2013 Forty Under 40: Josh A. Miles

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“I always thought it would be really funny to start a not-for-profit called Jericho” and let the walls come tumbling down, said Miles, who enjoys demolition. “Habitat for Humanity is all about building stuff, but somebody’s got to come in and tear it down.”

Age: 36

Owner, Miles Design LLC

Some people start on the ground floor. Josh Miles started in the basement, launching Miles Design LLC in his home. Specializing in branding and Web design, Miles and his staff of seven will celebrate the company’s 10th anniversary this spring from its new office space on the 13th floor of historic Circle Tower, overlooking Monument Circle. The staff includes his wife, April, who handles the company’s business affairs.

The company caters to high-tech and professional service firms, and counts AIT Laboratories, Bose McKinney & Evans and Heartland Truly Moving Pictures among its clients.

Miles also has written a book on his industry. “Bold Brand” walks smaller companies through the steps of how to name and position their brand, protect their trademark and create a memorable website.

“It’s tough for a 20-person engineering shop or a 50-person architectural firm to look at what Target and Nike does, and think, ‘Man, how does that apply to us?’” he said. “How can we do something that will stand out and be unique, and be appropriate to our market?”

As a child growing up in Granger, Miles was always drawing and “doing art.” But, how to “do art” for a living? After watching a video showing an ad agency doing some work for Porsche, he knew. He did a double major in advertising and visual communication design at Purdue University, and started working in advertising.

Long active in the Indianapolis chapter of AIGA, the professional organization for design, he is national speaker chair for the American Advertising Federation in Indianapolis.

He and Brian Gray, the creative director at Miles Design, co-founded iheartlogos.com, a popular design website and competition for logo design that prides itself on giving every entrant a vote and keeping entry fees low.

Miles and his wife have two children, and they attend church at Pinheads bowling alley in Fishers with the non-denominational Leavener ministry.•

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