Mark Hampton was born in Indianapolis and raised by parents Mark Hampton, Sr. and Alice (née Burkert) Hampton in Plainfield, Indiana. As a child, he spent time with Paul Hadley, designer of the Indiana State Flag, who was also a former instructor at the Herron School of Art and Design. Hampton showed early inclinations toward an artistic life, and by the time he was twelve years old, he considered himself a designer. He credited his success to making an early career choice. His early influences were Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Phillip Johnson.