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by Matthew Porter
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nside a darkened theater on South Lamar Boulevard in
a dog-eared section of Austin, Texas, writer-designerrestaurateur Christian Helms is hosting seven of us for
lunch and a movie. Helms wants to show off one of his most
exhilarating clients, Tim League’s Alamo Drafthouse Cinema.
Playing is The Artist, the trophy-sweeping silent-film homage
about the life and near-death of one artist brought down by
his refusal to embrace change. Assigned to write about one
of the hottest young stars in the creative industries, I find
theatrical parallels in the choice of this popular film.
Sitting next to me are Helms and five young colleagues sharing
more in common with the film’s upstart ingénue Peppy Miller
(Bérénice Bejo) than the silenced aging has-been George
Valentine (Golden Globe winner Jean Dujardin). Scribbling
notes in silence, I see what my role would be today. I look for
another hook upon which to hang this story’s hat. On cue, she
arrives, a real-life ingénue, in the guise of a barmaid serving
up a rich plate of irony.
She saunters up to take our order. As she approaches, Helms
orders a favorite, Fire Eagle American ipa by Austin Beerworks,
a client for which Helms alone built from scratch a branding
system, nomenclature, print promotions and a delightful website.
She gives the baby-face Helms a skeptical head tilt. “id please,”
she demands. In this cow town, it takes more than just a new
and pretty face to get what you want. Helms hands over his
driver’s license and, as our server checks birth date, then
photo, then compares both to the beaming face in the dark,
one can almost hear her eyebrows slam into the ceiling—and
her eyeballs explode from her head. Christian Helms is 35.
Christian under radar
Helms is no golden boy, he’s married to Jenn (née Hatley),
and the proud father of a baby-boy, Nuevo Hatley. Though
Austin is loaded with creative thunder and lightning, Helms,
through his many enterprises and interests, has created his
own sound and light show. So, while it might be awkward to
be asked for proof of age at a client’s store in the presence of
a reporter, Helms is proof that a youthful appearance provides
one advantage to a grown man: With the element of surprise,
you can create an impressive storm.
Helms has operated beneath rock star radar long enough to
improvise a career out of whatever strikes his fancy by applying his interests and talents under other names and guises.
This has bought him the time to mature outside the glare
and enervating effects of national media attention and local
envy. Now Helms is ready for his close-up, even if he thinks
otherwise, “I kind of wish Communications Arts had called me
five or ten years from now,” he admitted with chagrin, “when
I’d achieved enough to warrant this much honor and
attention.” His Southern charm and humility are not cynical,
as established pros around Austin—like Sean Carnegie, Dave
Kampa, dj Stout and Helms’s former boss Bryan Jessee of
McGarrah Jessee—will attest.
To most, Helms is known for Decoder Ring, the Austinbased design-poster-specialty print shop. But its three
founders shut down the Decoder Ring design practice so
each could pursue their own interests. Helms now leads his
own studio for the first time—Helms Workshop—where he
is stretching his mental legs by putting into action a unique
Austin custom: Here, if you don’t (yet) know how to do
something, you call in a friend for help. Austin is a town of
cross-purpose professionals, where designers can sing, guitar
players can paint, musicians can cook, shoe designers can
make movies, songwriters can design album covers. “We Can
Do That” ought to be trademarked as the town motto.
So, how did Helms, former journalism student and resident
of North Carolina, get here? It all started with a young boy
who was eager to get out of his conservative hometown.
Christian and the masochist druggist
Bessemer City, North Carolina, lies south of the Southeast’s
financial capital, Charlotte. Founded in 1754, it was chartered
as a mining city, named for the Bessemer process, the first
successful method of making steel at a low cost. According
Right: “Standard Grit Flags are handmade, limited-edition textiles crafted in the South. Released seasonally, each set has a loose common theme and features distinctive Southern phrases. All show our affinity for Southern vernacular and hand-rendered typography. We started Grit because of our love of unique
keepsakes with a sense of heritage. We like the idea of creating modern day heirlooms that people might keep in their families for generations. You can’t pass
down an iPhone to your grandson.” Christian Helms, designer; Brent Humphreys, photographer; Susan Helms, contributing artist; Standard Grit, client.
“A big motivator for starting Standard Grit was the idea of embracing simplicity and the basic joy of creating things by hand. We extended that to the
web by building an uncomplicated scrolling site that scaled well for mobile viewing. We also challenged ourselves to reclaim basic default design
elements, like Courier. I love the way it integrates with the brand. The graphic headers paired with the body copy look fantastic and feel honest and
organic paired with the rest of the imagery.” Christian Helms, writer/designer; David Guillory, interactive developer; Standard Grit, client.
