Tom Muller.

How do you give a fictional world a visual identity? Tom Muller joins Howard to trace his path from growing up with comics in Belgium to building helloMuller and helping reshape the look of Marvel’s X-Men.

Tom shares how London’s early digital design scene changed his ambitions, how side projects grew into lasting creative relationships, and why a personal website still matters in a world of shifting social platforms. He explains how years of work in independent comics opened the door to Marvel—and how that visibility led to projects in games and entertainment.

They take a closer look at Drifter, where a typographic reference inspired a grid-based identity that evolved alongside the story. Tom also describes balancing creative direction with hands-on design, assembling trusted collaborators, and keeping his studio flexible without losing his involvement in the work.

The conversation gets into unsolicited logo redesigns, the value of showing your process, and accepting feedback from people who see the work differently. It closes with Tom’s perspective on generative AI, the different attitudes he encounters in comics and design, and why creative judgment and conversations with clients remain central to his practice.