How Are We Different?

How are we different from other branding, advertising, design, marketing, and business development agencies?

HOW CREATIVE® has over 35 years of real-world, evidence-based client case studies resulting in leading, world-class brands and businesses in minimum time; that’s HOW.

We are the only agency that takes a truly disruptive approach to building businesses via our award-winning, proprietary SIM System™ (Strategy, Implementation, and Management). We design, redesign, or upgrade your business model and Brand Identity™ by creating authenticity and fostering trust and connection, effectively creating an identity that stands out from the pack as a leader in its respective market space.

Growing relationships between clients and their customers much faster than firms who use standard, more conventional methods, we often achieve what takes others decades in several months. We create meaningful and authentic customer engagement by building an instant and visceral experience with your prospects and customers, resulting in a business that is not only more purposeful but also enjoyable and profitable.

Business leaders should stop looking at business development, branding, advertising, design, marketing, and sales departments as separate silo-like domains. At HOW CREATIVE, we have designed a one-of-a-kind hybrid model that elevates and integrates these domains into one fully cohesive and superior solution that will advance your business far ahead and much faster than your competition.

What Makes HOW CREATIVE Unique?

Our Guarantee

We guarantee move value for your dollar. That's our brand promise to you.

Hidden Potential

We design your business using its hidden and future potential, resulting in exponential growth, profits, opportunities, and longevity, both quickly and effectively.

SIM System

Via our exclusive SIM System, we will design, redesign, or upgrade your business from the inside-out to increase the overall value for ALL your stakeholders, including shareholders, owners, CEOs, employees, partners, sponsors, customers, media, and investors.

35 Years Experience

With over 35 years of large-cap, Fortune 500 experience, we can create and lead from current best practices to differentiate and accelerate your company’s growth, whether you’re an emerging start-up or an established business.

Authentic DNA

We’ll discover the unique and authentic DNA code behind your business, brand, and customer base to build a world-class, leading company.

Award Winning

Award-winning Business and Brand Architect™ Howard A. Lim offers the best in customer service, taking a personal, hands-on approach as he integrates your business, branding, and customer relations with strategy, implementation, and management.

Our Principles

Guided by our principles, we are authentic, fun, creative, and disruptive; we genuinely enjoy building business and brand leaders that people can trust.

Our History

Establishing HOW CREATIVE in 1987, Mr. Lim soon attracted the attention of Fortune 500 company leaders seeking to grow and scale their operations. Intrigued by the technology of the future, they understood that the first step in successful brand expansion was to embrace innovation. After working with an array of Fortune 500 brands and receiving exceptional results and awards, Mr. Lim and his firm quickly became a leading authority on modern, pioneering brand strategies and business innovation.

With over 35 years of experience, Mr. Lim has developed and refined a complete and integrated process that blends business with branding. His unique and trademarked approach has helped craft compelling, world-class brands and companies that are embraced across all

channels and stand the test of time. Today, Mr. Lim continues to design and transform businesses of every size and stage, helping them grow, scale, and establish sustainability while instilling a sense of purpose, direction, pride, engagement, and ownership in each company’s culture.

With a special gift for influencing how consumers experience and engage with products, services, and information, Mr. Lim has led the charge in paradigm shifts in business and industry that have positively impacted the economy and contemporary society. The following are three of Mr. Lim’s breakthroughs that have influenced modern culture and shaped the way people live today.

Breakthrough 1 :
Disruptive Design and Technology Solutions

  • Mr. Lim’s seminal approach to branding helped usher in the age of technology that changed and continues to shape modern society and culture. With his Los Angeles-based multidisciplinary firm, HOW CREATIVE, Mr. Lim’s growing list of contributions to the branding business continues to influence and impress.

  • MGM and Philips Interactive Media

    Lending his expertise and guidance to the introduction of DVDs into a marketplace that VHS and Betamax dominated at the time, Mr. Lim was instrumental in ushering in the rise of DVD technology, which eventually became the dominant technology for viewing movies at home.

  • ABC Networks


    Mr. Lim pioneered one of the first computerized, offline motion graphics for ABC networks, precipitating the rise of motion graphics and forever changing television viewing.

  • Navellier


    By launching a sophisticated, graphically integrated, and award-winning website — one of the first of its kind — Mr. Lim and his team helped Zylan set new standards for an optimal user interface experience.

  • Fujitsu


    The mind behind Fujitsu’s first all-digital ad at MAC WORLD and in MAC user national magazines, Mr. Lim was responsible for making Fujitsu the removable disc market leader.

