Hello, I’m Morten.
I’m a Creative Leader focused on design & strategy.

Design can be experienced everywhere we go, from nature to human-made creations. It shapes how we interact with the world. And how we can solve problems. Good design is rooted in good strategy. It is a result of a well-defined process with teamwork and collaboration.

Snapshot

Creative Director at Elva 2021-2025
UX Design Instructor at Seattle University 2020-2021
Head of Design Studio at Expedia Group 2017-2020
Product Design Lead at Thomas Street 2016
Creative Director at Apollo Education Group 2010-2015

Some things people say about me

Morten’s deep understanding of the design process and ability to see the big picture when solving client problems has been invaluable to the teams he leads, helping craft compelling brand stories that drive customer engagement and meet clients’ needs. What also sets Morten apart is his commitment to building a team founded on collaboration and trust. His leadership style is thoughtful and empathetic while providing constructive feedback that has helped our design team grow and excel. Morten’s influence has been key to our team's growth, and his ability to inspire and motivate others is something I deeply value and appreciate.

James Snyder, Sr. Director of Operations
Elva

Morten is one of the most patient and exceptional designers I know. He has the ability to get the crux of a design problem by curating relevant insights and solving it in a practical manner. He is one of the few designers I know that can develop process, document it and drive implementation. In fact, he makes it look easy when it is not. He is a fair minded, inspirational, and supportive manager and a talented peer in the design community.

Amy Low, Creative Director
Monks

Morten is a rare design leader: passionate about people, obsessed with results, and a knockout creative force himself. I hired Morten to help me create and develop our internal creative Studio team at Expedia. Morten stepped confidently into the challenge and needed very little help from me in achieving our goal to recapture millions of dollars in external agency spend, and bring the domain expertise back in-house. Morten’s curiosity quotient is off the charts, and his 'just-the-facts' approach to achieving objectives is what made him successful in his role as Creative Director for our Studio team, and will continue to make him successful in whatever he ventures to achieve in life.

Dylan Mullins
Design at Siemens

I was lucky to work with Morten as a design intern in Egencia’s studio team during the summer of 2018. The team was newly-formed and small when I arrived, but under Morten’s guidance, I witnessed it grow both in size and structure. As manager of the studio team, Morten served as an adept intermediary between marketing and external agencies, all the while maintaining a focus on the design quality of all materials our team produced. Morten is tremendously knowledgeable on the travel industry and provided me with an education in the field while fostering my branding and design skills. He is a very effective communicator and mediates meetings and critiques in an empathic and productive way, always open to feedback and constructive criticism. Morten helped me immensely in my own creative and professional development and I’m sure he will continue to develop designers and lead teams to resounding successes.

Nicholas Rogers, Founding Product Designer
Highbeam

Empathy is a core aspect in design that is often forgotten, but that’s not the case with Morten. He cares deeply for the process, the work, the client, the outcome and the relationships with his coworkers. I've seen him put as much thought and creative direction into a set of banners as he has in a full fledged campaign. Because of this our clients and our creatives love working with him. Any project under Morten blows the lid off expectations.

It was under Mortens direction that I became the designer I am today. He taught me how to see hope in the most disparaging of briefs. He encouraged creative risks/solutions and had the deft ability to adapt the solution to client needs and finance. It was a difficult decision for me to leave UoPX, and that was mainly due to the fact that I would be leaving the mentorship of Morten. I look forward to working with him again in the future.

Tiffany Ta, Design Director
Graphiti Associates

I wish all Creative Directors that I partner with could be like Morten. For the past three years, he and I have worked together on integrated, digital, and social projects of varying scales and scopes. I know that the creative output will always be high-quality and thought through with meticulous detail. He has an uncanny ability to see the big idea of a project while also getting into the granular detail of what and how the work will get done. At each stage of the creative process, Morten asks all the right questions and ensures that the creative truly meets the strategic objectives of the project, while successfully collaborating with and overseeing the creative team. It was a pleasure working with Morten and he would be a incredible asset to any organization.

Melanie Manghinang, Creative Operations Director
Hinge Health

Morten is the very best kind of creative director. He always pushes the work further in the most encouraging way – with clear, insightful direction and a kind demeanor. Known throughout the organization for his thoughtful approach and big ideas, he’s also a great listener and collaborator. Clients love his thoroughness and rigorous commitment to the work, creatives love his nurturing nature. While Morten never loses sight of the big picture, he also has an incredible memory of – and respect for – the details, whether it’s the smallest copy point, a miniscule design hiccup or a single line item in a brief. Over the last few years, I’ve had the pleasure of working with him on all kinds of projects – web dev, social media, integrated campaigns – and he always brings his signature leadership style, which blends inspiration, talent, fairness, intelligence and a very dry wit. I’m jealous of any team lucky enough to get him.

Karen Hutchinson, Writer
Karen Hutchinson LLC