We are Cina Associates

Photo credit: Noah Sahady

An independent creative forward agency specializing in brand identities, custom typefaces, and visual communication. Cina Associates collaborates with insightful clients both large and small.

As a boutique agency, we build our narratives based on the trifecta of imagination, curiosity, and thoughtful strategy. Our clients are the catalyst, our work the disruptor.

We've dedicated our lives to refining our craft. From building a foundation based on the history of visual communication to breaking the internet with trends in art and design, Cina Associates pairs essential fundamentals with fresh creativity.

We seek partnerships with brands that value design and look to lead their perspective markets through radical innovation and original thought. Contact us today to start the conversation.

Core Beliefs

We believe that what you say and do has a profound impact and we live accordingly. We believe that with humility and empathy, issues dissolve. We search for people who share these ideals and want to improve the earth we live in. 

Public Type

2019 - ∞

Cina Associates 

2010 - ∞

Associated

Typographics 

2013 - 2018

YWFT 

2001 - 2010

WWFT

2000 - 2006

Trueistrue

2000 - ∞

Test Pilot Collective

1997 - 2000

CinaHaus

1995 - 1997

Select Exhibits and Collaborations
-
2019 - ION Men’s Collaborative Sportswear Clothing Line
2018 - Bethel Solo Gallery show
2018 - Emmy Award with Scatter for VR documentary, Zero Days
2018 - Graphis Gold Metal with Young & Laramore for Upland Brewing
2018 - ION Women’s Collaborative Sportswear Clothing Line
2017 - “Design of Art. Art of Design” Bethel University Solo Show. Minneapolis, MN
2017 - AIGA National Convention Speaker. Minneapolis, MN
2017 - Reckoning Exhibit. Public Functionary Gallery. Minneapolis, MN
2017 -  Breaking English - Rafiq Bhatia. St Paul Chamber Orchestra/Liquid Music. Walker Art Center. 45 Minute Video
2015 - OFFF Barcelona Solo Exhibit
2014 - She Who Saw The Deep. Public Functionary Gallery. Michael Cina and John Klukas. Minneapolis, MN
2013 - Akomplice Clothing Line
2012 - Stress exhibit
2012 - Ghostly International. Type Directors Club. New York, NY
2011 - Public Works Gallery. Chicago, IL
2010 - Art Votes. Minneapolis, MN
2010 - QR Code Show. Minneapolis, MN
2009 - Solo Art Exhibit at First Amendment Gallery. Minneapolis, MN
2008 - The Poster Show. Arizona
2008 - OFFF Gallery. New York, NY
2008 - TypeCon Poster Show. Buffalo, NY
2008 - OFF-REGISTER Exhibition
2008 - Back in Black Show
2007 -  TypeCon Poster Show. Seattle, WA
2007 - Today's Art 2007. The Hague, Netherlands
2007 -  MadinSpain
2006 - APMT2 Gallery. Tokyo, Japan
2006 - First Amendment Gallery, Too Much Posse. Minneapolis, MN
2006 - Today's Art 2006. The Hague, Netherlands
2005 -  Poster Offensive Show. Minneapolis, MN
2005 - FITC Interactive Art. Toronto, Canada
2004 - Maxalot Gallery. The Netherlands
2004 - Poster Offensive Show. Minneapolis, MN
2003 - TypeCon Poster Show.
Minneapolis, MN
2003 - 55DSL Art Exhibit Show. New York, NY
2001 - American Museum of Digital Art. Earth
2000 - My City, São Paulo Museum of Art permanent collection. São Paulo, Brasil
1995 - Dark Portraits, Solo Art Exhibit of Lithographs. Denton, TX

