Goodbye 2020 – Poster

Product

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Goodbye 2020 – Poster
A poster designed to say goodbye to 2020. It’s was a colorful and topsy-turvy year and I’m glad that it’s over. Perhaps we should celebrate its end—Goodbye, Au revoir. Adiós, 잘가 (Jalga).

 

  • This poster is available for purchase in my shop.

Lost Privacy

Article

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Lost Privacy
Illustrative concepts exploring technology, who owns our data, loss of privacy, and our mental health. Technology (specifically the smallish computer in your pocket) has been a wonderful tool for us. But, they also have been used unethically for data collection, observation of dark patterns, and social network disinformation campaigns. Like warning signs located on products that are dangerous for us, should we do the same for technology products?

 

Hamad Al Zemami – Portrait Illustration

Client Project

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Hamad Al Zemami – Portrait Illustration
I was commissioned to create a portrait of Hamad. The minimalist illustrative style began with simple lines and has since evolved with the addition of bold fills. These portraits are part of a continued series inspired by a self-promotional project I initiated in 2012, named Facebook Friends.

 

  • Hamad Al Zemami

  • + Portrait Illustration
    + Sketching & Ideation

  • MKN Design Team:
    + Michael Nÿkamp, Design Director

    Stakeholder:
    + Hamad Al Zemami

  • Looking for a custom illustrated portrait of yourself or a group? Reach out via email for further information and details

Lark & Poppy

Creative Musing

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Lark & Poppy
This crest was illustrated upon reflection of the poem, in Flanders Fields. For those who are and are not Canadian, on Remembrance Day, Canadians adorn a red poppy over their heart to honor the veterans that fought and died for our freedoms. Read and reflect on the poem, In Flanders Field. The poem was pened during the First World War by Canadian physician Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae. Today let's remember all our veterans.

 

Dark Side of the Moon

Product

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Dark Side of the Moon
A modern take on Pick Floyd’s, Dark Side of the Moon album cover.

  • Dark Side of the Moon tee is available for purchase on Cotton Bureau. Check out more graphic tees on my Cotton Bureau profile page. All Cotton Bureau apparel comes in a variety of clothing types, styles, fits, sizes, materials, and colors.

Sidewalk Serenade

Client Project

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Sidewalk Serenade
An invitation I designed for my neighbors, Barbara & George Gordon, who annually host a delightful tradition in our neighborhood. Every summer, they arrange for a small ensemble from the Grand Rapids Orchestra to serenade us in their front yard. The cards I created featured a touch of elegance with flashes of gold foil, adding a touch of bling, bling to the invitation.

 

  • Barbara Gordon

  • + Concept Development
    + Creative Assets
    + Design Direction
    + Print Management
    + Qualitative Research

  • MKN Design Team:
    + Michael Nÿkamp, Design Director

    Stakeholder:
    + Barbara Gorden

Crow & Pitcher

Creative Musing

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Crow & Pitcher
This weekend I read several fables by Aesop to my kids. One of the fables, The Crow & the Pitcher draws a relationship between problem-solving and wit (critical thinking), and perseverance. Within my own practice of strategic visual communication, these two attributes are critical in the process of developing and building brands. Without it, the ability to perceive, create and innovate is deprived.

 

Stayhome Friends – Posters

Product

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Stayhome Friends – Posters
Amidst the U.S. stay-at-home mandate, I crafted a series of playful illustrations, each carrying messages specifically designed for the stay-at-home orders. These illustrations served not only to entertain but also to reinforce the importance of staying home during this time.

 

Kudo

Creative Musing

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Kudo
A hand-lettered wordmark study on the word Kudo, meaning praise and honor received for an achievement. This is a custom made typeface.

 

ITHAKA S+R – Brand Collateral Design System

Nonprofit Client Project

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ITHAKA S+R – Brand Collateral Design System
ITHAKA S+R, an organization that conducts research and provides strategic guidance to help the academic community navigate economic and technological change, needed a unified design system for all their communication materials. They hired us to modernize their system by creating an accessible, brand-compliant design that could be easily updated and maintained by their team.

A key requirement was enabling staff to create or update all redesigned materials. Our research identified Google Workspace (Docs, Slides, and Sheets) as the optimal platform for implementation. The resulting design system follows Ithaka’s brand guidelines, incorporates accessibility considerations—including color blindness and visual impairments—and provides clear, distinct visual cues for different document types such as case studies, issue briefs, research reports, and unpublished reports.

Through iterative design explorations, we delivered a unified system that gives Ithaka’s educational research materials and presentations a consistent, distinctive, and accessible visual identity.

 

  • ITHAKA S+R
    Research & Consulting Services

  • + Art Direction
    + Concept Development
    + Creative Assets
    + Illustration
    + Infographic Design
    + Qualitative Research
    + Visual Identity

  • MKN Design Team:
    + Michael Nÿkamp, Art Director
    + Kate Folkert, Graphic Designer

    ITHAKA S+R Stakeholders:
    + Liza Pagano, Creative Director
    + Kimberly Lutz, Publications, Communications, Marketing Director
    +     Travis Shook, