HELLO!

We don’t sleep much, but you wouldn’t know it by the smile on our faces.😎

We live and breathe branding because branding is about people, and we love people.

We find incredible fulfillment in showing brands that they, like people, have a soul and a voice that’s worth sharing with the world.

 

As multi-faceted creatives, we give equal importance to strategy and creativity and the beautiful narratives that are formed when the two intertwine.

Our leadership have been entrepreneurs in the industry for 16+ years, which means we know how to get it done right when it counts; our business hats are just as worn-in as our creative hats, and we know how to lead multidisciplinary creative teams because we’ve played nearly all of those roles at some point in our careers.

 
 
 

Our experience spans the gamut across many industries. We can design one helluva corporate brand, and our specialty centers at the intersections between lifestyle, sport and tech.

It’s less about the products in these spaces, and more about the PEOPLE and their shared mindsets and approach to the world.

At this intersection, we’ve found some of the most ambitious, daring, creative, and inventive individuals & companies in the world—each with a vision to make the world better, be it through experiences, community or culture.

Those are the jobs that make us think, “Now THIS is why we do what we do!”

 

For more insight into how we think, check out our PHILOSOPHY.

 

Specialities

Brand Identity

Brand Strategy

Brand Positioning + Architecture

Brand Guidelines & Playbooks

Creative + Art Direction

Web Design

 

Clients

OWNER + CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Nathanael Clanton

 

BOOTLEGGED

My design career started with a bootleg version of Photoshop 6 that I used to color my graffiti art. Before that, I grew up helping my dad paint signs and murals and create vinyl graphics.

Street art and the hands-on cut & paste mentality have been foundational elements of how I’ve developed as a designer.

PIVOT > PASSION

I originally wanted to become an architect, but I found a greater, more versatile passion for design. My love for structure, grid, atmosphere, and creating immersive environments informs how I approach visual design in a way that’s meaningful and inspiring to me.

 

  • 15+ years as an entrepreneur in the design industry has made it my passion to act as a translator for those who are bold, visionary, and purpose-driven.

    I partner the power of strategy and branding to reveal, develop and elevate the identity of those I serve.

    I've had the opportunity to work with companies of every size, from launching ambitious startups to overseeing the brands of multi-billion dollar corporate clients.

    I specialize in brand consulting, designing, strategizing, and honing brands to tell their unique story and to connect with the people behind the ideas.

    Brands I’ve worked with:

    Nike • Apple • Starbucks • Adidas • Oculus • Under Armour • Microsoft • Expedia Group • Xbox • Toyota • HP • ExxonMobil • Bloomberg • Dell • Nintendo • Champs Sports • ASICS • Brand Jordan • Kobe Bryant • LeBron James • Damian Lillard • Ken Griffey Jr. • Ben Simmons • Matthews International • BP • MUSE (Band)

  • My introduction to graphic design was growing up helping with my dad’s sign and mural business.

    I can remember him teaching me how to weed vinyl graphics, use a pouncing wheel and chalk dust or an opaque projector to transfer a design to a signboard or a large-scale wall, and when he first showed me an old bootleg copy of Photoshop 6, which I later used to color my graffiti art.

    I used to want to become an architect and majored in it for two years at the technical high school I attended before falling in love with the versatility of graphic design. Drawing graffiti is essentially typography, which led to me submitting a portfolio to art school in Portland, Oregon where I grew up.

    I got my first design job doing flyers for my church right out of high school and got my first freelance client while in college. I charged $10 an hour for my first logo design. 🤦🏻‍♂️

    Following school, I interned at a tiny design shop, then contracted at Nike, then got a job at a big agency in Portland where I worked on projects for Underarmour, XBox, Nike, Gap, Nintendo, Apple, Microsoft, and Callaway Golf.

    In the years following, I ran my own agency and have worked with incredible agencies and brands such as Nike, Adidas, Oculus, Brand Jordan, Champs Sports, Easton Sports, ASICS, Supra, Walmart, Dell, and athletes such as Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Damian Lillard, Ken Griffey Jr., Ben Simmons.

    More recently, I’ve served as a Creative Director leading on accounts for Expedia Group, Starbucks, Brooks Running, Starbucks, Oracle, and CVS.

    These projects often involved a wide variety of skills, from crafting a new/refreshed brand mark, followed by a strategic development of the brand’s overall visual aesthetic, copywriting and advertising, crafting the brand’s digital presence (Website, online communications), apparel development, custom illustration, and digital concepts, unifying diverse sets of packaging, overseeing advertising campaigns, and establishing my clients as leaders in their industries through premium high-end brand development. 

    My designs and strategic communications have helped my clients achieve huge goals including raising over $250,000 in donations for Parkinson’s Disease, raising over $2 million in startup capital and participation of over 200 current and retired NFL & NBA athletes for a sports media startup, and solidify a smooth transition and cultural buy-in for a $1.7 billion corporate merger.

    Extensive experience has helped me develop a tried-and-tested process for setting a brand up for success.

    While products, missions, leadership, and customer bases differ, the core tenets and creative process of what makes a successful brand are very similar.

    Uncovering a company’s passion and heart for what they do and then communicating that vision to the people they serve is one of my favorite parts of what I do.

    I have a huge passion for connecting with people and helping them discover their personal creativity and the path toward their dreams.

    After a healthy push from my wife, I founded a company in 2016 called Frontrunners where I coach, consult, strategize, teach, podcast, write books, and create educational and inspirational content for creative entrepreneurs.

    My first book is called STEP 0: a guide to overcoming the obstacles that stop us before we get started, which is designed to help us overcome invisible internal barriers and accomplish our dreams and goals.

    I live in Vancouver, WA with my wife, best friend, and business partner Shannon. We spend our days creating side-by-side, cooking, adventuring, laughing, and being in love. We have a little boy named Elliot, a daughter named Lily, and a chunky charcoal lab named Mylo.

    I love good design, and I think that the best design is a well-designed life, full of passion, joy and fulfillment.

 
 

Let’s create.

 

If you are interested in working together or want more information, please send us a message.