Select Speaking and Writing
-
2018 - Atlanta Design Week. Atlanta, GA
2017 - AIGA National Conference. Minneapolis, MN
2017 - Bethel Gallery. Minneapolis, MN
2016  - Adobe “Creative Jam” Speaker. Minneapolis, MN
2015 - OFFF Barcelona Branding Workshop. Barcelona, Spain
2015 - VSCO Book Release. New York, NY
2014 - AIGA Nebraska. Omaha, NE
2012 - Type Directors Club. New York, NY
2011 - Louisville Graphic Design Association. Louisville, TN
2011 - AIGA/Public Works. Chicago, IL
2011 - Creative Review: Design finds a voice, but what does it have to say? Article
2010 - Flashbelt. Minneapolis, MN
2008 - OFFF. Spain
2008 - TypeCon. Buffalo, NY
2008 - MCAD. Minneapolis, MN
2 007 - OFFF. New York, NY
2006 - Grafik Magazine Essay
2006 - APMT2. Tokyo, Japan
2006 - OFFF. Barcelona, Spain
2005 - AIGA
2004 - MCAD. Minneapolis, MN
2004 - University of Minnesota. Duluth, MN
2004 - OFFF. Valencia, Spain
2004 - FITC. Toronto, Canada
2003 - BD4D. Atlanta, GA
2003 - University of Minnesota. Duluth, MN
2003 - MX on the Rocks. Denver, CO
2002 - X-Media. Florence, Italy
2002 - Profile-Intermedia 5. Germany
2002 -  Pixel DNA, SMAU. Italy  
2002 - MadreTTor.Rotterdam, Netherlands
2001 - Atlanta College of Art. Atlanta, GA
2001 - AIGA. Washington DC
2001 - Semi Permanent. Sidney, Australia

Publications and Video
-
2019 - Ficciones Typografika - 1642. Curated by Erik Brandt + Edited by Mark Gowing
2018 - Album Art: New Music Graphics by John Foster
2018 - Root and Star: Issue 7
2016 - Uppercase: Issue 29 Cover
2016 - Monocle: Entrepreneurs. Ghostly
2015 - The Great Discontent Magazine: Issue 2
2015 - Metropolis Magazine: The Game Changers Issue
2015 - NY Times: Ghostly Transcends Its Record Label Roots to Sell an Ethos
2015 - Michael Cina - A Century of Artifice: Ghostly International: 2008-2014
2014 - Do My Thing. Shigeto x Cina x VSCO
2014 - The Art of Tinkering Book
2014 - Melt
2014 - Filter/Gauge
2014 - The Great Discontent Feature
2013 - Blur Magazine: Issue 2
2012 - Geo/Graphics: Simple form Graphics in Print and Motion.
2012 - PBS - MNO. Video Feature
2012 - Desktop Magazine
2011 - Substrata 1.1
2011 - Only Creative Australia Feature
2011 - Gestalten TV. Video Feature
2010 - Digital Arts Magazine
2010 - Typo Lyrics: The Sound of Fonts by Gaertner, Harmsen, Weiß
2010 - Gopher Magazine
2010 - XLR8R Magazine Feature
2009 - Groove Magazine Feature
2009 - Quotation No. 5
2009 - Straight No Chaser Magazine
2009 - Work in Letterform Collected from Grafik Magazine
2009 - J People Magazine Feature
2009 - Relevant Magazine
2009 - Gopher Magazine Feature
2009 - Computer Arts
2009 - Notes on Design
2009 - iDN 15th Anniversary Book: What do you love?
2009 - Grain Edit Feature
2009 - Digital Abstracts Interview
2009 - Grafik Magazine: Issue 174
2009 - Computer Arts
2009 - Computerlove feature
2008 - Bastardised. Made in Bunch
2008 - Communication Arts
2009 - Design Smoke Interview
2008 - Vita.mn Magazine Feature
2008 - The Rake Magazine Feature
2008 - Fashonize 2 Book
2008 - Best of Disc Art 1 Book
2008 -  One Show Interactive, Volume 10
2008 - Feature in iDN Magazine
2008 -  Fresher Styles for Web Designers Book
2008 - IDN 15th Anniversary Feature
2007 - l'etoile Magazine
2007 - 1000 Journals Project Book
2007 - First Amendment Gallery, Beyond Recognition
2007 - OFFF Book
2007 - Poster-Art: Innovation in Poster Design Book
2007 - iDN Magazine Feature
2007 - Relevant Magazine Feature
2006 - Print and Production Finishes for CD and DVD Packaging Book
2006 - Adobe Design Center
2006 - iDN Magazine Feature
2006 - E Project 2 Book
2006 - Today's Art
2005 - BPM Magazine Feature
2005 - Computer Arts Feature
2005 - Relevant Magazine Feature
2005 - DVD-Art: Innovation in DVD Packaging Design Book
2004 - Dos Logos
2004 - Straight, No Chaser Magazine
2004 - Computer Arts Feature
2004 - Rethink Redesign Reconstruct Book
2003 - Computer Arts Feature
2003 - Shift Magazine, Japan
2003 - Taschen's 1000 Favorite Websites Book
2003 - Shift Magazine. Japan
2003 - Great Graphics on a Budget Book
2003 - Emigre Magazine #65
2003 - One Book
2003 - Emigre Magazine #64
2002 - Flash to the Core by Joshua Davis
2002 - 4x4 Book
2002 - Faesthetic #2
2002 - Main Feature in ZOO Magazine
2002 - Computer Arts Feature
2002 - Personal Web Sites Book
2002 - The FWA
2002 - Rojo Magazine. Luxe
2002 - Los Logos
2001 - Computer Arts Magazine Feature
2001 - Adobe Featured Profile
2001 - Flash Deconstruction
2001 - Fresh Styles for Web Designers Book by Curt Cloninger
2001 - New Masters of Photoshop Book, Editor and Feature
2000 - Arkitip Magazine #6 Feature
2000 - Web Design Index Book
1999 - Webworks: Typography Book

