Mark and Beth (at the shop with their pooch Seri) founded Hero in 2003 as a design collective with work such as creating flyers for friends bands but it wasn't until a trip to South by Southwest in 2005 that they moved into high gear. "I was roaming through the halls and by accident stumbled onto Flatstock," Mark says. "On the flight home I pulled out my notebook that I keep in my bag but never use and jotted down a million ideas because I'd seen our future right in front of me. It was very real and something we needed to do." Photo 1 of 9 in Hero Design Studio by Miyoko Ohtake

Hero Design Studio

1 of 9

Mark and Beth (at the shop with their pooch Seri) founded Hero in 2003 as a design collective with work such as creating flyers for friends bands but it wasn't until a trip to South by Southwest in 2005 that they moved into high gear. "I was roaming through the halls and by accident stumbled onto Flatstock," Mark says. "On the flight home I pulled out my notebook that I keep in my bag but never use and jotted down a million ideas because I'd seen our future right in front of me. It was very real and something we needed to do."