Cole Nielsen

I try to make strategy bleed: I do everything I can to ensure that our work comes alive in the real world, and doesn't die in a deck. I try to infuse work with all the human emotions, real-world insights, viable creativity and actionable steps that beg ideas to become tangible.

In Brooklyn, I feel like I get to experience the vanguard of creative culture; there’s a certain energy in the air and the richness of humanity is all around. It’s not an easy place to live or raise a family, but I know that it’s shaped my life and the lives of my kids in ways no other place could.

One of the great things about being a creative professional is that my work often gets to intersect with my passions: producing music, directing films, creating art and all things basketball. Every project I work on is exciting and engaging because they allow me to embrace different aspects of my occupational endeavors.

Cliché as it may be, I always wanted to make things that could touch people’s lives in some meaningful way. I was straddling a dual major in college (and multiple minors and hobbies) for my first few years before realizing a career in design might be the solution; it was the combination of visuals and typography—art and story—that drew me in initially. Over the years, however, I realized collaborating with clients towards 'Some Future Good' has allowed me to embrace my initial objective in a powerful and multi-faceted manner.

How to work hard, take criticism in stride and obsessively revise until I get to a better place. That, and to never track letters out past 50.