Branding

 

Branding is the core of our practice. From intrinsically understanding visual language and tone to excelling in type design and iconography, Cina Associates has created iconic brand assets for a wide variety of major clients. We’ve been fortunate to work with some of the best companies, globally and locally, as well as top tier agencies who regularly bring us in to help with projects. Our reputation for coming up with impactful, thoughtful, creative solutions is second to none.

All Flowers

Brand identity

Secretly Group/Ghostly Intl.

Cina Associates

888

Brand identity

888

Cina Associates

Discovery

Brand identity, Brand strategy

Investigation Discovery 

Cina Associates

Turner

Wordmark, Type Design

WarnerMedia

Troika

Our team of experienced, passionate typographers have been collectively drawing custom type for decades. Not only is bespoke type an effective, recognizable way to communicate brand messaging, but it allows companies to clearly set themselves apart from competitors. Tailor-made to define, evolve, and create exclusivity within your brand's visual identity, custom type can be used across a wide range of technologies, medias, and campaigns. Cina Associates has been proud to develop cost-effective, specialty typefaces for clients such as Disney, Kate Spade, and Time Warner.

DISNEY

Custom and exclusive nine-weight typeface. Designed for digital media for legibility and a strong personality.

GHOSTLY
INTERNATIONAL

A timeless typeface designed for use across all media. For display, retail, and brand use.

Context:
Discovery commissioned Cina Associates to revamp their channel, Investigation Discovery. The ask was to position ID as the premiere platform-agnostic brand for fans of true crime through a rebrand.

Strategy:
To present and unify ID as the premiere network for True Crime across all media platforms while giving it a distinct and unique voice.

Solution:
A timeless and expandable visual identity/system for the leading true crime network. 

Scope:
Brand identity
Brand strategy
Logo Design
Typography
Brand Guidelines
Visual Identity

Research:

We agreed that a successful visual system included these elements. Type + Color + Image + Logo + Design + Message + Strategy = Visual System

As a result, we felt we should do an audit of not only the brand itself, but the ecosystems ID lives in. Our extensive research, delivered in a packed 200 page report, helped us see areas that ID could own and flourish in. These findings lead the way for us to develop the visual system.

Tone Words: Suspenseful, Mysterious, Revealing, Authentic, Human, Empathetic, True, Credible

Visual Approach:
"ID reveals fascinating, complex and true stories through cinematic perspectives, sizes (macro/micro), etc. We use mystery by revealing and accentuating the unusual without the need to show everything. Sometimes we are in the shadows, sometimes we are the light but we’re honest. We’re human and sometimes we’re loud. ID uses texture and thrilling bold typography while letting the image tell the story. We normally dress in dark tones with bursts of color."

Directions:> Perspectives + Angles
> Reveal + Cover-Up
> Emotional Color
> Illuminate + Highlight
> Surprises + Mystery
> Human Elements

Context:
We were hired to create a visual brand and system for a new NFT platform that is as premium as it is unique. The mark represents the physical and digital worlds coming together to form an ‘888’. 

Solution:
An immortal and expandable visual identity/system for the best NFT platform to date. The silver logo will be used to signify Genesis and Innovators while the gold logo will be used to represent the Main and Drop sections of the site. 

Scope:
Brand identity
Logo Design
Typography
Website Design 
Brand System

Michael Cina
A Century of Artifice.
Ghostly International 2008 - 2014

VSCO published a limited edition monograph celebrating over 100 stunning album covers for Ghostly International since 2008. Over the course of his career, award-winning visual artist Michael Cina has experimented with and mastered a dizzying array of disciplines, including typography, branding, art direction, illustration, fine art, motion, web, photography and more.

Scope:
Brand identity
Logo Design
Typography
Website Design 
Brand System