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R. MICHAEL HENDRIX

I lead Huldunótur, a Reykjavík-based strategic design practice that helps organizations navigate growth, change, and international visibility without losing the qualities that make them distinctive in the first place. My work combines research, storytelling, collaboration, and design to help organizations clarify identity, align around opportunity, and build long-term cultural and strategic value across tourism, culture, education, technology, and civic life.
Much of my work focuses on the deeper conditions shaping organizations and communities: understanding people and place, translating identity into meaningful experiences, strengthening cultural relevance, and helping teams navigate transition. While the work is often strategic in nature, I also care deeply about the tangible expressions that make ideas real and visible, from exhibitions and publications to workshops, films, and public experiences.
Before founding Huldunótur, I spent fifteen years at IDEO as a Partner and the Global Design Director, leading international work across the United States, Europe, and Asia. During that time, I worked with organizations ranging from the White House and the GRAMMYs to global consumer, technology, and healthcare brands, helping expand the role of design from products and branding into innovation, organizational change, and long-term growth strategy.
I originally trained as a graphic designer, but my practice has evolved alongside the field itself—from identity and communication design toward systems thinking, ecosystem development, and the human side of organizational change. My approach is grounded in design thinking, but begins with listening: understanding motivations, relationships, and the cultural dynamics shaping behavior and decision-making before determining what needs to be built, changed, or brought to life.
In addition to leading Huldunótur, I teach at Bifröst University and the Iceland University of the Arts, and continue selected international collaborations through Invisible Notes. I am also the co-author of Two Beats Ahead: What Musical Minds Teach Us About Innovation, a book exploring how creative practices from music—listening deeply, experimenting early, collaborating widely, and learning in public—can help organizations navigate uncertainty and imagine what comes next.

01

NEW CULTURAL FUTURES FOR SEYÐISFJÖRÐUR

Huldunótur, in collaboration with curator Hlín Helga Guðlaugsdóttir, conducted a research and co-design initiative exploring how culture can support social and economic resilience. The project combined qualitative interviews, contextual observation, co-design workshops, speculative scenarios, and community engagement. We examined Seyðisfjörður’s cultural strengths alongside pressures including the 2020 landslides, regional merger into Múlaþing, seasonal tourism, declining local agency, demographic change, and operational strain on cultural institutions.

Our research found that culture in Seyðisfjörður is not a standalone sector, but part of everyday life—connecting arts with identity, education, hospitality, craft, belonging, wellbeing, and the local economy. The town’s cultural foundation is strong, but fragile, relying heavily on a small group of dedicated leaders. Participation is present but uneven, with some residents feeling disconnected from cultural decision-making.

Rather than prescribing a fixed vision, the project identifies pathways for Seyðisfjörður to use culture as a practical engine for renewal, resilience, and shared stewardship.

File Under: Design research, civic engagement, cultural identity, futuring, co-design

02

BAKING IN STRATEGY WITH BRAUÐ & CO

Huldunótur was engaged to guide the leadership team through planning and discovery to codify cultural values, set growth objectives for the coming year, and link these actions to a communications plan. Over four months, we collaborated through group discussions, an executive offsite, and employee interviews. These efforts resulted in clear objectives for 2025, focusing on bakery and logistical efficiencies, an employee handbook to ensure cultural consistency, and a communications outline to reinforce commitments.
The most public outcome is the handbook, a culture manifesto nicknamed “No Rules,” inspired by punk zines. Handmade collages illustrating Brauð’s values reflect artisanal baking and the company’s non-conformist roots. Designed to be mobile-friendly and easy to understand, it supports employee engagement while honoring Brauð’s fair-minded, collaborative work culture.

File Under: Growth Strategy, Brand Innovation, BRAND ARCHITECTURE, Executive Advisory

03

REIMAGINING DESIGN EDUCATION FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

Led by me—drawing on prior experience helping Berklee College of Music develop the groundbreaking Bachelor of Arts in Music Industry Leadership and Innovation, along with more recent work building an entrepreneurship micro-credential at Bifröst University and developing new MA courses at the Iceland University of the Arts—I brought a proven program-building perspective to the engagement.

Over six months I led a research-driven strategy process combining expert interviews, competitive program analysis, and synthesis of weak cultural signals across design, technology, and industry. The work translated insights into an actionable program framework—articulating a differentiated educational model built around balanced human/AI intelligence, regenerative material thinking, and transdisciplinary collaboration. Outcomes included a proposed curriculum arc, a brand-based concept linking campus and urban innovation spaces, and practical recommendations for recruitment and industry engagement—creating a shared narrative and roadmap to align stakeholders around launch. The degree program will launch in 2027.

