Founder, HMV Designs, Smyrna DE

I am Heather Nunery, a multi-disciplinary creative and founder of HMV Designs, a Delaware-based design studio specializing in branding, publication, packaging, and digital design. For over a decade, I’ve partnered with entrepreneurs, organizations, and nonprofits to craft compelling visuals that elevate brands and foster meaningful connections. My work has been recognized nationally with multiple GDUSA Design Awards and Aster Awards in healthcare marketing.

Alongside running my studio, I serve as a designer at Bayhealth Hospital, where I create impactful healthcare communications that support patients, families, and the broader community. I am also the founder of Delaware Female Creatives, a growing network that uplifts and connects women-owned businesses through events, markets, and collaborative opportunities. Through each of these roles, my mission remains consistent: to use design as a force for good, a way to empower others, strengthen communities, and tell stories that matter.

Tell us how and why you became involved in socially responsible communications, any thoughts on why design can be an especially effective tool for this goal, and, if you wish, give us an example of a project of which you are proud?

I’ve always enjoyed helping people, and for me, it began with family. Growing up, I watched my grandmother feed the homeless and saw my parents dedicate themselves to supporting others in different ways. That sense of cultural pride and community care shaped me deeply, and it’s what inspired me to carry those values into my design work. Today, I live that inspiration every day through the communities I’ve built and the projects I lead. As the founder of Delaware Female Creatives, I’ve created spaces for women business owners to connect, collaborate, and grow.

One of the projects I’m most proud of is the annual Pretty in Pink Women-Owned Business Holiday Market. Not only do I design and brand the event, but I also promote it and witness firsthand how it drives real opportunities for women entrepreneurs in Delaware. My professional work at Bayhealth Hospital adds another layer to this purpose. By creating clear, compassionate healthcare design assets, I know I am helping patients and families at some of life’s most critical moments. For me, design is powerful because it bridges clarity and care, a tool that can empower, inform, and uplift communities in meaningful ways.

Given the confluence of events and challenges our society now faces, does this moment in time present any special opportunities, urgencies, obstacles to designing for good?

In today’s world, where challenges and uncertainty can often overshadow kindness, I believe there is an urgency to design with empathy and purpose. I try to do something good every day, even in small ways, whether offering a simple hello or creating a design that addresses real needs, like supporting those facing hunger. Design has the power to carry kindness forward, to inform, and to inspire action. If my work can make a difference for even a few people in my lifetime, I will feel accomplished in using creativity as a force for good.