In an ideal world, Chris Hill would be as much a household name as the companies whose image he cultivates.

For 20 years, Hill's studio has helped direct the logos, packaging, multimedia operations and overall image of a dizzying array of industry. Instantly recognizable organizations like Compaq, Fujitsu, Hines, the Houston Rockets, NASA, M.D. Anderson, PepsiCo and Sunkist all bear some form of Hill's mark. Industry executives and CEOs praise his work, his knowledge and his accessibility. He has been hailed as an educator, visionary, creative genius, and even "one of the greatest designers of the century" in design circles.

Yet Hill politely deflects such praise, preferring instead to discuss his approach and process of shaping business from a truly visual perspective.

"I've heard designers say they have to educate clients on what design is, but I feel the opposite," Hill explains, taking a break in his artfully whimsical yet serious Upper Kirby studio. "I'm actually educated by the client, because if I really understand what the company is and what their needs are, then I can better serve their needs." His approach is almost directly opposite to the 'my way or the highway' approach taken by many in the design business, and Hill knows it.

"It's simple, our designs fit into the company," he shrugs, "instead of the company trying to fit into our designs."

The idea of branding is not a new one, but the popularity of the term in relation to business has made it a media buzzword. "It's a relatively new concept," says Cissy Segall of Highland Village. "Twenty years ago it was called 'goodwill' in the stock market, meaning the value of the company's branding and name." Yet the importance and influence of branding in society, Segall says, has been ever present. "We live in such a brand culture," she adds, "from Coke to Nike, everything we do is branded."

It is that awareness of branding and its relation to success in business that has garnered Hill his loyal, if not passionately loyal, clients and fans. "He's the absolute guru of branding," says George Lancaster, Vice President of Corporate Communications for Hines. For some 20 years, the multinational company that created, among other structures, Houston's Galleria shopping mall has looked to Hill's studio to brand individual properties, right down to stationery and the trademark red logo Hines uses worldwide. "Each building we do has an image," says Lancaster. "From a skyscraper to a residential high-rise in Mexico City, each one has a personality that has to be conveyed. Chris just nails it. He understands marketing, merchandising — he's a master. The quality can be felt in every aspect of the project."

Tom Bacon of The Lionstone Group agrees. "Chris gets the whole picture of your business," he says, "then he sculpts that image around your business." Glen Lowenstein of Lionstone echoes his colleague, though he admits he was initially wary of bidding for design work. "As a finance guy I was skeptical," Lowenstein remembers. "Then we were offered a much smaller bid at one-tenth the price of Hill's. Even though we paid ten times as much for Chris, we knew we got a steal."

"So many designers are driven by ego, but Chris is driven by process," says Jeff Davis, Associate Professor of Communications Design at Southwest Texas State University. Davis met Hill as an undergraduate student, and joined the fledgling program solely because Hill was teaching there on weekends, commuting from Houston to San Marcos. Davis has gone from pupil of Hill to employee, competitor (as Creative Director at neighboring Judson Design) and now colleague as an educator at the program that Hill helped create. Thus he has a unique perspective of Hill's ability to communicate through design, especially globally.

"The world has turned to graphic designers to solve communication problems, and no one knows that more than Chris," Davis continues. "Designers have the ability to speak universally to everybody through their visuals. Chris's design has consequence in every language. The solution works for all cultures."

It especially works in Japan, where Hill, as those in the design community attest, is practically idolized. Over the years, Hill has designed for Fujitsu, Sunkist, the JCB card (Japan's version of American Express) and a host of other products and campaigns. He'll only allude to his prominence there, but his fiancée Heidi, a tall, friendly Texas beauty with brains to match, offers a glimpse of his following.

"We were in Japan, and the people crowded him like a celebrity," she says. "They wanted his autograph, their picture with him. I'm not kidding ­ he's revered." With a truly Texas aw-shucks grin, Hill is almost dismissive. "They just really respect graphic design there," he says of Japan's near manic obsession with visual ­ especially graphic ­ art and design.

"In Japan, designers are considered intellectuals who lead the cultural scene," says George Tanaka of Dentsu, a Japanese household name and one of the world's largest advertising agencies. "This is because they design products ­ which come in direct contact with the consumers in daily life ­ to be more efficient." Tanaka, a renowned creative director, came to the U.S. in 1978 looking for the hottest American designer, and came back with Hill. "I liked his design because it is not Chicago, New York, or European taste," Tanaka continues, "his design comes with a dash of Latin flavor, liveliness, peacefulness and a feeling of future."

Tanaka, who calls Hill a "brother," sees Hill's success in Japan as a result of his design prowess, but more importantly, his personality. "There is no doubt that Hill is a talented designer, but his understanding of unique Japanese culture as well as business environment and aspiration are also important attributes," Tanaka adds. "And above all comes his personality. He has the patience to listen to the difficult requests of Japanese corporations and my demands, and to work with us all."

Just why do global companies beat down the door of Hill's artfully whimsical office? Perhaps it's because he represents the best of American ingenuity: the ability to redefine process. Hill is reminded of how thinking outside the box won him a coveted Compaq bid. "We were competing against 12 other firms and had been selected in the top three," Hill recalls. "We created little cards with easel backs that talked about the process and how the working relationship would work. They were simple drawings and colored in with crayons." The selection team was so enamored with Hill's presentation of process that they awarded him the job without seeing the rest of his work. It's all about positioning yourself to make sure that people remember you," Hill says of his distinctively Texan approach, one that gets to the heart of the matter, cuts to the chase, and provides straight-shooting, no-nonsense communication.

But Hill's friends and colleagues, acknowledging his talent, say it's simply his personality that has driven his reputation. "We should all strive to be as approachable and likable as Chris," says Davis of his mentor. "There is so much arrogance in the design community, but Chris has never allowed any of that behavior." Longtime associate and friend Ann Kifer, a marketing consultant, agrees. "I've worked with some of the top designers in the world, and Chris is one of them," she says. "But he's also a true-blue friend, he cares about people and that comes through." She sees Hill's distinctively Texan charm as his greatest asset. "He really is a Texas boy from a small town, who values family and friendship," she says fondly.

The "Texas boy" is from Bonham, Texas, a place that has shaped his outlook professionally and personally. "Growing up, my family were my neighbors and best friends," he says. He was an Eagle Scout and a football player. He is the pride of East Texas State University (surprisingly, he took not one business class).

Hill visits his mother every Christmas, sends his sister flowers on her birthday, and never misses a shopping trip with his niece. His father taught him to never get too caught up in accolades, so the myriad of awards at Hill's studio are in a pile on a cabinet, rather than boastfully displayed. Though his designs are in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, Library of Congress, Statue of Liberty Museum, among others, and although he's rubbed elbows with Frank Sinatra and done work for actor Michael Douglas, he genuinely treats strangers like friends and clients like family.

We are at Hill's home, where again, he has made time for a stranger whom he treats as a friend. With a mix of pride and excitement," he tells me of the Creative Summit, an annual design symposium that Hill created to allow students at SWT to meet and compete with other students nationally, but also mingle and learn from some of the world's top creative professionals. Hill funds, directs and masterminds the event, though he stopped teaching at SWT three years ago. His former students and peers credit Hill for influencing a generation of designers.

"It's amazing how many (designers) have experienced their first success through Chris Hill and the Creative Summit, " Davis had told me earlier, "there are literally hundreds of professionals who owe Chris a degree of gratitude for their success." Bill Meek, also a professor of Communication Design at SWT and who started teaching there at the urging of Hill, agreed. "It's astounding how much value he puts on education," Meek marveled. He credits Hill with the exponential growth of the Communication Design Department (200 Design majors graduate in 1990, a number that has now grown to 600). "I believe that it goes back to Chris's huge influence," Meek said of the increase. "Many students yet to come will benefit from his influence."

Hill diplomatically shrugs off the praise, as is his way. "The thing I love most about teaching is the spark, the 'a-ha' that students get in their eyes, and you know that they're on their way to really loving what they do," Hill tells me when I relay the comments of his colleagues. While overseeing his company and clients, Hill is currently putting a large amount of energy into the upcoming Creative Summit in March.

Hill also manages to devote his time locally, being a principal in River Oaks hangout Downing Street Cigar Bar (which he also branded) and working with the Junior League in their publishing department. His first venture with the organization yielded Stop and Smell the Rosemary, the cookbook which is in its third printing and has sold over 150,000 copies. "I really believe that without his guidance on the project it wouldn't have looked as fabulous as it was," says Roni Atnipp of the Junior League. Hill is also working with nationally-acclaimed illustrator Regan Dunnick on a Junior League children's book to be released later this year.

His love for community is apparent, evident by what he considers his dream job. "If I won the lottery," he muses, "I'd continue to do what I do because I'm doing exactly what I want to do." He pauses for a moment and grins. "The only difference is that I'd want to be the Robin Hood of designers ­ I'd go to companies with dysfunctional logos and branding and fix it all for free."

It's his passion for his work that has kept him a leading design professional for nearly 30 years, and when he takes stock, he realizes the privilege of achieving nearly all of his goals. He wanted to be one of the best designers around; he's done that. He wanted, in the latter part of his career, to be known for experience and direction; he's clearly done that. "I've pushed so hard to be creative and successful, now I want to be known for the strength of what I can do for companies," he says earnestly. "The respect is nice, " he adds with his trademark humility, "but the fame really doesn't mean anything."

So with international recognition, permanent art displays, an educational legacy and even a cult following in Japan, the question invariably comes: of what is he most proud? Without blinking or hesitating, he points to Heidi, sitting next to him. At this, she covers her mouth and looks away, blushing and teary-eyed.

And that, it seems, is the epitome of Chris Hill. The man who answers "who are you?" for so many, has, in one simple and poignant gesture, told us everything we need to know about him.

Chris Hill will be the featured speaker of the Houston Intown Chamber of Commerce's Intowners Luncheon, Thursday, March 7, 2002 at 12p.m. For more information, call (713) 524-8000

Contact Steven at Steven@houston-intown.com