  • Claris


    Mr. Lim developed the first digital ad for Claris’ FileMaker Pro software. A full-page advertisement featured in The Wall Street Journal, the innovative ad led to FileMaker Pro dominating the market in their category.

  • Gilda-Marx

    Gilda Marx


    Mr. Lim developed the industry standards for clothing catalogs by improving line sheets, adding vector illustrations, and utilizing cutting-edge digital solutions. Saving the company millions annually in product returns, Mr. Lim helped Gilda Marx go on to amass over 5000 retail stores worldwide. In 1996, Gilda Marx was sold to Best Form Industries in a very successful deal.

  • World Wide Web


    Hired by Access Media, Mr. Lim supported a marketing campaign to lobby for the broad usage of the World Wide Web at a time when only medical and government industries were using the internet, impacting global commerce in the process.

  • UCSB

    University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB)


    The university handpicked Mr. Lim to brand their ACCESS card, a new product that combined debit card features with the student ID into one convenient card. Mr. Lim’s campaign was so successful that UCSB’s ACCESS card quickly became the industry standard for universities across the United States.

Breakthrough 2 :
Modern Branding and Brand Extensions

  • Over the years, Mr. Lim has used his considerable knowledge and skills to shepherd brands away from extinction. Having assisted numerous companies grow and scale up, he has helped increase his clients’ sales well into the multi-billions of dollars while creating significant brand value, broadening mindshare, and boosting brand equity. For Mr. Lim, earning the badge of brand strategist has not only been a long and productive journey but an honor. Today, he enthusiastically leads a team of top branding professionals to powerfully communicate the visions of America’s leading and emerging companies.

    Mr. Lim has represented a vast array of Fortune 500 brands, including Apple, Honda, Disney, DreamWorks, Acura, Xerox, Oracle, Cirque du Soleil, Lakeshore Entertainment, Mattel, Jakks Pacific, Northrop, AT&T, Paramount Pictures, ABC Networks, and HP, among others. He has helped companies seeking to go beyond simple brand awareness — companies that needed to differentiate themselves from others in the marketplace and stay ahead of the curve. To accomplish this, they needed a seasoned professional — a Business and Brand Architect™ — to lead them there.

  • Namco


    Video game publisher Namco was on the verge of releasing their latest game, Dead to Rights, a third-person shooter game for Xbox, when they noticed HOW CREATIVE’s work with Burn Cycle at Philips Media. Impressed with Mr. Lim’s work, Namco immediately hired him and his team for a complete brand design of their game, including PR material and posters. The game was a rousing success, earning 9.1 out of 10 from game media outlets, and eventually released beyond Xbox to PlayStation and Nintendo, and later by GameCube and Microsoft Windows.

  • DreamWorks


    Representing DreamWorks, Promotion Marketing Association (PMA) turned to HOW CREATIVE to help create a beacon for the studio that defined the future of media. Mr. Lim’s solution to their challenge was to develop the Star Power program. Response to the new program was immediate, reigniting the company’s identity and increasing attendance by 24%. Since then, PMA has become a respected resource for businesses, providing seminars, networking activities, and educational events geared toward providing information, products, and services necessary to compete in the marketplace.

  • Magic Johnson


    Magic Johnson’s Summer Pro League needed a new brand look to boost its attendance. HOW CREATIVE gave the Fila-sponsored league a new Brand Identity, a corporate brand mark, and new merchandise. Mr. Lim chose the human palm as the central visual element to symbolize NBA Basketball (“palming”) and the league’s support of community outreach. The palm’s multiple colors represented the league’s players from across the world, with the line art expressing the event’s fun and excitement.

  • Disney


    Looking to launch a stage production based on their hit animated film The Lion King, Walt Disney Theatrical Productions approached Mr. Lim to produce a presentation kit that would appeal to investors. Impressed, investors readily embraced Mr. Lim’s presentation kit, and as a result, The Lion King musical was produced for the stage. The award-winning musical is the third longest-running show on Broadway and the highest-grossing musical ever, raking in over $9 billion to date.

  • City of Los Angeles Marathon


    When the City of Los Angeles Marathon needed to reignite its brand, Mr. Lim picked up the torch and developed a simple yet boldly memorable Brand Identity system. Because of Mr. Lim’s innovation and creativity, the LA Marathon experienced record-breaking attendance, selling out with 23,000 runner participants, the largest participation in its 15-year history.

