Studio

We are a team
obsessed with function
& driven by design.

joyride product family image on white background with white risers and candy
Let's make a pact

We like to have the sort of relationship with a client that’s honest, open, and respectfully challenging. We want to push you to your fullest potential and that’s not always comfortable, but it’s almost always right. We promise to push you, to deliver on time, to exceed your expectations, and to give you what you didn’t even know you were looking for. You in?

Our Approach

You’re already awesome, we’re just here to help.

Part of the shift

Meet our talented team

Becky Nelson Dahl

Becky Nelson Dahl

co-founder & co-creative director
Jeremy Robert Dahl

Jeremy Dahl

co-founder & co-creative director
Michael Thompson

Michael Thompson

director of operations
Hilary Cocalis

Hilary Cocalis

Brand Strategist
Ian de Lemos

Ian de Lemos

art director
Jacqueline Swanson

Jacqueline Swanson

graphic designer
Dolan Frick

Dolan Frick

graphic designer
Becky Nelson Dahl

Becky Nelson Dahl

co-founder & co-creative director

Influenced by street art and the icon that is Iris Apfel, Becky is the co-founder and co-creative director of Bex. She started out making waves in advertising, working at agencies in Los Angeles to cut her teeth and hone her skills. Once razor sharp, she jumped to Brand Identity and Packaging, specializing in the art of uncovering what really makes up a brand. Inspired by the disproportionate amount of good she can do when working with purpose-driven brands, she co-founded Bex with a mission in mind. “Whatever we can do to help people and brands live their best lives is what we’re here for.” That means starting with “purpose-driven” and seeing where it goes. Always pushing boundaries and trying to find new ways to stay fresh and on the edge, Becky’s lighthearted approach to creativity blends her midwest loyalties with that easy-paced cool only found in San Diego and in the hearts of dog lovers and taco superfans.

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Jeremy Robert Dahl

Jeremy Dahl

co-founder & co-creative director

Passion moves the needle and getting to tag along with great brands and passionate teams is what lights Bex up. Having spent years collecting stories, working as a professional photographer, graphic designer and—yes—even working at the farmer’s market, Jeremy is the co-founder and co-creative director of Bex Brands. He loves the puzzle of packaging, from the start of strategy to the challenge of clear, concise visual communication, Jeremy knows that uncovering the soul of a brand is what makes all the difference. Inspired by metal music, working with his hands, craft beer, and food, Jeremy’s genuine and fearless outlook makes him the sort of team player leader who can’t help but be excited by possibility and fresh perspectives. Creative and outgoing, Jeremy loves the outdoors, animals, and that he gets to work toward a common goal of a better future.

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Michael Thompson

Michael Thompson

director of operations

Our captain of operations, Michael boasts a production mind with a punk rock ethos. He steers the ship when it comes to timelines, technical challenges, and more. Keeping the creatives in line, Michael knows what it takes to get a project from seed to shelf. With 14 years of agency work under his belt before coming to Bex, Michael has first-hand knowledge when it comes to making sure our files are all sorts of print feasible. He geeks out on precision and execution as much as artistic expression. From Wisconsin and New York before San Diego, Michael is our reliable and driven adventurer, inspired by the entrepreneurs and startups Bex gets to work with. With a healthy-living and minimalistic style, it’s no wonder he’s in charge.

Hilary Cocalis

Hilary Cocalis

Brand Strategist

With her unique, razor-sharp perspective, Hilary has a strategic, purpose-driven skillset honed as the VP of Marketing for Ballast Point Brewing Co., from years of in-house agency work, and as the go-to brand advisor for a number of nationwide beverage companies. Inspired by the power of founder-led brands out to find their purpose, Hilary’s sweet spot is helping to empower those brands as they discover how to genuinely do go far beyond the shelf. With an MBA from USC and undergrad at Harvard, she is down to earth, thoughtful, even-keeled and here for all things cooking (not baking), outdoors, entrepreneurial, spirited, podcasty-y, architectural, and strategic.

Ian de Lemos

Ian de Lemos

art director

With well over a decade of agency experience, Ian is our Senior Graphic Designer and our resident lover of detail. Before coming to Bex, he worked as an Art Director in the Dominican Republic, honing his eye for design since childhood. Over the years, his loud, transparent, and creative approach to design has allowed him to find his own style that’s full of simple, elegant design systems that easily move between advertising, commercial photography, logo work, and packaging design. Half Chinese and half Dominican, Ian is inspired by blending the old with the new, classic with modern. He loves to start with a holistic understanding of the client’s needs and then work from there. Pulling from family, culture, and geometry, Ian is happy to know his work is part of a better tomorrow.

Jacqueline Swanson

Jacqueline Swanson

graphic designer

Spirited and playful, Jacqueline brings a fresh take on classic, minimalist style. As a graphic designer with a big heart, she is committed to utilizing her skills to push purpose-driven brands forward. Starting her days in the PNW, she eventually found her way south to San Diego via a solo road trip and, as they say, the rest is history. From branding to layout design, she is most inspired by the people around her, having worked as a marketing lead in college, followed by client-based work before finding her way to Bex. Dabbling in sports, photography, theater, and (yup) pasta, Jacqueline is always on the lookout for creative, brave souls in pursuit of their passion.

Dolan Frick

Dolan Frick

graphic designer

A fan of beach days, trends, and getting inspired by the world around him, Dolan is one of our wildly talented graphic designers. Arriving at Bex with a storied background in everything from custom t-shirts to working as the editor-in-chief at a monthly print magazine, Dolan’s passionate about helping purpose-driven brands stand out. A team player who’s always down for adventure, he has a bold, minimalistic, geometric, and clean style inspired by the natural world. He loves hiking, biking, camping, morning coffee, and excuse to get outside. Dolan loves getting down with all different kinds of art, classical paintings, and that rich, rich history of graphic design.

let’s connect!

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