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a thought as a vocational possibility. Upon graduation, Helms
looked into Portfolio Center (pc) in Atlanta, where he entered
graduate school in 2001, on his own dime. There, his innate
drawing skills, especially typography coupled with his geeky
interest in advertising and type collectibles and other ephemera,
coalesced into something far more practical: design skill.
© Matthew Mahon
to the city’s website, “Bessemer City is still in the mining
business.” And it is still the type of small, conservative Southern
town that creative young people like Helms long to leave.
Raised by parents who worked in local textile mills, he a personnel manager and she a nurse, young Helms never traveled
far from home and says he wasn’t particularly popular in
school, but he was raised right: He made good grades, worked
hard, butted heads with his dad on occasion but always loved
and respected his parents. “I worked at the town pharmacy
soda fountain scooping ice cream. The pharmacist, who owned
the place, used to push over dumpsters in the alley behind
the shop then make me clean it up to instill ‘character’ in me.
My childhood was only unusual in that small towns like
Bessemer City are rarer now.” He recalls Saturday nights
when his parents would relax with whiskey sours and listen
to beach music. “I was happy at home, but parts of the town
were steeped in some Southern traditions that made my skin
crawl—like racism. I wanted to see more, and unc-Chapel Hill,
which my parents generously paid for, was my escape.”
In fall 1994, Helms entered the University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill’s famed journalism school, which gave us Roger
Mudd, Charles Kurault and Bill Moyers. It was there that he
first realized “graphic design” was something you could do for a
living; he’d always like to doodle and draw but never gave it
Christian and the Evil Genius Mentor
Michael Bierut entered his life in his final year at pc when
Helms was selected for an internship at Pentagram New York.
“I learned more there in four months than I did in all my
previous years in school. All I had to do was listen and
volunteer for anything without complaint, including picking
up Paula Scher’s dogs’ shit in the intern’s basement vault.” The
hard work earned Helms privileges other interns had not,
such as being sent to Kentucky to press check with the
following advice from Pentagram’s Kerrie Powell: “Whatever
you do, don’t tell them you’re an intern and don’t tell them
you’ve never been to a press check.”
Returning to Atlanta, Helms’s star kept rising. Hank
Richardson of pc suggested Helms travel at his own expense
to the 2002 Creative Summit in San Marcos, Texas, certain that
he’d win money and brass for the school trophy case. He did,
sweeping first in numerous categories and pocketing a pile of
prize money. The experience also introduced Helms to Austin,
thanks to his Evil Genius Mentor (egm) James Victore, whom he
had met previously. The objective success at San Marcos convinced Helms that his abilities were estimable.
After turning in his trophies to Richardson at pc and getting
his certificate for the deposit, Helms packed his bags and
moved to New York where he would make the best-worst
decision of his life: He took the first job offered. “Neither the
job nor the city were right for me, which I knew deep down. It
was an expensive lesson, but it taught me to always trust my gut.”
One day Helms sent an e-mail to egm looking for sympathy,
Victore replied, “Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha…” for 24 screen inches. Shortly
after, egm relented and gave Helms his most memorable
counsel, “You don’t need a job. You need a life. Go get one.”
Helms quit after two months, in June 2003, putting his
possessions on the street and leaving for John Bielenberg’s
This page: (from left) Lauren Dickens, Erick Montes, Christian Helms, David Pappenhagen and Renee Fernandez. Not pictured: Jennifer Helms.
Right: “Austin Beerworks is a team of local brewers hell-bent on excellence. I was fortunate to team up with the group during its genesis, working closely
on naming and brand development. The goal was a unique expression of the brewery’s brash personality and bold, crisp brewing profile. The result doesn’t
lean on traditional beer clichés, and stands out in the marketplace.” Christian Helms, designer; Andrew Yates, photographer; Austin Beerworks, client.
“Beerworks is proud of their product, so we put it front and center. Larger-than-life-sized cans hover at attention as viewers learn more about each beer.
We struck a balance in tone between informative and witty in the voice: You can gauge a beer’s bitterness by IBU or a sliding bitterness scale that
includes ‘Cleveland Cavs Fan.’ The horizontal beer navigation and brewing infographic are great examples of how having a talented, creative web
developer onboard can dramatically impact the final product. As tanks and mills whiz by via parallax scrolling, the infographic moves with a sense of
depth through the three phases of brewing without getting tiresome. There’s even a unicorn! Collaborating with David Guillory at Source allowed for a
dramatic expansion of the scope of the user experience and expression of the brand’s personality.” Christian Helms/Mike Woolf, writers; Christian
Helms, designer; David Guillory, interactive developer; Andrew Yates, photographer; Austin Beerworks, client.
