Early on, I knew I was wired a little differently than others while growing up in Omaha, Nebraska. I’d spend more time decorating my school book covers than actually reading the material inside. I doodled made-up characters in church pews at my friends requests instead of reciting bible verses, against my parent's will. Turns out all this might have been a clue for the love and super power I've had for reimagining things.

Fast forward to earning my BFA in Advertising and Graphic Design and I’ve channelled all this energy into a 20 year career of visualizing the fun and expressive sides of brands. What does that look like? Creating brand identities for start-ups that are now crushing it out there. Illustrating and painting a three-wall mural for a multi-billion dollar brand. Workshopping and designing brand packaging with some of the most iconic athletes in the world.

In short, creating rad and memorable experiences together and results that speak for themselves.

Reach out and say hello – I’d love to hear about your project!

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THE SKINNY

We pair well with ambitious business owners or brand marketing managers, whether you're a start-up looking to compete with the big dogs or you're a big dog needing a makeover or something amazing and brand new – we might be a fit for you.

THINGS WE MAKE

A lovable brand identity
Disruptive packaging
Illustrations
Personalized retail signage
Expressive wall art installations
Mural designs and installation

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

“I have had the pleasure of partnering with Mitch since 2019. He is a talented, collaborative, strategic, multi-disciplinary designer and all-around amazing human being. We’ve worked on a wide spectrum of projects across the Gatorade brand from refreshing brand identities to designing limited edition packaging, apparel, and influencer seeding kits to proposing creative strategy for new business platforms and building the roadmap on how to bring athlete collaborations to life. Mitch always brings a positive mindset to each project and strikes the right balance between being a strategic thinker and an artistic dreamer. What I’ve come to value in his partnership is that he is able to brainstorm blue sky “what if’s” and apply practical business realities to all of the creative challenges we’ve tackled together.

Notably, the blueprint that we piloted with Serena Williams in 2019 to create the first ever Gx athlete collaboration has since been held up as best in class in both the Gatorade and the Global Pepsico Design organizations. It has also helped prove that design can make a meaningful impact on business with the Gx platform growing more than 10x from 2018 to 2022, large in part to the amplification of the athlete collabs Mitch designed.Aside from being proud of the work we’ve created together, through our travels, challenges and triumphs, I am proud to be able to call him a friend.”

– Kelli Albaugh, Senior Brand Design Manager – Gatorade

“Our new identity has been such an unexpected and exciting part of building our global brand. Some of our followers have literally driven hundreds of miles just to meet us and receive a roverlanding Expedition badge. It has successfully galvanized our visual communication strategy.”

– John Edelmann, Co-Founder of Roverlanding Expedition

“I’ve worked with Mitch on several projects ranging from expanding existing brands to developing completely new to the world products. Working with him is always fantastic. His passion, creativity, drive and integrity is supported with a bit of pragmatism, knowledge of the design process and understanding of how businesses and teams work. He seamlessly collaborates with the team, consistently delivering great work, pushing brands and ideas into new spaces that deliver business results.”

– David Jaggi, Former Head of Design at MARS

"Working with Mitch was one of the best decisions we made early on with Ridwell. We spent time together really understanding our brand and long-term vision and he translated that into materials that get rave reviews from our growing community, now spanning 5 states. Many of our members comment how proud they are to not only have a bin on their porch, but also to see others when they are out in the neighborhood."

– Ryan Metzger, Founder & CEO of Ridwell

"Mitch has been a phenomenal creative partner for Ridwell. We have looked to him time and time again to drive forward creative brand expression in new and innovative ways. Our members love our brand and that is thanks to Mitch!"

– Aliya Marder, Co-Founder of Ridwell

“Taking a brand idea and turning it into reality takes enormous insights and creativity. I knew I needed help in this area and so I reached out to Mitch from Haystack. He was able to brilliantly take my vision for my brand and cultivate a brand identity from it that I could use to completely revamp my company’s image. What was most impressive was how creative Mitch is. His artistic skills along with his projection of how his creation of the brand image would impact my business was amazing! I was thoroughly happy with the end result and I would refer Mitch to anyone who is building a brand or wanting to rebrand.”

– Jake Platt, Former Founder & CEO of NWCF