Who is Efren Cavazos?

Efren Cavazos is a Houston brand strategist and the founder of Abstract Creative. He has led brand and creative for global companies in energy and design, including SLB, Phillips 66, ConocoPhillips and Cosentino North America, where he was Creative Director.

What does Efren Cavazos do?

He helps founder-led professional services firms fix their positioning, then builds the identity, website and growth systems that turn it into pipeline. For some clients he stays on as a fractional CMO.

Who does he work with?

Founder-led professional services and B2B firms, in any industry, scaling from roughly $1M to $10M in revenue: firms with strong reputations whose brands haven't kept up.

Houston, Texas. He works with firms across Greater Houston (The Woodlands, Sugar Land, Katy, Cypress, Spring, Pearland) and remotely with clients elsewhere in the US.

What are his qualifications?

13 industry awards from the ANA, AMA and BMA; board service with AMA Houston and AIGA Houston; and degrees in graphic design, marketing and business.

How do I work with him?

Book a Strategic Fit Call. It's a short conversation to see whether the problem is positioning, and whether he's the right person to fix it.

Efren Cavazos · Brand Strategist for Founder-Led Firms

Selected work

The proof, not the pitch.

Five engagements, in-house and independent. Every number below is client-reported or tracked in-house.

01

Kinsmen Group

Positioning · Identity · Web / 2024

3.8×

ROI · +26% QoQ sales growth

(case study on Abstract Creative)
02

Café Diario

Positioning · Identity · Packaging / 2023

+155%

Retail price, supported by repositioning

(case study on Abstract Creative)
03

Muscle Rehab

Positioning · Packaging · Retail / 2023

$700K+

Profit since launch (client-reported)

(case study on Abstract Creative)
04

Phillips 66

Brand governance · Reporting / 2020–2022

+14%

Engagement lift (in-house)

(case study on Abstract Creative)
05

SLB

Brand standards · Catalogs · Web / 2013–2020

5 awards

On a single product catalog (in-house)

(case study on Abstract Creative)

See all client results at Abstract Creative ↗

About

From global brands to founder-led firms. Still sweating the kerning.

Efren has led brand and creative across energy, architecture and design, and consumer brands, inside companies where brand is governed, not decorated. He built standards that held across business units, and learned to earn agreement in rooms where every stakeholder had a veto.

The lesson: most brand problems aren't design problems. They're positioning problems. So that's where he starts.

He founded Abstract Creative in 2017. Founder-led firms scaling from $1M to $10M bring him in when their brand hasn't kept up with their reputation: positioning first, then the identity, website and growth systems that carry it. For some, he stays on as fractional CMO.

MBA in progress · MS, Marketing · BBA, Marketing · AAS, Graphic Design

Recognition

13 industry awards.

Judged by the ANA, AMA and BMA, across energy, design and consumer packaging.

Year	Project	Award	Issuer	Client
2021	Astros Clock Tower, Minute Maid Park	Award of Excellence	ANA Lantern Awards	Phillips 66
2021	Emerging Energy Photography	Award of Excellence	ANA Lantern Awards	Phillips 66
2021	Good Energy Wall Mural, Ponca City Refinery	Award of Excellence	ANA Lantern Awards	Phillips 66
2018	Muscle Rehab Packaging Design	Crystal Award	American Marketing Association	Muscle Rehab
2017	ASDP Launch Event, HFTC Conference	Lantern Award	Business Marketing Association	SLB
2016	Infinity System Trailer Traveling Exhibit	Award Winner	BMA Houston	SLB
2015	Six Ways to Reduce Well Intervention Costs, capability brochure	Award Winner	BMA Houston	SLB
2014–15	Well Intervention Products & Services Catalog	5 awards: Gold · Best of Division · Best of Category	Graphic Excellence Awards & BMA Houston	SLB
2011	Outstanding Advertising	Readership Response	Kitchen & Bath Design News	Cosentino

Board & community

Giving back to the craft.

2026–present

AMA Houston

Director of Co-Groups

Programming and growing AMA Houston's member groups, built around what marketers are actually working through.

2025–2026

AIGA Houston

Board of Directors, Operations Director

Led local professional-development programs, workshop scheduling and sponsor partnerships for Houston's design community.

FAQ

Common questions.

Who is Efren Cavazos?

Efren Cavazos is a Houston brand strategist and the founder of Abstract Creative. He has led brand and creative for global companies in energy and design, including SLB, Phillips 66, ConocoPhillips and Cosentino North America, where he was Creative Director.
What does Efren Cavazos do?

He helps founder-led professional services firms fix their positioning, then builds the identity, website and growth systems that turn it into pipeline. For some clients he stays on as a fractional CMO.
Who does he work with?

Founder-led professional services and B2B firms, in any industry, scaling from roughly $1M to $10M in revenue: firms with strong reputations whose brands haven't kept up.
Where is he based?

Houston, Texas. He works with firms across Greater Houston (The Woodlands, Sugar Land, Katy, Cypress, Spring, Pearland) and remotely with clients elsewhere in the US.
What are his qualifications?

13 industry awards from the ANA, AMA and BMA; board service with AMA Houston and AIGA Houston; and degrees in graphic design, marketing and business.
How do I work with him?

Book a Strategic Fit Call. It's a short conversation to see whether the problem is positioning, and whether he's the right person to fix it.

Contact

Let's build something that holds.

If your firm is known for great work but not yet chosen for it, start with a Strategic Fit Call. I'll tell you honestly whether positioning is the problem, and whether I'm the right person to help.

Book a Strategic Fit Call Send a message

For senior brand and marketing leadership conversations, email me directly or connect on LinkedIn.