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Project M in Maine. Bielenberg recalls his first encounter
with Helms: “Christian looked like a little kid. You wanted
to hug him and bandage his boo-boos. He had no computer, just a notebook that he filled with drawings. I like to
think that notebook has informed his work ever since.”
“That summer gave me time to think,” recalls Helms. “It
made me realize that even if I couldn’t change the entire
world, I could try to change one person’s world, beginning
with mine. I needed to be in a place where I could grow.
Art Chantry, who was there with me, suggested Austin.”
Chantry also gave Helms a fateful phone number: Geoff
Peveto’s, a poster designer, magazine publisher and printmaker with whom Helms would form Decoder Ring.
Christian does Austin
“If there is a common connection to all of this,” says Helms,
“it is music.” Shortly after arriving in 2003, Helms landed
a job at one of Austin’s most respected advertising agencies,
Left: Timmy Bob Boot. “I was excited when Joshua Bingaman at
Helm Handmade asked if I’d guest design a boot. I love shoes,
but had no idea how they were made. We Skyped with craftsmen
in Turkey, trading sketches, swatches and samples to design this
boot. The first prototype was beautiful, but you couldn’t get a
foot into it. Call it a happy accident—that’s how we landed on the
zippered heel. Helm has a tradition of naming their boots after
family, and I followed that tradition by naming the boot after my
dad, and stamping a reminder of his value of ‘hard work’ inside the
boot.” Christian Helms, designer; Helm Handmade, client.
“The Boys and Girls in America album explores themes of youth,
love and faith in front of a backdrop of music and drug culture.
At its center is a line from Kerouac, on which the poster is based.
The posters were scored and hand-torn, communicating through
a unique marriage of application and material.” Christian Helms,
designer; The Hold Steady, client.
This page: “I am eternally thankful for photographer Andrew Yates,
who often lets me talk him into working on my ridiculous ideas.
Heaven is Whenever is all about polar opposites: the extreme
highs and lows in life, love and faith. The band loved my initial idea
of juxtaposing a joyful, upraised hand on the cover with a wider
interior shot revealing the hand to be at the end of a drowning
man’s arm. Now what? Fast forward to Andrew and me waist
deep in Austin’s Barton Creek Greenbelt in February, repeatedly
dunking a very patient waiter from Frank to get the shots. After
recovering from mild shock, that waiter went on to assist Andrew
and start his own career in production.” Christian Helms/Erick
Montes, designers; Christian Helms, creative director; Andrew
Yates, photographer; The Hold Steady/Vagrant Records, client.
“We tend to indulge in over-designing projects—tweaking every
piece of type or iconography until it’s just so. This project was a
refreshing exercise in restraint and minimalism. Renee and I worked
with Britt (Daniel) to build a simple but sophisticated packaging
system around a favorite Eggleston photo.” Renee Fernandez/
Christian Helms, designers; Christian Helms, creative director;
William Eggleston, photographer; Spoon, Merge Records, client.
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McGarrah Jessee (Mc-J) [ca January/February 2011].
While toiling as a staff designer there, Helms met his
future wife, Jenn, at an advertising mixer. He and Geoff
Peveto would meet nights and weekends in a garage to
create posters and such. This informal relationship led
to Decoder Ring, to which they added a third partner
and friend, Paul Fucik.
After two years at Mc-J, Helms left the agency to put
his efforts into Decoder Ring, where his circle of
friends and collaborators was expanding as rapidly as
his good reputation. Later, Peveto would introduce
him to Daniel Northcutt, now co-owner and operations partner at Frank, Austin’s red hot “artisan
sausage” and music venue also owned by Helms and
Peveto. Helms would also meet Erick Montes, his
lead designer at Helms Workshop, who describes
himself as “a guy who moved from Guatemala City
to live in Texas and immediately became a Mexican.”
Helms sought out people doing work they loved,
including writer/director/producer Mike Wolfe of
Austin’s Beef and Pie. Together they’ve written commercials and made videos for the likes of singersongwriter Will Johnson and his band Centro-Matic.
The unassuming Chris Billheimer, whose work for
rem and Green Day has made him legend among
the music industry’s design community, would also
become a friend and collaborator.
