We recently connected with Kristian Thomassen and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Kristian, thanks for joining us today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard.

One thing I try to do differently – and intentionally – is bring humanity into every layer of the creative process. A lot of industries I’ve worked in (fashion, branding, hospitality) tend to focus on image, speed, and performance. And while I understand the value of excellence and polish, I believe real impact comes from emotional truth – from making people feel something, not just see something.

That means I often start with questions that don’t sound very “corporate”: What’s the emotional core of this concept? Who’s being left out of the conversation? How can we create something that feels intimate, even when it’s built for scale?

Whether developing a global campaign or shaping the guest experience at a restaurant, I try to approach the work from the inside out – not just from a branding perspective, but from a human one. That sometimes means challenging the brief, rethinking the audience, or slowing down to protect the integrity of an idea. It doesn’t always fit neatly into traditional process, but it’s helped me build work that resonates and lasts.

At the end of the day, I think creativity is at its best when it connects – not just impresses.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m a Brand Marketing and Creative Strategy specialist based in New York, working across the worlds of fashion, hospitality, and culture. My background spans advertising, experience design, and storytelling – with a focus on helping brands find their emotional core and translate it into meaningful, visually powerful work.

Today, I work at MA+ Group, one of the world’s leading creative advertising agencies, where I contribute to global campaigns for clients like Loro Piana, J Crew, and Prada. I’m also Brand Manager for Neighborhood Projects, a hospitality group behind several popular restaurants in NYC, including The Golden Swan in the West Village, where I help develop and shape the guest experience – from brand identity to touchpoints, tone of voice, and community engagement.

Across everything I do – whether it’s building a campaign or curating a restaurant’s brand presence – my goal is always the same: to create space. Space for bold ideas, for emotional storytelling, for individuality. What sets my approach apart is that I don’t just focus on what looks good – I focus on what feels right. My work is strategic, yes, but it’s rooted in human insight. I help clients connect with people – not just audiences.

What I’m most proud of is being able to build a career on my own terms, shaped by a belief that creativity should be honest, inclusive, and emotionally intelligent.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Someone once told me, “All new business happens after 6pm.” At first, I thought they were joking – but honestly, they weren’t wrong. Some of my most valuable client relationships and creative collaborations have started over a glass of wine at an art opening, a spontaneous dinner party, or even at a dive bar where someone happened to say, “Wait… you do branding?”

For me, the best source of new clients has always been organic connection. I show up as myself, even in professional spaces, and I think people feel that. It builds trust – and trust builds work. So while I absolutely believe in strategy, I also believe in energy. And sometimes, that energy just happens to peak… after 6pm.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

At the heart of everything I do is a desire to create space – for people, for emotion, for individuality. Growing up, I often felt like I didn’t quite fit the mold. I was too expressive, too curious, too much of something that didn’t seem to belong. For a long time, I tried to shrink myself to match my surroundings. But over time, I realized that what made me different was exactly what made me powerful – and that realization became the foundation for my creative mission.

Today, whether I’m building brand campaigns, shaping hospitality experiences, or helping teams find clarity in their storytelling, my goal is always to unlock emotion. Not just polish. Not just perfection. Emotion. I want people to feel something – and ideally, to feel seen.

There’s no shortage of content in the world. But I believe the most impactful work – the kind that actually moves people – comes from a place of real connection. So that’s the mission: to bring humanity back into branding, and to prove that success doesn’t require conforming. Sometimes, the best thing you can do is take up space – and help others do the same.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: kristian.hvid

Image Credits

private photos