hello, we're hi, hello

how we work

Our work lives at the intersection of intuition, collaboration, and craft.  Every project is unique, but the process never changes.

1. define

Inside every brief is an opportunity to tell a compelling story.

We love to dig in, understand the business problem and find that nugget to inspire the creative solution.

2. build

Create with the intent to separate from the competition.

We tell stories with visuals instead of words, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse ultricies scelerisque dictum.

Stylized illustration of a bird flying from an egg

3. express

The final product enters the market

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who we are

Hi, Hello is made up of three founders, each with 25+ years experience in brand design.

Katie Heit Gardner

Creative Director

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Nathan Hinz

Creative Director

There's a decent chance you encountered something Nathan made today. Maybe it was the badge on the grill of a semi truck, the salsa you're eating for lunch or the whiskey in your Old Fashioned. He brings a high level of craft and strategic thinking to brand design, with long stretches of his career dedicated to brand identity, packaging and digital design for brands like BMW, Coca-Cola, Jack Daniel's and Sonos.

Michael Murray

Managing Director

Michael is an Effie-winning agency leader, brand strategist and marketer with 20+ years of experience at some of the most notable branding shops in Minneapolis and beyond. (See LI for all the deets.) In his free time, Michael goes to a lot of concerts, continues to buy way too much vinyl and loves spending time with his wife, three sons and two cats.

what we do

We design brands at all key consumer touchpoints, making us ideal for a focused project or a comprehensive overhaul.

strategy

Design is strategic at its foundation. Whether we work with existing information or shape the thinking ourselves, the business challenge drives the creative solution.

brand architecture
competitive audits
design thinking
brand positioning
design brief creation
brand archetypes
visual territories
naming

identity

Brands are visual, and they require the tools to stand out from competitors. This is our sweet spot, be it a light tweak or a full redesign.

brand architecture
competitive audits
design thinking
brand positioning
design brief creation
brand archetypes
visual territories
naming

digital

Screens are a brand's most crucial touchpoint; a space to surprise, delight, educate, and ultimately convince. We build digital to be flexible for the future and easily usable for the consumer and client alike.

brand architecture
competitive audits
design thinking
brand positioning
design brief creation
brand archetypes
visual territories
naming

packaging

Done well, design can drive someone to pick up a product, or make unboxing a special experience, or help someone reconsider an entire category.

brand architecture
competitive audits
design thinking
brand positioning
design brief creation
brand archetypes
visual territories
naming

print

Sometimes the biggest impact comes from a real, tactile, printed piece your customer can hold in their hands and is worth keeping.

brand architecture
competitive audits
design thinking
brand positioning
design brief creation
brand archetypes
visual territories
naming

spaces

Branded envirionments are an opportunity to create experiences to see from afar, walk through and engage in memorable ways.

brand architecture
competitive audits
design thinking
brand positioning
design brief creation
brand archetypes
visual territories
naming

clients

We see ourselves as collaborators, partners and advocates for our clients interests.

We're a relationship-based company, and our leaders are directly involved in every project, which means the person doing the work is likely the person you're talking to. We believe this is a more efficient and personable way to do business. And every client benefits from the wide range of business categories and brands we have experience with, be it small startup or global multi-national.

category experience

ag-tech
alcohol + spirits
business-to-business
climate action
community + social impact
entertainment + culture
finance

food + beverage
healthcare
hospitality
insurance
retail + home goods
science + technology
sports + lifestyle
travel + leisure

career client list

Below is a range of brands the partners at Hi, Hello have touched in their careers

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