High Tide

High Tide is a New York based design agency, led by Creative Director Danny Miller and Managing Director Jill Cole. We caught up with Danny to hear about their background and a few of their projects. EM: How did you come to starting High Tide and what made you want to do it? DM: Shortly after graduating college, I moved back to New York and began working as an art director for a big record label. It was a great experience and I learned a lot, but like many creatives working in a corporate environment, I quickly yearned for more freedom and flexibility. I had a great mentor named Kallen Yan who taught me a lot about the design world and the importance of creating meaningful work that is more than just a set of graphics. This coupled with being raised by a set of parents who were both self-employed — my father was a painter and my mother was involved in real estate — provided me with the initial confidence to start something on my own. Around that time (the late aughts), I was meeting a lot of startup founders who seemed to understand and appreciate good design — they saw how much it could enhance their customer’s experience of their brand. When I first went out on my own, this community offered many opportunities and challenges that helped me to establish and evolve High Tide. I still find it really satisfying to work closely with founders, helping them translate their vision and ideas into the world.