Most creatives ask, “How should this look?"
I start with "What’s the story behind this?"
I'm Cynthia Berciano, a Salvadoran-Australian brand designer and creative strategist with 7+ years of experience across FMCG, retail, lifestyle, B2B, and B2C. My background is a bit unusual for a designer, and I think that's exactly the point.
My career has been quite varied, so far, definitely not your usual graduate-to-agency-type story (you . I've been the sole designer running creative across an entire country, remotely. I've been a freelancer, juggling projects and building a brand from a blank page with a founder who had a great idea but no visual identity, also working for agencies as a free agent. I've worked in-house, inside fast-moving retail environments where the brief changes daily and the assets needed to be perfect by morning and sent by the afternoon. Sometimes doing both freelance and full-time work. Each version of the job taught me something the others couldn't. My design experience has the best of both worlds.
Right now, I'm leading all creative for TCL Electronics across Australia and New Zealand. National campaigns, AFL and Olympics partnerships, showrooms, roadshows, retail rollouts. The full picture is handled by one person with the full support of the small local marketing team. This is not my first rodeo; I’ve worked both as the sole designer on many in-house teams and in teams big and small. It's taught me how to think strategically at scale while still caring deeply about the details, and it's also helped me diversify my skill set into content creation, social media, video and photo editing, digital marketing, copywriting, content and creative direction, AI, and so much more.
Before that, through freelancing and in my own business, I spent years working closely with small business owners and entrepreneurs across lifestyle, health, and education, people who needed someone who could think about their brand holistically, not just make it look good. That work sharpened something in me: the ability to bridge strategy and execution, to be in the room as the concept is being shaped and still be the person who ensures the final file is right. I love being part of the whole equation to solve a creative problem!
My background in bioscience, combined with my love of the game (design), shapes my strategic approach: I always research and understand problems before creating solutions, which sets me apart.
That instinct shows up in everything I do. I'm the creative who asks a lot of questions before opening a single file. Who wants to know what success actually looks like for a brand, not just what looks good on a moodboard (though I LOVE a moodboard!). Strategy isn't a separate step for me; it's just how I think. And that's how I’ve been transitioning since my start in design, now it truly involves everything I touch and create, be it a brand identity, a social media reel or a run-of-the-mill poster. While I’m still very much in tune with my graphic design experience, I am currently exploring other avenues as I evolve ⚡⚡⚡ as a creative professional!
Fluent in English and Spanish (being a TCK first-gen Australian born to Salvadorian parents!), I bring a multicultural perspective that enriches creative conversations and broadens client reach across diverse markets.
I'm at a point in my career where I'm stepping fully into the creative leader I've always been building toward. I want to work on brands that mean something, in teams where strategy and creativity actually talk to each other, and where there's room to lead, not just execute.
Also open to consulting with brands that need a strategic creative brain without the full-time commitment.
-
English & Spanish (native)
Japanese (beginner)
Would love to learn French, Portuguese, and Mandarin someday!) -
At a cafe: Large Latte with Skim Milk, One Sugar or Vanilla syrup if I want something sweet! Or a Matcha or Hojicha latte!
At a boba shop: Lychee BT with lychee jelly or Royal Milk tea with pearls, half sugar, thanks! -
Bubble Tea, Potato Cakes, Peanut M&M’s, keychains and Pretty Stationery + Books
-
My doona, power bank, Sony headphones, iPad Pro + pencil, my oodie, English breakfast tea and tinted lip balm.
-
Branding and Merch for an Emerging/new Musical Artist/Group!
+
Leading the creative strategy and direction for an awesome and meaningful campaign! -
As a homebody, you can find me relaxing my home in comfy sweats while catching up on some british mystery shows, comedies, or watching anime or the odd youtube rabbit hole! You can also find me reading manga/manwha/webtoons and / or drawing on my ipad and refilling my creativity by doing crafts and art…
You can also find me at a cafe getting my caffeine fix, catching up with friends at a restaurant in the city / suburbs or a workshop or seminar and enjoying the melbourne evenings!
Some Cynthia trivia: