Jeff Mason. Making Things and
Solving Problems.
Jeff Mason, Hero Design Studio’s Principal and Design Director,
talks about how he came to run
a design studio and how his business experience makes him
a better designer.
Making things and solving problems.
Like many in the creative industries, I’ve taken a winding path to land where I am today—the owner and director of a design studio. I started in music, then move to product design, graphic design, web design and finally, now, some combination of all.
In the current state of design and marketing, I find all my past experiences converging into a skill-set of creative communication. Gone are the mass media days of my youth. They’ve been replaced by connected conversations and branded experiences that rely on a designer’s empathy and a craft-person’s skill.
Design is not fine art, it’s problem solving and I focus on solving the problems of business. Over the years I’ve managed several businesses and have a true appreciation for the determination and effort required to make one successful. My business experience is an integral part of the work Hero does for its clients. I never forget that
our job is to create a positive business result, to help our clients grow and contribute to their success.
In the last year, the way in which all this fits together has become clearer to me and defines the services my studio offers. Design is about making things that communicate with people and help them solve problems. Marketing is about putting design to work to build brands, connect with customers and create business growth.
Why the name Hero?
I’m often asked why I named the studio Hero. The name came from the idea of an everyday hero—someone who sees what needs to be done and does it. We do our fair share of up-front thinking, but we always bring it back to doing. Getting things done, measuring results and making it better is what our work is all about.
What do I love?
I love collaboration, coffee, craft beer and food. Luckily all those thing go well together, so my life has a nice synchronicity.
What causes do I support?
I’m a big supporter of bi-lingual education and international studies. My daughter attends a language immersion school and I see first-hand the power of cross-cultural communication and global awareness. Our children are growing up in a world with far fewer boundaries and infinitely more connections. I think language and culture studies foster empathy and community. And that, I believe, promotes peace, hope and prosperity for all of us.
What’s next for Hero?
Hero has long been a proponent of Design Thinking—using both intuition and analytics to create design solutions. It’s at the core of how we approach our design work. This year we’ve strengthened our marketing services by adopting Inbound Marketing methodologies and partnering with the HubSpot. You’ll see a lot of writing on our blog about these marketing strategies and how they connect to our design work. As we see it, design is about making things, marketing is about putting them to work.
Anyone who wants to know more about me or Hero should connect with me on Linkedin.
Cheers,
Jeff
Connect with me on Linkedin.
