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                                 EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT

     This Agreement made as of the      day of         , 1997 (the "Effective
Date"), by and between HA-LO Industries, Inc., an Illinois corporation
("Employer"), and Lou Weisbach ("Executive").

     WHEREAS, in consideration of the employment of Executive with Employer and
other good and valuable consideration the receipt of which is hereof
acknowledged, Executive and Employer agree to execute and be bound by this
Agreement.

     NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing premises and the promise
and covenants contained herein the parties agree as follows:

     1.   RECITALS.  Each of the above recitals are incorporated in this
Agreement and are binding upon the parties hereof.

     2.   EMPLOYMENT.  Employer hereby employs Executive, and Executive hereby
accepts employment as President and Chief Executive Officer of Employer on the
terms and conditions set forth herein.

     3.   TERM.  Subject to the provisions for termination hereinafter provided,
the initial term of this Agreement shall be for a term of five (5) years
commencing as of the Effective Date (such period, or any extensions thereof,
being the "Term"); as of each one (1) year anniversary of the Effective Date,
the duration of the Term shall automatically be extended for successive one (1)
year periods such that the term of this Agreement is restored to five (5) years,
unless either party elects not to so extend the Term and gives notice to the
other party at least sixty (60) days

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prior to such one (1) year anniversary of the Effective Date of its election
not to so extend.

     4.   DUTIES OF EXECUTIVE.  Executive shall perform, on a full-time best
efforts basis, such duties commensurate with his position and experience as
shall be assigned to him from time to time by the Board of Directors of the
Employer.

     5.   COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS.

               (a)  Employer shall pay to Executive salary at an initial annual
     rate of Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($500,000.00) per year, payable
     monthly, on the last day of each calendar month or upon such other
     frequency as the parties hereto shall agree ("Base Pay").  Subject to the
     termination of the Term of this Agreement by Employer prior to the
     conclusion of the Term, the Executive shall be guaranteed the monthly
     payments of the Base Pay during the Term.  The Base Pay may be increased
     from time to time by the Board of Directors in its sole discretion.

               (b)  BONUS AND ADDITIONAL COMPENSATION.  Executive shall be
     entitled to such bonus payments and additional compensation, based upon
     such profit objectives as are established by the Board of Directors of the
     Employer (or an authorized committee thereof), in such forms and at such
     times as the Board of Directors of the Employer shall determine from time
     to time in its sole discretion, including but not limited to the Employer's
     Management Incentive Plan.

               (c)  FRINGE BENEFITS.  Employer shall provide to

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     Executive such employee fringe benefits as are generally provided for
     employees of Employer similarly situated to Executive, including all
     fringe benefits made available to Executive by Employer on or prior to
     the Effective Date (including but not limited to medical, dental,
     disability and life insurance for Executive and Executive's family, as
     applicable (the "Welfare Plans").  Executive shall be entitled to take
     such annual vacation at such time and in such amounts as are consistent
     with the Executive's prior practice as an employee of Employer.

     6.   EXPENSE REIMBURSEMENT.  Executive shall be entitled to reimbursement
by the Employer for all reasonable and customary travel and other business
expenses incurred by Executive in carrying out his duties under this Agreement,
including but not limited to, gas, oil, automobile insurance, repairs and
maintenance, parking expenses, tolls, lodgings and meals, while performing
services, and other transportation expenses.

     7.   TERMINATION.  This Agreement shall be terminated on the earliest to
occur of (i) the expiration of the Term; (ii) the mutual agreement of Employer
and Executive; (iii) the death of the Executive; (iv) the permanent disability
of the Executive as herein defined; (v) the dismissal of Executive for "cause"
as hereinafter defined or (vi) by the Executive, upon the occurrence of a
"change of control" (as herein defined).  Upon any termination of the term of
this Agreement, Executive shall promptly deliver to the Employer (without
retaining any copies thereof) all the forms, brochures,

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project materials, sales materials, manuals, letterhead, business cards or
any other written or printed materials relating to the business of the
Employer.

          Executive shall be deemed to be "permanently disabled" hereunder if it
is determined by a physician selected by the Employer, with the reasonable
approval of Executive, which physician is on the staff of a hospital associated
with a medical school and located in Cook or Lake County, Illinois, that the
Executive is suffering from a mental, physical or emotional disability or
condition which is reasonably expected to last for two hundred and ten (210)
days or more, and which prevents Executive from fully performing his duties
hereunder.

          The Employer shall be deemed to have "cause" to dismiss Executive from
employment by the Employer hereunder upon the occurrence of any of the
following:  (i) Executive's conviction of a felony; (ii) Executive's engagement
an illegal conduct tending to place Executive or Employer in disrepute; or (iii)
upon thirty (30) days prior written notice to Executive by Employer, upon
Executive's breach of, and failure to cure, any other material provision of this
Agreement.

