Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Hardy Stewart. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hardy , thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?
The world feels like a bleak place to live sometimes. Politically, environmentally, and socially there is so much fear baked into what seems like everyday life. It’s easy to get discouraged, and I would be lying if I didn’t say I do get discouraged sometimes. But whenever I get discouraged, it’s often not long before I can see the emergence of hope, kindness, and light. Without a doubt, my optimism comes from the beautiful people that I have encountered in my life. I was living in Minneapolis during the murder of George Floyd. Like the murder of so many innocent black lives prior to this event, it was hard to come to grips with. There was no clear path forward, and so many reasons to be sad and defeated. I can say that I feel sad that since 2020, there still hasn’t been much progress, but I still hold onto the people that I met after those events and the courage and light that they brought. I saw neighbors banding together to help each other out, mutual aid flowing, and a lot of (white) people having uncomfortable conversations. Though we have so far to go, and a huge reckoning still to take place, I hold onto the sense of community that was so abundantly clear in times of hardship and know that there are so many good people in this world. Together, I sincerely believe we can create world-changing ideas as well as behavioral changes necessary to create a world in which everyone feels safe.
I feel so fortunate to have worked on projects that have allowed me to understand and explore safety and equity for women and children in Uganda with the American Refugee Committee (now Alight), explore the nuances of mental health services for one of the largest safety-net hospitals in the United States, Hennepin Healthcare, and work with the Voyageurs National Park Conservancy to increase access to and excitement about the National Park system. Working on these projects, meeting both the great minds behind the ideas, and talking to the people we are designing for, it’s easy to feel optimistic. There are so many bright minds doing truly compassionate and inspired things in this world, that you sometimes just need to take a step back from some of the noise, align yourself with people who share your values, and dive back in!
Talk to your neighbors.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am a designer and creative director and I run the independent design studio Hello New World. We work tirelessly (sometimes tired) to deeply understand complex ideas and clearly communicate solutions through design & storytelling. We gravitate towards clients who share our passion for environmental stewardship and health and wellness. With a background in brand development, technology & systems, and equal parts interest in graphic design and research, the studio’s mission remains simple: to create engaging discourse to bridge the gap between product and consumer.
Hello New World was born out of the pandemic, and subsequent year of social and societal upheaval and unrest. Its inception began with frequent collaborations and dialogues with the incredible Annie Ulku. During this time we set off to explore our newfound social-distanced existence, observing both positive changes, noting the things that we’d like to keep around (knowing one day we would somehow return to normal and a momentum of change would come), as well as noting previous patterns, habits, bias’, that we must emphatically say good riddance to. Those community dialogues and initiatives are kept close to heart, forming a foundation of empathy and community at Hello New World.
I worked as the Creative Director at the Webby Awards in 2022. I also taught at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design as well as Augsburg College. I’ve worked with clients including Adobe, the American Refugee Committee, Bumble, BuzzFeed, CBRE, Code + Theory, The CW, Frank Gehry Architects, General Assembly, Hennepin Healthcare, IDEO.org, Internet Week New York, Language Department, Netflix, Paperchase Press, the Park Avenue Armory NY, Rebecca Taylor, the University of Minnesota, the University of Oklahoma, Vice Media, Virtue Worldwide, and the Webby Awards.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Openness, learning technology on your own terms (while learning how to think), and embracing criticism.
Approach what you do with openness. This is most definitely helpful for starting projects, meeting people, and getting yourself out there, but can also apply to hard skills like software and technology. There is always more to learn and do, but if you can approach each day/conversation/opportunity with a willingness to be open, it will pay dividends.
Don’t pay people to teach you software, pay people to teach you methods of thinking. Many of my students want me to teach them how to use software. I know that I am proficient in the software that I use, and happy to help them when students get stuck, but this is not where your 6 figure (hopefully less) colleague tuition should be going. Going to school, or taking a class, the real value is learning how to learn, learning how to communicate, and developing new problem-solving skills. If you want to learn software, buy it, and just go for it, there are so many tutorials, online communities, etc, but before that, I recommend just exploring yourself, making mistakes, and figuring it out.
Criticism can be brutal. It is also essential in creating refined, thoughtful, and functional work. Feedback is invaluable when working with teams, for a client, or on your own projects. Take advantage of the brains around you, ask them why, and revisit. Especially in design, everyone has an opinion, so choose wisely, but talk to people you trust and admire. This will always produce better work.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
My mother Susan (shout out Susan!) is an amazing photographer, and she taught me the love of photography at a very young age. She would teach black and white film Photography in the Summers and I would often sit in on her classes, eventually being somewhat of a teaching assistant when I became pretty proficient in photography myself. Especially with film photography, I think I got so much from the act of carrying a camera around with me, moving slowly through the world, and really looking around. These summers taught me so many invaluable lessons in observing. Sometimes I would venture out to new and unexplored places to find new people and places to take photos. Other times I would explore the same street I had grown up on, returning over and over again to see if I could find something new, or capture a moment in time. The idea of walking through the world looking through a lens is an invaluable one, and one which really makes you slow down, consider what you are looking at, or not think at all and just act to get the photo! Though I don’t do as much photography anymore, this was a big part of my college portfolio and was an amazing foundation in not only design thinking but approaching the world with open eyes.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://hellonewworld.online/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hello_____hardy/
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/hardystewart
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/henncountydiscoauthority
Image Credits
Portrait: Jade Patrick All work photos: “Credit Hello New World”
