Colin Bill, who graduated from Mason in 2004 with a master's concentration in IT instructional design and development, gives 10 percent of sales to a charity relevant to the "hero" whose product was purchased. Photo by Evan Cantwell.
With a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from George Mason University, the last thing one might have expected Colin Bill to pursue is a design and clothing business.
But since 2015, Bill has been successfully running his company Hero Heads, which features hand-drawn designs depicting inspirational figures such as Martin Luther King Jr., Frida Kahlo, Abraham Lincoln, Edgar Allen Poe and Harriet Tubman. While it started with T-shirts, Hero Heads now offers prints, postcards, mugs, tote bags and more.
“I saw and felt a need for more positivity and inspiration in the world,” said Bill, whose products can be found online, at festivals and in markets in the Washington, D.C., area, and across the country in more than 20 stores and museum shops. “Hero Heads seemed like a great way to spread positivity, be creative and get back into art.”
How did Bill go from a job building instructional learning tools to producing a design and clothing brand?
Part of it was the positive feedback he received from a group of friends after he created as a birthday gift a T-shirt design featuring the hand-drawn portrait of Radiohead lead singer Thom Yorke. There were also the lessons from Kevin Clark, one of Bill’s professors at George Mason who emphasized the importance of creativity and innovative thinking.
“He went above and beyond to give me advice,” said Bill, who graduated from Mason in 2004 with a master’s concentration in IT instructional design and development. “He provided me with guidance and support, and that’s what I hope to do for other people, whether it’s giving back to a community via Hero Heads, or giving advice on how to start a small business.”
Hero Heads’ business model includes donating 10 percent of sales to a charity relevant to the “hero” whose product was purchased – for example, President Lincoln’s Cottage museum.
Bill’s desire to give back is no surprise to Clark.
“Colin as a person is very creative, and he thinks globally in terms of other countries and cultures,” Clark said. “To me, Hero Heads makes perfect sense. The work he does with the company is a way of informing and educating people about historical figures through his designs.”
What makes the company stand out is its ability to initiate dialogue on the heroes, Clark added.
"The more we know about each other and these important figures, the better we can co-exist,” he said.