Your magical keystroke for brand love

It was 2015 and it seemed we couldn’t get any busier. Every time we presented killer creative, pulled off a crazy turnaround, or hit an impossible deadline, it set a new standard in our clients’ eyes. Consequently, after each new boundary-pushing request was received, a sort of gallows humor emerged. Someone on the creative team would declare, “No worries, I’ll just hit command+M on my keyboard and we’re good to go!” The “M” stood for the “Magic” we’d have to pull out of our hats to accomplish the task—while meeting our extremely high standards—within the allotted time. Long story short, the saying stuck, becoming part of our culture and our name. And how to say it? Easy, just say “command” followed by the letter “M”, and you’ve got it!

WHY WE’RE DIFFERENT

Unbound Creativity

Our human-centric approach to design is breaking ground in new industries everyday, offering you expertise and insights from beyond your category, market or industry that result in fresh ideas that create meaningful interactions between your brand and audience.

Scaling Within Large Brands

Having worked extensively in the ever-evolving, fast-paced Tech industry, our nimbleness and ability to scale within large companies has been proven to add enormous value by filling voids within corporate frameworks with an efficiency that would make you swear we were always just down the hall.

From Strategy to Storefront

It’s one thing to make a pretty picture. It’s an entirely different thing to make that pretty picture come to life in the real world. We do both and everything in between with a commitment to getting it all right down to the smallest detail, no matter how insignificant it may seem.

Diversity of Thought

Experience has taught us that brilliant ideas can come from anyone and anywhere. We have curated a multi-disciplinary team with each member contributing to a greater whole that results in thoughtful solutions to meet (and hopefully exceed) your project, marketing, and business objectives.

Midwest Team, Global Impact

We’ve brought thousands of brand engagements to life in over 20 countries, resulting in countless experiences for people around the world. Our suitcases are always packed and we’re no strangers to getting things done, no matter where it needs to happen.

LEADERSHIP

Our leadership team is a mix of cross-category expertise, prolific creative power, and results-driven professionals with an undying devotion to the business of experience design.

Krista O’Malley is CEO and Principal of cmnd+m, the Minnesota-based brand experience agency that brought Google to retail in 2011. She has swum with Humpback whales, funded tech startups, and is known for her relentless pursuit of excellence, straight talk, and obsessive attention to detail. Her passion for the industry transformed cmnd+m from a design startup to an award-winning, internationally-operating company in less than 3 years. Krista has also been recognized as a Midwest Finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

KRISTA O’MALLEY
Principal & CEO

Jumping on the cmnd+m train straight out of design school, Brett Hurlbut went from Jr. Designer to Director of Strategy & Design for cmnd+m in just 5 years. His willingness to do whatever it takes to get world-class creative across the finish li… — Jumping on the cmnd+m train straight out of design school, Brett Hurlbut went from Jr. Designer to Director of Strategy & Design for cmnd+m in just 5 years. His willingness to do whatever it takes to get world-class creative across the finish line and exceed client expectations set him apart early on. Under his creative lead, cmnd+m has collaborated with major brands like Target, Uber, Weight Watchers, and HBO to conceive and execute a myriad of engaging experiences. In 2016 at the age of 29 Brett received design:retail’s 40 Under 40 award for his commitment to and passion for the industry and creating engaging brand experiences.

BRETT HURLBUT
Director of Strategy & Creative

Scott literally grew up in the world of manufacturing and production, spending summers working for his family’s retail store fixture business from a very young age. The business was a premium international solution provider to the likes of Williams-… — Scott literally grew up in the world of manufacturing and production, spending summers working for his family’s retail store fixture business from a very young age. The business was a premium international solution provider to the likes of Williams-Sonoma, Montblanc, The Disney Stores, The Capital Grille, and PF Chang’s. Scott has served on Executive Boards of Directors for SkillsUSA, the Architectural Woodwork Institute, the Association for Retail Environments, and the Natural Resources Research Institute, offering at least 10 years of service to each.

SCOTT WOTHE
Director of Engineering & Production

OUR VALUES

The insatiable desire to learn

Curiosity is the spark that ignites inspiration. Exploration gives way to revelation and further exploration; the desire to discover perpetuating the expansion of our collective awareness and knowledge of experience design. This innate desire to explore fuels our evolution as designers and lifelong learners.

The relentless pursuit of purpose

Our passion for design is the unexplainable pull that gets us out of bed in the morning and keeps us up at night. As creative problem solvers, we constantly evaluate our work and the world around us, exploring more effective, engaging, and meaningful ways for brands to add value to the lives of their audiences through experience design.

The bravery required for progress

We often find ourselves on the edge of innovation, unsure of where the next step will lead but confident that it will move us forward. This trailblazing spirit allows us to overcome barriers, focus on the possible, and collectively push ourselves everyday to make our clients and the world better off than when the day started.