We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Bob Schuster a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Bob, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.
For me, staying curious is a critical part of staying creative. If I ever feel like I’m hitting a creative wall, I try to step away from the work and engage in experiences that allow me to explore my curiosity <i>outside</i> of design. Whether it’s going to look at art of any kind, seeing live music, or just exploring outdoors, stepping away from the work and experiencing creativity in other ways is my method for maintenance. Lastly, it took me too long to learn that forcing creativity is either challenging or impossible. So, if I am having an uncreative day, I am patient with myself, work on some administrative things, and come back tomorrow with an appreciation for that time away.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
As a brand designer and principal of the brand design studio Hello And, I feel the most special part of my work is when there is a solid level of trust with everyone on a project, and we’re able to connect to realize a creative vision together. The feedback I seek is that I took what was in the team’s heads and brought it to life, rather than creating something on my own. Working with purpose-driven brands means I find joy and purpose in design that helps people from all backgrounds feel they are in the right place. Design can be impactful on its own, but when it represents significant work, whether for children, education, or community building, it’s even stronger.
Right now, I’m excited to be working through a brand redesign for my design studio. It’s gotten me to connect with others and gain new perspectives, and it feels like a big step for the business in telling stories about our work and truly representing our craft and clients—launching in full force, early 2026.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
There are a few things that it has taken for me to get to this point in my creative and business journey. And, really, there are a thousand lessons (or more) that I’ve learned. The first, and most important thing to me as a person and a business owner, is to always end a project with all involved wanting to work together again. Sometimes this means making decisions to prioritize client and team happiness over revenue, but it’s the reason why 100 per cent of our work comes through referral, and it also makes it easier to sleep at night. I mentioned this before as well, but I’ll reiterate that it’s important for any designer or commercial creative to understand that our work <i>supports</i> client objectives, mission, and vision. It’s not its own thing. That doesn’t mean sacrificing quality or lowering the standards of the craft, but it does mean we need to focus on an outcome that isn’t about our work; it is the best representation of *their* work. Lastly, I have learned to always have a difficult conversation over staying comfortable. I will always do my best to openly communicate concerns of any kind with my clients and teams, and I have found that the best partners to work with are the ones who lean into this approach. And I avoid working with those who avoid discussing challenges in the project, the working relationship, whatever they may be.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
I am so grateful to have a strong, trusted, <i>and trusting</i> network of creatives to collaborate with—and even more grateful for the experiences that we get to have in supporting each other. I am always looking to meet other creatives, even if it’s just to help each other feel understood. Professionally, we outsource work in photo, video, copywriting, brand design, web design, and web development to a really solid network of regular partners, but it’s always great to connect, particularly as we work across the United States and have had to do our own cold networking to find partners in certain cities. I also facilitate fine art and graphic art collaborations on a regular basis, and so painters, graffiti artists, ceramic artists—really anyone making their own beautiful things—I would love to have a conversation.
Contact Info:
- Website: helloandstudio.com
- Instagram: helloandstudio
- Linkedin: schusterbob
Image Credits
Headshot: Amy Schromm, Project Photos: Raquita Henderson, J.P. Burcks, Miranda Munguia
