Nathaniel Bartling

Creative direction · Design · Art

Selected work

Brand strategy. Product design. Worlds with a point of view.

01 / Hospitality & product

Hyperion
Essentials

Co-Founder & Creative Director · 2020–present

An early paper-container concept became the starting point for a complete hospitality brand. I developed the creative direction across its identity, product presentation, packaging, and partner-facing materials. The 2026 catalog brings that world together.

Hyperion Essentials 2026 catalog cover with dramatic desert campaign imagery
PAPYRUS packaging collection arranged with stone, botanical detailing, and bath accessoriesCedarwood Citrus shampoo product story from the Hyperion 2026 catalog
Identity / Product & packaging / Art direction / Catalog & sales materialsCompany work · Images from the 2026 catalog
The idea & my contribution

The challenge

Give an unfamiliar packaging format a clear identity and a place in the luxury hospitality experience.

The creative decision

Connect the product to a larger visual world. Desert landscapes, tactile materials, botanical details, and a restrained palette give the brand a consistent atmosphere.

What I built

Brand positioning and identity, packaging concepts, the PAPYRUS product line, guidelines, investor presentations, and hotel-facing collateral within a two-person founding team.

View the complete Hyperion catalog ↗ PDF · 20 pages

02 / Private aviation

ELYRA

Independent brand & experience concept

What if every part of private aviation felt as considered as the aircraft? ELYRA explores a coherent experience across the fleet, the lounge, the people, and the moments between destinations.

ELYRA fleet identity with deep green and champagne aircraft livery, tail mark, and cabin details
Coordinated ELYRA uniform concepts in charcoal, beige, and greenELYRA digital experience concepts across desktop, tablet, and mobile
Brand platform / Fleet identity / Hospitality / Uniforms / Digital directionSpeculative case study · AI-assisted visualization
The idea & my contribution

The challenge

Extend the promise of private aviation across the full journey, including the spaces, service, and digital touchpoints surrounding the flight.

The creative decision

Treat the company as one connected brand world. Deep green aircraft, warm interiors, restrained materials, and a consistent service expression carry the same identity.

What I built

A speculative brand platform and executive case study connecting fleet design, hospitality, uniforms, digital concepts, and membership experience. ELYRA is a showcase concept, not an operating airline.

03 / Sport & culture

Nike
Future Ritual

Independent creative direction concept

A study in performance as presence. Future Ritual explores how one creative idea can move across sport categories while retaining a recognizable material language and visual rhythm.

Nike Future Ritual independent concept showing its campaign world, materials, and atmospheric creative direction
Future Ritual running concept with apparel and footwear directionFuture Ritual footwear and accessories concept in a tactile material palette
Creative platform / Art direction / Product concepts / Visual systemsUnofficial concept · Not commissioned or endorsed by Nike
The idea & my contribution

The challenge

Explore a shared creative direction across a broad sporting portfolio without flattening the identity of each category.

The creative decision

Use tactile surfaces, natural settings, and the idea of intentional movement to connect product stories across disciplines.

What I built

A 39-page visual portfolio spanning category concepts, apparel, footwear, and campaign imagery, supported by brand-system studies. The imagery represents AI-assisted creative exploration, not manufactured products.

04 / Retail & everyday life

Kohl’s House

Independent retail rebrand concept

A warmer expression of the department store. Kohl’s House brings the idea “For Real Life” into a cohesive retail world, connecting the storefront and shopping environment with packaging, uniforms, and digital experiences.

Kohl’s House concept storefront with serif lettering, a botanical emblem, and a warm wood entrance
Kohl’s House packaging system with cream, charcoal, and kraft shopping bags, boxes, and labelsKohl’s House website concept combining home, apparel, and lifestyle imagery
Identity / Retail environments / Signage / Packaging / Uniforms / DigitalUnofficial concept · Not commissioned or endorsed by Kohl’s
The idea & my contribution

The challenge

Explore a more cohesive identity for a broad department-store offer, giving everyday shopping a warm, recognizable sense of place.

The creative decision

Build around “For Real Life.” Pair a serif wordmark and botanical emblem with wood, cream, and charcoal, then carry that language through the store and its customer touchpoints.

What I built

A 19-page concept brand guide spanning store environments, identity, iconography, wayfinding, uniforms, packaging, seasonal variations, social content, and website direction. Images are creative visualizations of the proposed experience.

View the complete brand guide ↗ PDF · 19 pages

Beyond the image

AI-assisted product development

05 / Independent prototype

VALIANCE

A horse-racing analytics prototype built to make predictions and their historical performance easier to inspect. I directed AI-assisted development, translating a complex idea into a product experience.

Product direction

Define what the user needs to understand, then shape the interface around clear metrics and inspectable results.

Iterative development

Use AI-assisted building to move between requirements, working outputs, and interface refinement.

Evidence before confidence

Keep validation and diagnostic outputs distinct. The project demonstrates a development process, not a proven betting advantage.

06 / Fine art

Before the brand,
the artist.

Painting was my first practice. It is still where I return to composition, symbolism, and the feeling an image can hold.

That foundation carries into my design work: a sensitivity to scale, a strong visual point of view, and an interest in the details that make something worth looking at twice.

Surreal painting of a winged figure and swan among colorful clouds, displayed in an interior setting
Surreal worlds Artwork in an interior setting
Owl, plumeria flower, and ladybug painting against an emerald background, presented in a sunlit interior
Character & color Artwork in an interior setting
Tall twisting tree artwork presented in a warm coastal interior at sunset
Nature & symbolism Artwork in an interior setting
From the studio: original tree paintingOriginal tree painting with intricate linework and green foliage
Nathaniel Bartling

An artist’s eye.
A founder’s ownership.

Download résumé ↓

I’m a creative director, entrepreneur, and artist with more than fifteen years across visual storytelling and design.

As Co-Founder and Creative Director of Hyperion Essentials, I connect the larger vision to the work that makes it real. Through Legacy Estate House, my independent creative practice, I work across brands, products, property presentation, and new ideas.

I’m interested in remote Creative Director opportunities and selected creative partnerships where imagination and hands-on execution both matter.

  • Brand strategy & creative direction
  • Identity, packaging & product presentation
  • Art direction & visual storytelling
  • Generative AI & product prototyping
Roles & creative partnerships

What could we
build together?

legacyestatehouse@gmail.comLinkedIn ↗Résumé ↓