Nicole Hutt Aelion
Nicole Hutt Aelion is a creative director and brand strategist with nearly 30 years of experience spanning global icons to startups.
​
Her career was built on a foundation of early digital innovation, beginning at IBM Interactive Media and evolving into creative leadership at Razorfish. During this time, she led creative strategies and design solutions for a portfolio of marquee brands, including Merrill Lynch, Capital One, Pfizer, and Major League Baseball.
​
Nicole joined the leadership team at Sling TV, a startup launched as a corporate initiative within DISH, immediately after its debut to build the first internal creative department from the ground up, shaping the brand’s identity as it grew into the #1 live streaming service in the U.S.
​
Following Sling, Nicole launched Fitmark + Co & Designhutt and partnered with founders to scale startup businesses. She has provided strategic and tactical support for nearly 20 startups to sharpen positioning and build scalable creative infrastructure that drives growth. Examples include full rebranding and marketing support for Switchboard Software (SaaS) from Series A through growth, leading a rebrand for Artemis (AgTech), and providing ongoing marketing and creative support for 6th Avenue Capital (FinTech).
​
Nicole focuses on building visual identities and brand systems that turn startups into category leaders. She currently advises the leadership team at ZeroTwelve on brand evolution and the alignment of long-term growth objectives.