While Decoder Ring no longer links Helms, Peveto
and Fucik, Peveto and Helms are involved with Frank,
which has expanded to a second store in Texas, with
plans for another later this year. With all the new
work at the Workshop and a baby at home, Helms,
already slight of frame, might appear stretched too
thin, but you will not hear him complain.
This page: Posters for Frank, an Austin mecca for bacon-lovers,
beer-guzzlers and encased-meat enthusiasts. “My partners and
I worked to build an experience that felt welcoming to a diverse
range of patrons hungry for a dog. Sausage is not a modest
food, and the brand collateral reflects its pride and majesty.
Our goal was to create a celebration of food, and build a culture
and community. It’s been a labor of love.” Christian Helms,
designer/illustrator; Frank restaurant, client.
Right: Pizza box and poster for Pinthouse Pizza “When Tyler
Norwood contacted me about branding a nautical-themed
brewpub in Austin, I was intrigued; when they lured the brewer
from famed Odell Brewing in Colorado, I knew they meant business. The poster will be extended to a huge mural; the world’s
biggest mammal seemed like a great way to illustrate the
mammoth beer selection. Plus, it’s an excuse to make Erick use
the phrase ‘ale whale’ in meetings. I’d be remiss not to mention
how much Erick Montes has shaped the design direction of this
project. I’m learning that a big part of running a studio is trusting
others to excel, and Erick makes that easy.” Christian Helms/Erick
Montes, designers; Christian Helms, creative director; Pinthouse
Pizza, client.
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“I have absolutely no room to bitch. I earn a living designing for beer, music and hot dogs! Sure, it’s still hard
work, but I get to do that work collaborating with friends
and building new opportunities. I feel proud and fortunate in what each day brings, and Jenn and Hatley are
the foundation of that. Some folks said marriage and
kids can slow down your work, but I think it’s the opposite. Having a child reminds me to be guided by joy,
wonder and exploration rather than fear, stress and deadlines. It’s been amazing so far.”
Don’t be a stranger
Helms story is the Austin story. The more time you spend
in this town the more you see how unique it is. In a city
of standout talents, Helms stands out, a weather system
unto himself, drenching Austin with visual and writing
talents through hot dogs, music videos, websites, logos,
fonts, posters, restaurants, beer cans, wicked boots and
God-knows-what-next. He is sweeping friends and colleagues along in his joyous torrent.
If you’re ever in Austin, look up Christian Helms. He’s
never met a stranger and never had a friend he wouldn’t
share. Most of all, he remembers that he once was a fresh,
unknown face, too. And at the local cinema, he still is. CA
This page: “Top Hops is the dream of Ted Kenney and Christina Cahill:
a craft beer shop and tasting room in New York City. Like a lot of our
clients, they’ve put a lot of heart into their vision, and it shows. We
just put signage and environmental graphics into production, and the
shop should be completed and open by the time this is published.
I can’t wait.” Christian Helms, writer/creative director; Renee
Fernandez/Christian Helms, designers; Top Hops Beer Shop, client.
“When you leave design school with your portfolio of student projects,
half of your interviewers pause to tell you that, in the ‘real world,’ you’ll
never have the opportunity to design wine packaging. Much less,
packaging themed after one of your favorite movies. Those folks never
had the chance to work with Tim League and the team at Alamo
Drafthouse Cinemas. I’m not a strong illustrator of likenesses, so it
took forever to get the characters just right. It was totally worth it.”
Christian Helms, designer/illustrator; Lauren Dickens, production
designer; Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, client.
Right: “We teamed up with our friends at BeDo and former CocaCola global brand head Marc Mathieu for our first swing at designing
a social app. It’s called We&Co, and it’s a driver for thanking people
who provide great services or experiences. With teams spread across
London, Austin and Atlanta, toasting the launch of the app had at
least half of us drinking champagne at breakfast.” Christian Helms/
David Pappenhagen, designers; Christian Helms, creative director;
We&CO, client.
“I had to move to Texas to finally work on a brewery in my home
state of North Carolina. Now I’m flooded with Facebook pictures of
friends back home enjoying the beer, which I live too far away to
sample. Working closely with Fullsteam founder Sean Wilson, we
created a brand narrative centered around a semi-fictitious steampunk
plantation-owner from a distant time: Liborius Gollhardt. The narrative
explores the contrast between industry and agriculture, and frames a
series of labels that celebrate the character eccentricity of the South.”
Christian Helms/Ryan Rhodes, designers; Christian Helms, creative
director; Kurt Lightner, illustration; Fullsteam Brewery, client.
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