Design pioneer Gretel staff member appointed as head of the company's innovative design department
Rethink New York Elevates Tara Lawall to Partner and Chief Creative Officer as Agency Launches Design Practice
Rethink, the independent agency based in New York, has made a significant move by elevating Tara Lawall to Partner and Chief Creative Officer, and by launching a new design practice. This move aims to position design as a core, strategic discipline that operates as a peer to advertising within the agency.
The new design practice, which spans Rethink’s North American offices in New York, Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal, emphasizes high standards, strong strategic thinking combined with visual storytelling. It aims to rethink category conventions by blending strategy and creativity to deliver impactful design that outperforms investment.
The practice brings together services in brand strategy, visual identity, packaging, and design systems. Larissa Marquez, who previously worked at Gretel and Pentagram, has joined Rethink as managing director of the new design group, based in New York. She reports to Sean McDonald, Rethink’s partner and global chief strategy officer.
The leadership of Rethink Design also includes Alex Bakker as partner and group creative director, Rich Greco as executive creative director of design, and Hans Thiessen as partner and executive creative director. The team includes junior and senior talent across North America, with Zoë Boudreau and Jesse Shaw, who recently won gold at the Cannes Young Lions Design competition, being part of the team.
The focus for Rethink Design's first year is on integrating with the broader Rethink team, creating quality work, and growing momentum with clients. Marquez declined to comment on whether the team is hiring for the first year, but the agency is "very deliberately looking to hire talent at the junior end."
Rethink's 25-year legacy of award-winning design work for major clients like Kraft Heinz, Molson Coors, and KitKat is now being formalized, positioning design as equal in importance to advertising services within the agency. The agency plans to scale its team to match the opportunities it receives.
This move by Rethink marks a significant shift in the agency's approach to design, elevating it to a core strategic discipline that operates as a peer to advertising. The aim is to provide clients with comprehensive brand identity solutions that move beyond traditional advertising to fully embody and differentiate their brands.
- As Rethink Design grows momentum with clients, they are deliberately looking to hire junior-level talent to match the opportunities they receive.
- The new design practice at Rethink, which includes services in brand strategy, visual identity, packaging, and design systems, aims to outperform investment by blending strategy and creativity.
- With the elevation of Tara Lawall to Partner and Chief Creative Officer, Rethink plans to scale its design team to match its 25-year legacy of award-winning design work in the defi and lifestyle sectors, as well as in finance and technology industries.