     8.   CHANGE OF CONTROL.

          (a)  For purposes hereof, a change in control means, the occurrence of
     any one of the following events:

               i)   any consolidation or merger of the Employer wherein the
          Employer is not the continuing or surviving corporation or which
          contemplates that all or

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          substantially all of the business and/or assets of the Employer shall
          be controlled by another corporation or a recapitalization in which
          the current controlling stockholders do not continue to be the
          controlling stockholders;

               ii)  any sale, lease, exchange or transfer (in one transaction or
          series of related transactions) of all or substantially all of the
          assets of the Employer;

               iii) approval by the shareholders of the Employer of any plan or
          proposal for the liquidation or dissolution of the Employer, unless
          such plan or proposal is abandoned within 60 days following such
          approval;

               iv)  any "person" (as such term is used in Sections 13(d) and
          14(d)(2) of the Exchange Act), other than a person who is a
          stockholder of the Employer on the Effective Date, who shall become
          the beneficial owner of securities of the Employer representing more
          than 50% of the combined voting power of the Employer's then
          outstanding securities ordinarily having the right to vote in the
          election of directors;

               v)   any sale, exchange or transfer (other than transfers to
          affiliated entities, i.e. entities controlling, controlled by or under
          common control with, the transferor) of securities of the Employer
          representing more than 50% of (i) the total fair market value of the
          Employer's then outstanding equity

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          securities, or (ii) the combined voting power of the Employer's then
          outstanding securities ordinarily having the right to vote in the
          election of directors, whether pursuant to a tender or exchange
          offer, open market offering, purchase or sale, privately negotiated
          purchase and sale or otherwise; or

               vi)  if during a period of two consecutive years from the
          Effective Date, individuals who at the beginning of such period
          constituted the directors of the Employer cease for any reason to
          constitute a majority thereof (unless the election, or nomination for
          election by the Employer's stockholders, of each director of the
          Employer first elected during such period was approved by a vote of at
          least a majority of the directors then still in office who were
          directors at the beginning of any such period).

          (b)  For a twenty-four (24) month period after the termination hereof
     by the Executive in the event of a change of control, Employer shall
     provide for the Executive and the Executive's family with benefits no less
     favorable than under the Welfare Plans immediately prior to the
     termination.  Benefits otherwise receivable by the Executive (or the
     Executive's family) pursuant to this Section shall be reduced to the extent
     comparable benefits are actually received by or made available to the
     Executive from a subsequent employer without cost during such period
     following the Executive's

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     termination of employment.

     9.   SEVERABILITY.  Each of the terms and provisions of this Agreement is
to be deemed severable in whole or in part and, if any term or provision of the
application thereof in any circumstances should be invalid, illegal or
unenforceable, the remaining terms and provisions or the application thereof to
circumstances other than those as to which it is held invalid, illegal or
unenforceable, shall not be affected thereby and shall remain in full force and
effect.

     10.  BINDING AGREEMENT.  This Agreement shall be binding upon the parties,
their heirs, successors, personal representatives and assigns.  Employer may
assign this Agreement to any successor in interest to the business, or part
thereof, of Employer.  Executive may not assign any of his obligations or duties
hereunder.

     11.  CONTROLLING LAW AND JURISDICTION.  This Agreement shall be governed by
and interpreted and construed according to the laws of the State of Illinois.
Executive hereby consents to the jurisdiction of the state and federal courts in
Illinois in the event that any disputes arise under this Agreement.

     12.  ENTIRE AGREEMENT.  This instrument contains the entire agreement of
the parties with regard to the subject matter hereof, may not be changed orally,
but only by an agreement in writing signed by the parties hereto.

     13.  FAILURE TO ENFORCE.  The failure to enforce any of the provisions of
this Agreement shall not be construed as a waiver of such provisions.  Further,
any express waiver by any party with

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respect to any breach of any provision hereunder by any other party shall not
constitute a waiver of such party's right to thereafter fully enforce each
and every provision of the Agreement.

     14.  SURVIVAL.  The obligations contained in this Agreement shall survive
the termination, for any reason whatsoever, for cause or otherwise, of
Executive's employment with the Employer.

     15.  HEADINGS.  All numbers and heading of paragraphs are for reference
only and are not intended to qualify, limit or otherwise affect the meaning or
interpretation of any paragraph.

     16.  NOTICES.  All notices which are required, permitted or contemplated
hereunder to be given or made shall be given or made in writing by certified
mail (return receipt requested) to the Employer at 5980 West Touhy Avenue,
Niles, Illinois 60714, Attention:  Board of Directors, and to the Executive at
2670 Point Lane, Highland Park, Illinois 60035.

     17.  GENDER.  The masculine, feminine or neuter pronouns used herein shall
be interpreted without regard to gender, and the use of the singular or plural
shall be deemed to include the other whenever the context so requires.

     WHEREFORE, the parties have executed this Agreement on the date and year
first above written.

EMPLOYER                           EXECUTIVE


HA-LO INDUSTRIES, INC.


By:____________________________    ___________________________________________
     Its:______________________    Lou Weisbach

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