File Under: Growth Strategy, Brand Innovation, PEDAGOGY

04

DESIGNING A BRAND NEW IDEO

As IDEO made design thinking increasingly popular in the United States it attracted the interest of MBA programs and the public sector. While their adoption of the practice was welcomed, this new audience introduced a conservative mindset to the approach, often reducing it to formula. Concerned that the methodology was being elevated above the creativity of the work, I led a global brand redesign to emphasize the experimental nature of our organization and amplify it through our branding.

This redesign also established IDEO as a platform brand. By freeing the logo from a grid, it easily paired with sublogos and partners creating a flexible archtiecture nicknamed the “little black dress” because of it’s ease of dressing up or dressing down. Secondary design language emphasized the iterative and in-process nature of design.
To ensure the brand was not merely expressed but truly lived, I introduced new tools and systems that linked creativity to performance across the company. These included company-wide make-athons to co-design the identity; the State of the Art sentiment dashboard to help executives assess creative momentum; and discussion cards for project teams to reflect on the strategic ambition of their work. I also led the redesign of the Cambridge studio interiors—featured in Metropolis magazine—to embody our culture of experimentation and inclusivity. This combination of brand, environment, and measurement reinforced that IDEO’s value was not design thinking as a formula, but design as a creative force.

In 2019, with the new identity defined, I produced a short film to in collaboration with directors at Dress Code to firmly establish IDEO’s place in the 21st century design canon and demystify the evolution of design thinking. Featuring over 30 cases studies in 13 minutes, it is an oral history of 40 years of innovation. The film’s raw visual language and sets emphasized the iterative nature and curoisity that drove our work.

File Under: BRAND STRATEGY, BRAND IDENTITY, BRAND ARCHITECTURE, CREATIVE DIRECTION, IDEO

06

TRANSLATING CULTURE INTO SPACE FOR AN AI RESEARCH ORGANIZATION

An early-stage, U.S.-based artificial intelligence research company engaged an American design firm to shape the creative direction of its headquarters and future laboratories. As part of that engagement, Huldunótur was brought in to define and translate the organization’s emerging culture into spatial principles and environments. Rapid growth and technical ambition created urgency around articulating shared values before scale set lasting patterns.
Through interviews with founders, executives, and employees, the work surfaced core beliefs, tensions, and aspirations. These insights were translated into actionable cultural principles and spatial strategies shaping collaboration, visibility of work, and architectural storytelling. The result was a scalable framework—combining spatial concepts, rituals, and participation tools—that allows the organization to express its culture consistently across locations while remaining adaptable as its science and mission evolve.

File Under: CULTURAL INSIGHTS, BRAND TO EXPERIENCE STRATEGY, experience design

07

DEFINING “GOOD GROWTH” FOR AN ICONIC TOURISM BRAND

Following the pandemic and the launch of a new hospitality venture, Huldunótur worked across brand, marketing, and digital teams to define what “good growth” could mean in practice. The engagement examined brand fundamentals, the broader tourism ecosystem, and organizational capabilities, with particular focus on resilience amid environmental and economic uncertainty.
Using both speculative design methodologies and the Business Model Canvas, several new venture concepts advanced to implementation, an effort later accelerated by real-world disruptions that underscored the urgency of diversification.

File Under: Growth Strategy, Brand Innovation, BRAND ARCHITECTURE, Executive Advisory

08

A TRADE SHOW BUILT LIKE A MUSIC SCENE

Alongside Love Synthesizers were fellow Icelandic music technology companies Genki Instruments, Cycle Instruments, Inorganic Audio, and Atomic Analog. Together, the group represented a cross-section of Reykjavík’s independent electronic music scene. The challenge was to create cohesion across five distinct brands without adding to the visual and sensory overload common at music industry exhibitions.

The resulting concept, Little Reykjavík, became both exhibition design and cultural tribute. Inspired by the city’s record stores—spaces that function simultaneously as venues, social infrastructure, and creative incubators—the booth recreated the atmosphere of Reykjavík’s grassroots music community inside the exhibition hall.

Iceland’s music culture has long been shaped by these hybrid spaces. Smekkleysa helped establish the model as both label and shop during the rise of The Sugarcubes and the early career of Björk. 12 Tónar became a weekly gathering place where artists connected through informal experimentation, contributing to the emergence of groups like Sigur Rós and Múm. More recently, Space Odyssey evolved from a DJ night at Kaffibarinn into a focal point for Reykjavík’s underground electronic scene, while Lucky Records continues to host pop-up performances and community events.

The 30 m² booth translated these references into a physical environment. Inspired by the interior language of 12 Tónar, one wall displayed real records and collected Icelandic electronic album artwork. Company logos appeared as album covers integrated into the display. A window display showed filmed street scenes from downtown Reykjavík, including views of the record stores themselves, extending the illusion of place beyond the booth walls.

