Today we’d like to introduce you to Hans Dietrich Messerschmidt.
Hi Hans Dietrich, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was raised in Kathmandu, Nepal, from the age of four, with brief periods living in Pullman, Washington, Washington, D.C., and Calgary, Alberta. Growing up surrounded by the Himalayas, ancient cultures, and international perspectives had a profound influence on how I see the world and ultimately shaped both my creative career and my lifelong curiosity.
From an early age, I knew I wanted to be an artist. After graduating with honors from Lincoln International School in Kathmandu, I moved to Portland to attend the Pacific Northwest College of Art, where I pursued a split major in Illustration, Graphic Design, and the emerging field of multimedia.
During my third year, I returned to Nepal for a five-month internship at a large-format printing company. I learned to operate and troubleshoot industrial printers, designed billboards throughout Kathmandu, and eventually trained the local staff. While there, I also waited for a rare two-month special-access visa to Bhutan, where I studied the country’s ancient art, architecture, and Buddhist mysticism—an experience that continues to influence my creative thinking today.
After returning to the United States, I was invited to exhibit at the 1998 Intel Developer Forum in Palm Springs, showcasing experimental sublimated fabrics and powder-coated computer and phone enclosures. Shortly after graduating, I began my professional career as Assistant Art Director at Webridge before moving to H Corp and Hospital Network, a medical technology company, in the same role.
Everything changed when I was struck by a car while riding my bicycle. The accident unexpectedly pushed me into freelancing, where I began working with companies including Microsoft, Microsoft Advertising, and Intel. In 2006, I founded MOD Inc., now known as MOD Creatives Inc., turning what began as an unexpected career shift into a creative agency that has now served more than 100 clients over the past 20 years.
Through MOD Creatives, I’ve had the opportunity to work with organizations including Intel, Microsoft, Nike, Adidas, Evercore, Elevance Health, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and numerous technology, healthcare, and nonprofit organizations. I’ve led branding initiatives, executive presentations, keynote decks, product launches, case studies, infographic systems, and visual communication projects designed to simplify complex information.
Closer to home, I’ve enjoyed helping shape the visual identity of several Portland businesses, including Nicholas Restaurant, Mirakutei Sushi, Kaizen Sushi, Club Luna, Indamix Records, Phoenix Media, and the Dixie nightclub in Old Town. I was also one of the founding creative members of Portland Love Clothing, helping establish its brand identity and designing much of its apparel.
Over the years, I partnered with Portland-based CMD and Seattle’s Prowess Consulting, contributing to projects across many of the world’s leading technology companies. In 2017, MOD Inc. received a Technology Award for its work with Intel. Today, while continuing to operate MOD Creatives, I also serve as one of the B Shift Lead Designer for Evercore, supporting executive communications for one of New York’s leading investment banks.
Much of my career has centered around branding, presentation design, executive communications, and developing visual systems that make complex information clear and engaging. I also created a training series that teaches executives and designers the fundamentals of effective graphic design, branding, and visual communication.
Outside of design, I compose electronic music and spend much of my free time researching ancient civilizations, megalithic architecture, symbolism, and esoteric history. Those interests have taken me around the world and onto stages in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Sedona, and Mount Shasta. I’ve appeared on numerous podcasts, including Fade to Black with Jimmy Church and The Walter Bosley Channel, and was a featured speaker at the 2024 Conscious Life Expo.
I am the author of three books—Dropa Legends and Lore, The Magic of Symbols, and Lost Mysteries of Khemit: The Land Before the Greeks. I’m currently writing several more, including a book documenting my exploration of megalithic Peru, and I am also a contributing author to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Astral Travel with Melissa Morton.
Looking back over the past 25 years, I’m grateful for the opportunity to have worked with more than 100 clients across Portland, the United States, and internationally. Whether designing for a local business, a Fortune 500 company, or researching ancient cultures on the other side of the world, I’ve always approached every project with the same goal: to create meaningful work that tells a clear story and leaves a lasting impact.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It certainly hasn’t been a smooth road. Like many small business owners, I’ve experienced economic downturns, industry shifts, and the uncertainty that comes with relying on contract work. A serious bicycle accident early in my career forced me to rethink my path and ultimately led me to build MOD Creatives. More recently, the rapid rise of AI and changes in the technology sector have transformed the creative industry, requiring constant adaptation and reinvention. Through every challenge, I’ve focused on continuing to learn, evolving my skills, and building lasting relationships with clients. Those experiences have made me a stronger designer, a better creative leader, and a more resilient entrepreneur.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
For more than 25 years, I’ve specialized in helping organizations communicate complex ideas through thoughtful design. While my work spans branding, visual identity, marketing collateral, and digital design, I’m best known for executive presentation design, keynote presentations, infographic systems, and transforming highly technical or data-heavy information into clear, engaging visual stories.
Throughout my career, I’ve had the opportunity to work with more than 100 clients, from local Portland businesses to Fortune 500 companies in technology, healthcare, finance, and government. Whether I’m building a brand from the ground up or designing presentations for C-suite executives, I approach every project with the same philosophy: great design should make complicated ideas feel simple, memorable, and impactful.
What I’m most proud of is the diversity of my work and the relationships I’ve built over the years. I’ve been fortunate to help shape brands in my own community while also contributing to projects for companies such as Intel, Microsoft, Nike, Evercore, Elevance Health, and Blue Cross Blue Shield. Many of those relationships have lasted for years because clients know they can trust me to solve problems creatively and consistently deliver high-quality work.
What sets me apart is my unique perspective. Growing up in Nepal exposed me to different cultures, art, and architecture from an early age, while my continued travels and research into ancient civilizations have given me a lifelong appreciation for symbolism, storytelling, and visual communication. That global perspective, combined with decades of experience in corporate design, allows me to bridge creativity with strategy and create work that is both visually compelling and purpose-driven.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I’ve never thought of risk-taking as being reckless; to me, it’s about being willing to step into the unknown when there’s an opportunity to grow. Some of the biggest decisions in my life—from traveling alone through Asia to study its art and culture, to turning an unexpected career change after my bicycle accident into founding MOD Creatives—required taking a chance without knowing exactly where it would lead. Running my own creative business for nearly 20 years has been a risk in itself, especially through economic downturns and a constantly changing industry. I’ve learned that some risks don’t work out as planned, but they almost always teach you something. I would rather take a thoughtful chance, adapt, and keep moving forward than wonder what might have happened if I hadn’t tried.
Pricing:
- I treat each project individually, so I price by project rather than a flat rate, based on the client’s size, needs, scope, and audience reach.
- For hourly projects, my rates start at $125/hr.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.modcreatives.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hans-dietrich-messerschmidt-92080812/
- Other: https://www.hans-dietrich.com
