – Leading independent creative agency Rethink announced today the launch of Rethink Design, its global design practice spanning the agency’s North American offices in New York, Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal. Rethink Design integrates strategy, creativity, branding and design to deliver end-to-end design solutions – from brand strategy and visual identities to packaging and design systems.
While design has always been core to Rethink’s DNA – the agency has a 25 year history of award winning design work for brands like Kraft Heinz, Molson Coors, KitKat, Scotiabank, A&W, and more – formalizing this new practice marks a significant shift in how the agency is approaching and elevating design as a discipline.
Rethink has appointed Larissa Marquez as Managing Director of Rethink Design. A globally respected design leader, Marquez brings two decades of experience guiding multidisciplinary teams at top-tier studios like Pentagram, 2×4, and most recently Brooklyn-based Gretel, where she served as Executive Director of Operations. In her new role, Marquez is based in New York and reports to Sean McDonald, Global Chief Strategy Officer at Rethink.
“Today, brands need more than ads – they need identity. Rethink Design is built to meet that need, shaping how brands look, feel, and connect with the world,” said McDonald. “We are always striving to rethink category conventions, and design is no different. Bringing together strategy, creativity and design allows us to deliver on impact and outperform investment.”
Marquez added: “Rethink has a long history of pushing creative boundaries. With Rethink Design, we’re scaling that ambition – building a practice that helps brands tell bold stories, disrupt categories, and design for impact. I’m incredibly excited for what’s to come.”
The launch of Rethink Design reflects the agency’s broader evolution into a network of expert-led practices. As Rethink expands its capabilities – most recently establishing PR as a standalone practice and eyeing future specialty practices – it continues to rethink the traditional agency model.
In addition to Marquez, key leadership includes an award-winning team:
- Rich Greco, Executive Creative Director of Design: Since joining the agency a year ago, Greco has been a key driver of Rethink’s design work. Prior to Rethink, he was Group Creative Director at JKR, where he led transformative projects including the Twix rebrand and the acclaimed Manischewitz rebrand – recognized as Dieline’s 2025 Rebrand of the Year and winner of an ADC Gold Cube. Earlier in his career, Greco was Executive Design Director at Droga5, contributing to high-profile projects for clients like Huggies, Allstate, and Harley-Davidson. Throughout his career, Greco’s work has earned top honors from D&AD, Cannes Lions, One Show, and ADC, among others.
- Hans Thiessen, Partner and Executive Creative Director of Design: With over a decade of experience shaping Rethink’s most iconic and awarded design work, Thiessen has worked on Heinz, Kraft Dinner, KitKat, Mattel, and Uber Eats – most notably with Horror Codes, winner of WARC Awards’ 2025 Global Grand Prix for Effectiveness. His work has garnered industry-wide recognition, including multiple D&AD Pencils (including the prestigious Black Pencil), Cannes Lions, One Show Pencils, and ADC Cubes.
- Alex Bakker, Partner and Group Creative Director of Design: Bakker has spent the past ten years at Rethink helping lead and grow the agency’s design practice. With a focus on crafting distinctive brand systems and visual identities, he has contributed to many of Rethink’s most celebrated design projects for brands like A&W, Nike, Bauer, Arc’teryx, and National Magazine Awards – winner of a D&AD Yellow Pencil. His work has been recognized by D&AD, Cannes Lions, One Show, ADC, and more.
Rethink Design currently employs nearly 20 designers across its NA offices, including Zoë Boudreau and Jesse Shaw who won gold at the Young Lions Design Competition at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
ABOUT RETHINK
Rethink is one of the world’s leading independent creative agencies that relentlessly pursues work the world talks about. Founded in Vancouver in 1999, Rethink has expanded its footprint with offices in New York, Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal. Rethink is fiercely independent and owner-operated.
Known for its creativity and effectiveness, Rethink has been named Independent Agency of the Year at nearly every major international award show, including Cannes Lions, The One Show, The Clios, London International Awards, and The ANDYs. In 2024, Rethink was honored as Cannes Lions Independent Agency and Network of the Year, and holds the #1 spot on WARC’s Global Independent Agency ranking and The Drum World Creative Rankings.
Celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2024, Rethink has evolved from a local creative shop into a global force, partnering with industry leaders like Kraft Heinz, Molson Coors, and IKEA. As an independent agency, Rethink is able to put people ahead of profit, hire relentless Rethinkers, and partner with clients who share its vision of creating career-defining work. Visit rethinkideas.com to learn more.
