Hugh Graham Creative

What’s your story?

I work with organizations to craft experiences and tell stories. The solutions themselves can very widely, from websites to physical environments. Many of these experiences are interactive and community-centered (Web 2.0) solutions, while others involve multiple flash and video components. I have also worked with organizations to provide a framework for planning and managing additional projects.

Each solution shares a commitment to connection and communication, and is hand-crafted to address the unique requirements and goals of the project. Creating a compelling experience requires understanding the organization, the audience, and the medium. The end-product connects the worlds of design, marketing, and advertising through usable, useful, and desirable solutions that work.

In the connected world, your story is told by everyone you come in contact with, whether virtually or in person. An effective experience design strategy can help tell your story more effectively, whether you are looking to increase awareness, communicate more effectively, or connect more deeply with current or prospective clients.

How is it done?

Each engagement starts by understanding your organization’s capabilities, challenges, and goals; based on this understanding, we’ll work together to develop a research and design program focused on providing real, cost-effective value. Every project is unique and customized, with a commitment to being practical, creative, and innovative.

While many of the solutions are high-tech and high touch, the approach to creative exploration is decidedly low-tech. I use people-centered design methods, including team facilitation, ethnographic research, experience models, personas, scenarios, and prototypes. These techniques allow creative options to be explored quickly and iteratively, and they front load the process so that there is less time and money wasted in the development process.

At its best, design is a process of problem solving; while there are important moments of inspiration, superior results come from a deep understanding of the business, the audience, and the connections between the two. While especially important in interactive media such as the Internet, experience strategy can offer important and transformational insights into how to craft superior solutions in realms as diverse as product design, architecture, and advertising.

I work with a combination of approaches including team facilitation, personas, scenarios, prototypes, and experience models. These approaches help to define a shared vision for the project team, assuring that solutions are appropriate and achievable. With a focus on rapid iteration, this approach is pretty effective; among other benefits, it allows potential issues to be discovered earlier in the process when change is less costly to implement.

In the connected world, you have the opportunity to build or destroy relationships with every interaction. And, you have the opportunity to create ambassadors and co-creators from your audience. I can help you to craft a design strategy that will work for your organization.

Who I work with

I work with a combination businesses, universities, and non-profit organizations; I have worked with both startups and established businesses in a variety of industries, including travel, education, and financial services, in addition to numerous projects for non-profit and cultural institutions.

Some of the organizations I’ve worked with include:

AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts)
Alamo Rent A Car
AAA (American Automobile Association)
American Friends Service Committee
Aspen Institute
Aspen Ski Area
Boscolo Hotels (Italy)
Budget Rent A Car
Cable Center
Google Europe
Heifer International
Jack Morton
Janus Funds
Lab at Belmar
Limited Express
Knoll
National Trust for Historic Preservation
Nature Conservancy
PhoCusWright
Qwest/US West
Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design
Universal Studios Florida
University of Denver

Contact Information

Hugh Graham
2111 West 31st Avenue
Denver, CO 80211
303.458.6077 phone
hugh@hughgrahamcreative.com