Hi, I’m Greg Daake
I’m the Principal and Creative Director here at Daake. When I was 14 years old our art teacher told us he used to be a graphic designer. I asked, “what’s that?” He pulled out his portfolio and showed me logos, business cards and restaurant menus he designed. A lightning bolt went through my body and at that moment I knew what I was going to do for the rest of my life. I feel very fortunate to have had that moment when so many others have not.
I earned a degree in visual communication design from the University of Nebraska at Kearney. My first job was as an art director for a corporation. Then I was a designer for a creative studio. In 2001, I woke up one day and decided that I wanted to get closer to the problems I was solving. That meant I needed to meet these clients, understand their business and become intimately familiar with their world.
I founded Daake from the spare bedroom of a rented 600 square foot duplex with a used desk and a borrowed computer. This was the fall of 2001. I remember writing a note to myself on a piece of paper that very first morning when I sat on the couch wondering what I just got myself into. It read “Something more than an exchange of money for ideas and execution.” That was the founding principle of this agency and it’s something everyone here yearns for with each client.
24 years since I started doing this work professionally — and 32 years since that lightning bolt shot through me — time rolls away when I’m searching for the answer to a brand or design problem. I am eternally grateful for all the clients who’ve trusted us with our hearts and minds.
If you work with us, I promise you’re going to get every ounce of this team's talent, skill, and commitment. There is no “B” team here. These people you see on this website — they are the reason I love this work.