  • Santa Monica, 3rd Street Promenade


    Mr. Lim and his team transformed a formerly rundown and outdated section of the City of Santa Monica by working with the Convention and Visitors Bureau to activate the 3rd Street Promenade. Thoughtfully and beautifully revitalized into a top visitor and shopping destination among all California beach cities, the 3rd Street Promenade regularly brings in billions of dollars in business revenue, stimulating the local economy and contributing to local and state tax revenues.

  • NATPE – National Association of Television Program Executives


    NATPE’s annual awards ceremony program and invitation designs failed to express its innovation and personality as an organization. Needing a change, they turned to HOW CREATIVE to boost their image to reflect their lauded reputation in the industry. Positioning the brand as an industry leader, Mr. Lim set new standards for its branding design solutions, offering a new Brand Identity system; items such as invitations, ads, posters, and brochures were released in ways to pique curiosity and encourage participation. By integrating NAPTE’s engagement points, Mr. Lim set a new standard for its brand design and raised the bar for the event attendees’ overall experience.

  • UCLA


    The UCLA Television and Film Archive is one of the most extensive archives in the country. The problem was nobody knew about it. That is, until Mr. Lim and his team at HOW CREATIVE were brought in to rebrand and create a new visual profile to raise public awareness. Mr. Lim and his team created a corporate brand mark, stationery, brochures, and a new website. Today, the UCLA Television and Film Archive continues to protect and preserve, amassing over 220,000 film and television titles to date.

Breakthrough 3 :
We Design Businesses® (SIM System™)

  • Mr. Lim brings unique expertise and time-tested methods, emphasizing business logistics and creation, to companies both big and small. Mr. Lim’s intellectual property system, the We Design Businesses SIM System, blends business, branding, and customer experience, bridging the gap between business fundamentals and creative innovation to craft brand identities that speak to the market and elicit the greatest impact on the business, its customers, and other stakeholders.

    With over 35 years of experience working with multiple industries and technologies, Mr. Lim has developed and refined his comprehensive and integrated SIM System, using his trademarked process to create world-class, leading brands and businesses that are not only compelling but embraced across all channels and platforms.

  • WSS: Business Repositioning and Rebranding


    Mr. Lim and his team helped push retail revenue to over $1 billion, increasing store website profits by over 1,500%, expanding customer demographics, and creating multiple revenue streams. Retail store locations went from 54 to over 100 nationwide in seven years, and stronger partnerships with key vendors, including Nike, Adidas, and others, were formed.

  • Milo Butler: Business Repositioning and Rebranding


    Creating a modern, customer-focused Brand Identity, Mr. Lim and his team supervised the remodeling and updating of Milo Butler stores, leading to an increase in customer spending and inspiring a greater sense of loyalty in company employees.

  • Flying Dutchman: Business Repositioning and Rebranding


    Setting a new standard in retail presentation and rapidly growing its private label, the HOW CREATIVE team created multiple sources of revenue and a thriving brand culture, resulting in a boost in customer loyalty and brand awareness. Flying Dutchman went on to open three franchise stores in just 18 months.

  • City of Los Angeles Marathon: Business Repositioning and Rebranding


    Building a tighter bond between the annual event and the local community, HOW CREATIVE increased the LA Marathon’s brand value and equity, leading to an overall increase in city revenues. A highlight of the successful rebranding was a sold-out LA Marathon with 23,000 participants — a new record.

  • Stander: Brand Identity Makeover


    With HOW CREATIVE’s guidance, Stander landed and grew accounts with mass-market, big-box retail stores, including Target, Costco, Walgreens, Kmart, CVS, Walmart, Sears, and Rite Aid, achieving a 100% close rate on new wholesale customers. In just one year, sales grew by 32%.

  • LySonix: Brand Identity Makeover


    HOW CREATIVE positioned Lysonix as modern and forward-thinking to reflect its upscale prospects. Special attention was given to the brand mark and the high-tech company’s catalog of innovative tools for plastic surgery, including the implementation of a stylish design concept and high-quality printing. Because of the rebranding, the company was catapulted to new levels of success, and its reputation as an authentic brand personality was firmly established.

  • CopperRidge: Brand Identity Makeover


    Responsible for making CopperRidge the number one referred care center in the area, Mr. Lim and his team at HOW CREATIVE boosted overall business revenues, creating a strong company culture and increasing the center’s brand value and reputation in the community.

  • NeuroGym: Brand Identity Makeover


    With HOW CREATIVE’s help, NeuroGym went from one employee to over 30 and saw an increase in revenues from $0 to an average of $15 million per year. Creating a robust company culture from the inside-out, Mr. Lim and his team boosted NeurGym’s brand awareness and equity, leading to the formation of trusted and lasting partnerships for the company.