The installation was designed with the practical realities of temporary exhibition spaces in mind. Everything needed to be lightweight, affordable, quick to assemble, and easy to dismantle. Printed foam boards created the illusion of architectural walls, while standard electrical cable channels—readily available at hardware stores—were adapted into shelving for vinyl sleeves. Furniture was rented through the exhibition venue and supplemented with inexpensive IKEA pieces. Many of the records themselves were borrowed from friends in Reykjavík, reinforcing the collaborative and community-driven spirit behind the project.

Furniture choices reinforced the atmosphere. Visitors sat on drum thrones at the deep listening bench positioned in front of the record wall, while a living room sofa and Persian rug created a place for conversation and pause amid the intensity of the show floor. Behind it, a wall of risograph gig posters transformed new product launches into fictional band announcements, treating hardware releases less like consumer electronics and more like artifacts from a local music scene.

The center of the space functioned as a shared performance and demonstration platform. Each exhibitor’s instruments and software were interconnected through a communal demo pod, allowing impromptu collaborative performances and silent disco concerts throughout the exhibition. Coffee was always available, echoing the hospitality and informality of the Reykjavík spaces that inspired the project.

The installation quickly became a recognizable destination within Superbooth itself. Social posts from attendees, neighboring exhibitors, and media visitors documented the booth’s live performances, collaborative demonstrations, and informal atmosphere throughout the exhibition. Coverage of the First Love synthesizer by outlets including Perfect Circuit and Synthtopia further extended the visibility of the project beyond the exhibition hall.

Rather than operating as five adjacent brands competing for attention, Little Reykjavík became a temporary scene of its own—an environment that communicated not only what these companies make, but the culture, relationships, and creative conditions from which the work emerges.

Creative Direction and Design: Huldunótur
Wall Illustrations: Sullivan Hendrix
Poster Designs: Dúa Landmark
Video: Vikram Prahdam, Michael Hendrix
Production: Love Synthesizers
Photography: Jadranko Marjanovic

File Under: SPATIAL DESIGN, BRAND IDENTITY, MARKETING, EXPERIENCE DESIGN

09

SAMPLING THE FUTURE WITH TRICYCLE

Each year enough carpet samples are made in the United States to cover Iceland nearly one and a half times. Each of these sample requires one liter of oil to make the yarn and backing.
I co-founded Tricycle, an innovative SaaS company, to address this sampling waste. Using CAD and CAM data from the tufting machines, our software made a digital simulated carpet printed on paper with color accuarcy. This pioneering approach gave architects and interior designers even more creative options because of the reduced environmental footprint and the speed to market. While a physical sample required weeks to create, a simulated sample shipped in a day.
Even with this pioneering advancement, adoption was initially slow. In a business drowning in greenwashing and faux fashion, we needed messaging and marketing that stood out from the crowd. Additionally, the manufacturing industry was well established and feared any possible disruption.
After a series of unsuccessful approaches we determined that embracing this fear of change was the most effective means of communication. Punk inspired graphics with educational messaging cut through the noise and raised the profile of the new format in magazines and at trade shows. We challenged the customers to go from fear of change to fear of no change.
Rather than settling for the outdated oil hungry methods, designers could refuse waste (pun intended) and embrace a climate friendly alternative that was radically better. In the process they could have a better business too. The manufacturers recognized this demand from their customers and embraced the new technology.
As Tricycle grew we began promoting other voices of sustainability. REVERB was an anthology of writings and criticisms of ten industry professionals. Its unusual format allowed readers to take as much or little as they wanted from the publication—literally.
Tricycle received top interiors industry honors, was a finalist in Denmark’s INDEX awards and was added to the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in the United States. In 2017 the company was purchased by Shaw, a Berkshire Hathaway company.

File Under: ENTREPRENEURSHIP, B2B, BRAND IDENTITY, MARKETING, INNOVATION

10

POWERING UP CUSTOMER INSIGHTS FOR GAMING

An Iceland-based game company partnered with Huldunótur to help its leadership team tackle a critical growth challenge: improving the early experience for new players while preserving the depth that defines its flagship product. Rather than commissioning a standalone strategy or external recommendations, the company sought a facilitated, hands-on process that would build internal alignment and capability while directly informing future development decisions.
Over a multi-week, insight-driven working series, I guided directors through framing the challenge, surfacing assumptions, designing and conducting research, and translating findings into actionable opportunity areas. Working in cross-functional teams on a live product challenge, participants developed shared insights, new design instincts, and a clearer roadmap for action—strengthening both the near-term product direction and the organization’s long-term ability to lead insight-led innovation.

File Under: CUSTOMER INSIGHTS, BRAND
PRODUCT STRATEGY, CAPABILITY DEVELOPMENT