What Cosmic does

Cosmic (legal entity: Design By Cosmic, Inc.) is a privately held, Santa Cruz, California-based social impact creative agency founded in 2008. The firm is a 1-10 person boutique that sells strategic brand-building, custom digital experience design and development, and content and campaign consulting exclusively to nonprofits, foundations, and social enterprises working on climate action, gender equality, social equity, sustainable development, and policy advocacy. Its stated thesis is that social impact organizations must "think and act like a digital media company" to break through the attention economy and escape the "starvation cycle" of nonprofit funding, a position codified in a published 11-point manifesto on the firm's website.

Cosmic's service portfolio is organized around three core modules: Strategic Brand-Building (visual identity, messaging, and positioning derived from a client's theory of change), Best-in-Class Digital Experiences (custom websites on a modern tech stack with mobile-first design and digital infrastructure such as interactive impact maps and peer-to-peer fundraising), and Content & Campaign Consulting (marketing strategy, content planning, and social media activation). Adjacent service lines include branded photo and video production and brand extension collateral. Notable client work includes a full rebrand and custom website for the Morocco-based High Atlas Foundation, a digital annual report and The Daily Feminist Intention Project for the Equality Fund, and a 2024 Impact Report with an awareness campaign for WEDO.

The firm's go-to-market is sales-led and direct: inbound discovery calls route through a "Book a Discovery Call" form, followed by custom scoping and proposal stages. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is structured as project-based professional services with multi-year contract cadence. The firm has no external funding, no disclosed institutional investors, and is independently operated. Marketing is content-led, anchored by the "Designing Tomorrow" podcast (a registered trademark with 40+ episodes hosted by founder and Creative Director Eric Ressler) and a steady cadence of published insights articles, distributed through LinkedIn and YouTube. The firm holds no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, proprietary software products, patents, or regulatory licenses.

Name

Cosmic

Legal name

Design By Cosmic, Inc.

Website

https://designbycosmic.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cosmic (Design By Cosmic, Inc.) is a Santa Cruz-based boutique creative agency founded in 2008 that provides brand strategy, custom web design, and content/campaign consulting exclusively to nonprofits, foundations, and social enterprises working on climate, gender equity, and social justice causes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Impact Creative Agency Services

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (541430)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Cause/Sustainability & Purpose-Driven Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAL)

Keywords

• Creative agency services
• Brand strategy consulting
• Digital experience design
• Website design development
• Social impact marketing

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Cruz

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Professional Services - Creative Agency: Revenue generated through client engagements for strategic brand building, digital experience design and development, and content/campaign consulting services. Projects include rebranding, website development, digital annual reports, impact reports, and marketing campaigns. Engagement-based work with custom scoping per client.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Cosmic is a social impact creative agency that helps nonprofits, foundations, and social enterprises build brand, reach communities, and drive real-world action through three integrated service pillars: Strategic Brand Building (identity, messaging, positioning), Best-in-Class Digital Experiences (custom website design, development, and digital infrastructure), and Content & Campaign Consulting (marketing strategy, content, and campaign execution). Engagements are sold as custom-scoped, multi-year projects with bespoke deliverables such as rebrands, annual reports, and impact campaigns.

Product overview

Cosmic (Design By Cosmic) is a Social Impact Creative Agency offering a unified platform of creative and digital services. The core offering consists of three main service pillars: Strategic Brand Building (Forge Your Impact Foundation), Best-in-Class Digital Experiences (Build Your Marketing Machine), and Content & Campaign Consulting (Generate Engagement and Action). The agency also provides specialized services including Digital Infrastructure, Brand Strategy & Identity, Marketing & Campaigns, Branded Photo & Video Production, and Brand Extension/Collateral Materials. The company specializes in serving social impact organizations including nonprofits, foundations, and advocacy groups, helping them build brand awareness, engage communities, and drive real-world action through digital-first strategies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategic Brand Building (Forge Your Impact Foundation) A brand strategy engagement for social impact organizations that translates the client's theory of change and desired future state into a distinct visual identity, messaging framework, and point of view, delivered as a defined service pillar of Cosmic's agency offering.
• Best-in-Class Digital Experiences (Build Your Marketing Machine) Custom website design and development, plus other digital experiences built on a modern tech stack, purpose-built for social impact organizations to move their communities and drive real-world action. Deliverables include interactive features such as impact maps and peer-to-peer fundraising functionality.
• Content & Campaign Consulting (Generate Engagement and Action) Marketing, content, and awareness strategy consulting for social impact organizations, including teaching clients to maximize digital tools and ongoing evaluation and iteration toward growth goals.

Quantifiable outcome

• Organizations reported increased engagement with funders and supporters through digital annual reports and impact reports
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Seymour Marine Discovery CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing podcast collaboration between Cosmic's Creative Director Eric Ressler and Jonathan Hicken, Executive Director of Seymour Marine Discovery Center. The 'Designing Tomorrow' podcast features regular conversations exploring topics relevant to social impact organizations including media shifts, revenue models, and sector leadership. This partnership provides content for Cosmic's thought leadership while offering Jonathan's perspective as a nonprofit executive director.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Big Duck: Branding and marketing agency exclusively serving nonprofit organizations, offering brand strategy, identity, websites, and campaigns. Directly comparable to Cosmic in its nonprofit-only specialization and boutique scale.
• Orr Group: Consulting and communications firm supporting nonprofits with strategy, marketing, fundraising, and digital services. Comparable to Cosmic in serving mission-driven organizations across digital and campaign execution.
• Blue State: Digital-first creative and marketing agency for nonprofits, advocacy groups, and mission-driven organizations. Closely mirrors Cosmic's digital-experience and campaign focus on social-impact clients.
• Mission Minded: Strategy and brand agency serving nonprofits, foundations, and social enterprises with positioning, messaging, and visual identity work. Closely comparable to Cosmic's brand-building pillar.
• M+R: Nonprofit marketing and fundraising agency providing digital strategy, content, and campaign execution for advocacy, social-impact, and charitable organizations. Comparable service mix and client base to Cosmic.

Broad incumbents

• Frog (Capgemini Engineering): Global design and innovation consultancy with experience in social-impact and nonprofit engagements. Comparable as a broader design-strategy incumbent operating in adjacent brand and digital experience work.
• Edelman (Purpose): Purpose-driven marketing consultancy (now part of Edelman) working with brands, nonprofits, and movements on social-impact campaigns. Comparable as a larger incumbent operating in Cosmic's purpose/brand space.
• 72andSunny: Global creative agency with a strong portfolio of purpose-driven and social-impact campaigns. Comparable as a broader incumbent competing for the same category of mission-driven work.

Emerging players

• We Are For Good: Storytelling and content platform for the nonprofit sector with a strong podcast presence. Comparable to Cosmic's content-marketing and podcast-led thought leadership in the same cause-driven audience.
• Do Something Strategic: Boutique strategy and creative consultancy focused on nonprofits and social-impact organizations, offering brand and digital services. Smaller-scale direct comparable to Cosmic's boutique positioning.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@designbycosmic
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/2830454
• Xx.com/designbycosmic

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cosmic