— About
We build creative that moves your business forward.
Octane is a creative studio for companies that are done guessing and ready to invest in creative that actually moves the needle.
Jim Mercado
Founder & Creative Director
I studied classic design principles rigorously — the golden ratio, color theory, composition, typography — because those principles are the lens through which I evaluate everything. That foundation is why I can look at any piece of creative work and tell you with conviction whether it’s actually good. Not whether it’s technically correct. Whether it will stop someone and make them feel something.
I’ve adopted every major creative tool shift for the same reason: to reduce the distance between the idea in my head and what the client sees. The Mac. Figma. AI. The tools change. The judgment doesn’t. Knowing the difference is the job.
Over the course of my career I’ve led creative for PayPal, Visa, McAfee, Snowflake, Coupa, Sigma, and Conversica — and worked alongside founders and marketing leaders at Axle Health, Fleak.ai, Springboard, Kore.ai, Arkose Labs, Berbix, CoinZoom, Ravelco, JetBlue Ventures, Hiller Aviation Museum, and JATO Aviation. That range — from Fortune 500 to Series A — is what allows me to bring both institutional rigor and startup agility to every engagement.
I work with companies as a Fractional Creative Director — embedding with your team to bring AI creative tools, the workflow to use them effectively, and the experienced eye to evaluate everything that comes out. I’m Figma-certified, current on AI tools, and still learning something new every day. I’m also a certificated instrument-rated pilot and a high-performance driving instructor — when a lot is at stake, preparation and precision aren’t optional. My clients get that standard without having to ask for it.
— HOW I WORK
Three principles behind every project
Strategy before pixels
Before a single pixel moves, we do the hard upstream work — understanding your audience, finding the honest truth in your product, and building the messaging around it. The creative is only as strong as the thinking behind it.
Experienced leadership, always
There’s no junior team behind the curtain. You work directly with me — experienced creative judgment applied to your brand — from first brief to final launch. You review work. You do not manage it.
Built to perform
Beautiful work that doesn’t perform isn’t creative — it’s decoration. Everything I build is designed to do a job: convert, convince, or credentialize. If it can’t be measured, it wasn’t worth making.
— CREDENTIALS & CERTIFICATIONS
Fractional Creative Director
High-Performance Driving Instructor
Video Producing/Editing
Figma/Adobe Certified
AI-Powered Creative Tools — Daily Practice
Email CRM Development
FAA Instrument-Rated Pilot · 1,000+ hours
Web CMS Proficient
Project Management Creative
Your moment is now.
Let’s make it count.
Let’s start with a conversation. No pitch, no pressure — just an honest assessment of what your moment needs.