Today we’d like to introduce you to Sam Mitzel.
Hi Sam, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Growing up, I loved to draw and paint and always had a huge passion for art, but I never knew where creativity could take me. I worried about being the “starving artist,” so I didn’t see a clear path forward. During high school and into college, I worked full-time at a food packaging factory, spending 12-hour shifts packing pouches before heading to class the next morning. It wasn’t glamorous, but it ended up shaping everything.
I didn’t even know my way around a computer at the time, but standing on those factory floors, I found myself staring at the designs and illustrations on the packaging. I became curious about how they were made and dug into the process. It opened up an entirely new world for me. I became fascinated with packaging and design and how creativity could live beyond paper and pencil, become three-dimensional, and exist in people’s everyday lives. Suddenly, brands, logos, and packaging made sense to me in a whole new way.
While I was in school, one of my instructors noticed my love for illustration and shared an internship opportunity with me. I was lucky enough to land this position at Creative Memories, a beloved scrapbooking company. There, I illustrated stickers, papers, and products, and it became my first real taste of bringing design to life in people’s hands.
After a couple years, the scrapbooking market shifted, and that change led me to my first agency role.
My agency journey began in St. Cloud at a small studio that eventually grew into three locations, including Minneapolis. I spent five of the best years of my career there, surrounded by a group of super talented women who are still great friends of mine today. When it was time to grow, I made one of the hardest decisions of my career: leaving a place I loved so I could push myself forward and be closer to a major creative hub with more opportunities ahead.
I was fortunate to work with an incredible Executive Creative Director, Mike Fetrow, who really shaped me into the creative thinker I am today. He later offered me a role at a small agency he had just joined called Fame. So my fiancé, our teacup chihuahua, and I packed up and moved so I could start working in downtown Minneapolis inside the historic Rand Tower.
Not long after, the tower was converted into a hotel, and our team shifted into various coworking spaces. Then COVID hit. Despite navigating a pandemic and constant change, our small team did some of our best work. However, eventually we were acquired by one of the largest independent agencies in the city.
It was an incredible learning experience, but I also realized how much I missed being part of a small, scrappy, all-in team where every voice mattered and we were shaping big things together. In a larger, more layered structure, I started to feel like a number instead of a key part of the creative heartbeat. It almost felt like I was moving backward in my career, further from the type of collaborative, hands-on work and autonomy that energized me.
By that point, I had built a strong freelance base, and I started to wonder, “What if I just did this on my own?” I loved the idea of working directly with founders, staying hands-on creatively, and bringing in creative experts when I needed them. And for the first time, I could actually imagine building a life with more balance, and autonomy, something that never felt possible in the traditional agency grind.
So I ramped things up and started freelancing full-time… while still working full-time at the agency. It nearly killed me, but it gave me the client base and clarity I needed. And on May 1, 2025, I finally made the leap.
The date felt symbolic. Years earlier, Lynne Robinson — the former owner of Fame had bought her company back from a holding company and called it her “May 1, Day 1.” I always loved that story. And in a full-circle kind of way, May 1 became my Day 1 too.
A few months later, in October 2025, I launched my studio: No Ordinary Design.
Today, NOD blends big-agency thinking with small-studio soul. I get to partner closely with brands and founders, creating anything but ordinary. It’s been the most fulfilling chapter of my career, and it’s only just getting started.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
No Ordinary Design is a branding and creative studio specializing in strategic branding, creative direction, illustration, and packaging design. After more than 15 years in agency life, I founded NOD to give brands a more intentional, hands-on, and collaborative way to build their identity and find their edge.
I work with both emerging and established brands to create or evolve their identities, develop packaging that stands out in the real world, and design visual systems that feel expressive, thoughtful, and strategically crafted. My approach blends big-agency thinking with the agility and soul of a small studio, allowing me to stay close to the work while guiding the broader vision.
When projects call for expanded capabilities, I bring in creatives experts to round out the team. From writers, developers, and photographers to animators and more. Over the years, I’ve built a strong network of talented creatives who I consider friends. We push each other, collaborate seamlessly, and share a creative chemistry that elevates the work. This setup allows me to scale up when a project needs it, and stay scrappy when that’s the right fit, which is good for both my business and my clients.
Ultimately, NOD exists to help brands find their edge and show up in a way that’s anything but ordinary with work that’s strategic, distinct.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
What I love most about Minneapolis is the energy. The creativity, the hustle, the community, and how easy it is to meet with clients, collaborators, and other creatives. I still go into the city often for meetings, networking, and inspiration, and I appreciate how many talented people and great ideas live there.
As much as I love the hustle and bustle of the city, I actually live in the northwest metro on 6 acres surrounded by trees and wildlife, because I love the peace and clarity that comes from having that quiet space. It’s a nice balance between the buzz of the city and the calm of home.
As for dislikes, I don’t have many. Maybe just the winter slush and the occasional construction detours. But overall, Minnesota has been an incredible place to live, work, and build a creative career.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.noordinarydesignco.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/no.ordinary.design/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/noordinarydesignco/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/no-ordinary-design
Some of the work referenced was created in collaboration with past agencies, studios, and creative partners. I’m grateful for the many teams and contributors who helped bring those projects to life.
