Her Story.
Cimone Key is the founder and chief executive officer of CK Creative Agency, formally known as Cimone Key Creative Studio. Growing up from coast to coast, with roots extending back to Germany, Cimone is well-traveled and well-versed in the world of design, connection, and entrepreneurship. Her passion as a young girl, knowing in her heart she was born to utilize her perspective profoundly, inspired Cimone’s unique journey to open her own design studio.
Businesses:
Cimone always knew she was creative. She wanted to be a traditional artist—but her parents worried it wouldn’t be sustainable. So she explored fashion next (she lovvved colors and dressing up), but quickly realized she didn’t want to sew. Then she shifted to interior design—she was obsessed with designing spaces and would constantly decorate her bedroom with posters and hanging fabrics like her own little showroom.
Everything changed during her junior and senior year of high school, when her mother deployed for a second tour to Iraq. Cimone and her twin moved in with their father and enrolled at a predominantly white high school in Dallas.
That’s where everything aligned.
It was the first time she’d ever used a Mac. The first time she opened Photoshop. And the first time she heard someone talk about graphic design as a real career path.
The Art Institute of Dallas came to speak at her school—and when they said graphic designers were behind the things we see every day, from global billboards to the McDonald’s arch, she was hooked.
“That was the moment,” she says. “If I hadn’t gone to that school, I may have never known graphic and web design was even an option for me.”
These experiences set the foundation for Cimone’s future. She went on to attend The Art Institute of Dallas and graduated with the best portfolio in her class—recognized for her engaging, polished design aesthetic.
Despite battling eyesight issues throughout her childhood and being declared legally blind at age 21, Cimone refused to let that define her. After a miraculous surgery that restored her vision to 20/20, she pursued her purpose with even more urgency.
She entered corporate America and, in just three years, worked at three different Fortune 500 advertising agencies. In 2015, she launched her own design business. While building her client base, she also pursued a Web Design Certificate from Southern Methodist University (SMU) to expand her technical skills.
One of the reasons Cimone founded CK Creative Agency was because she didn’t see many people in the industry who looked like her—or who understood how to design from a perspective shaped by culture, nuance, and lived experience. Too often, that absence led to stereotyping in branding and visual communications. Cimone knew that representation behind the design table mattered just as much as representation in the final product.
Today, Cimone leads CK Creative Agency—a full-service, Dallas-based design agency trusted by powerhouse brands like Intuit, Amazon, Neiman Marcus, Sally Beauty, Capital One, Palo Alto Networks, and more. Her work has been featured in Forbes, on local news channels, and recognized by industry leaders like Intuit, who called her “legendary.”
Beyond agency life, Cimone is a mentor for The Goldman Sachs One Million Black Women initiative, an advisor at Texas A&M’s Women’s Leadership Program, a mentor to small business owners and students, and an advocate for S.T.E.A.M. education.
And now, through CK Campus, she’s building the very thing she never had: a creative launchpad where underrepresented young adults can see themselves in careers in design, tech, writing, and entrepreneurship.
Because when students are exposed, equipped, and believed in—their futures expand.
CK Campus is not just a dream. It’s a calling rooted in experience, fueled by resilience, and powered by purpose.
Cimone Key Creative Agency’s Clientele:
Adidas, Amazon, Palo Alto Networks, Boys and Girls Club, Capital One, Chimy’s, City of Dallas, Intuit, Live Nation, National Football League (NFL), Neiman Marcus, and Sally Beauty.
Associated Organizations & Volunteerism:
Alumni of Goldman Sachs 10,000
AAGD NCTRCA WBE MBE & SBE, certified, and SBTI certified
Volunteerism:
DSVC | Dwell with Dignity | Goldman Sachs Mentor
Awards:
2023 AMA’s “Marketing Maverick of the Year”