Douglas Hampton-Dowson grew up on the northeast coast of Scotland, in a small fishing town where his family has lived for generations. His grandmother once told him, as they looked out at the slowly churning grey water, that there are people who like mountains, and people who like the sea. She was a 'sea person'. Doug is probably a bit of both. He has brought his Americanized children back to Scotland and held them up, presented them to the sea to face and hear the crashing waves, as was a tradition from his father.

It starts with good listening. Mr. Hampton-Dowson’s work is helping companies and organizations look better and sound better, making them more attractive and easier to interact with. He has created experiences that enabled American Express to recover hundreds of millions of dollars, helped BMW sell hundred-thousand-dollar vehicles across North America, and improved Nintendo's retail experience in thousands of stores. He has worked with companies in many fields, from the relentless complexities of pharmaceutical marketing, to the wonderful simplicity of well-meaning startups.

But what gives Mr. Hampton-Dowson the most joy with work? It's working with smaller businesses that genuinely care about their customers and deserve to be presented appropriately. He loves uncovering the parts of an organization that the world ought to know about, and he does this through leading vision sessions and approaching problems using the design thinking methodology. His design agency loves helping companies find their voice and style. Mr. Hampton-Dowson believes it's important for designers to be pragmatic as well as creative—designers are here to solve problems. He likes traveling around the country, meeting people and learning how their businesses work.

Mr. Hampton-Dowson’s education ranges from the Royal School of Artillery, to Berklee College of Music, business school at Edinburgh's Heriot Watt, and continuing education at MIT. He wants to understand . . . everything.

Mr. Hampton-Dowson works with The IBI Awards, an international organization recognizing artists who work in the medium of the human body (in other words, makeup and hair). These incredible artists hitherto haven't been attributed the credibility of traditional art mediums, yet routinely create superior visual and conceptual work while dealing with a much more technically complex canvas. The most rewarding part of this is encouraging those around the world whose work transforms the confidence and self-image of people who have suffered from disfiguring injury or disease.

The majority of Mr. Hampton-Dowson’s career was anchored in New York City, but now he lives in a rural village in Connecticut, entirely encompassed by nature. He feels pride and, frankly, relief that his children can be just as interested in a bird, the clouds at sunset, or unusual bark on a tree as they are in a YouTube channel. But keeping their exposure to the real world over the virtual reminds him of standing against the tide.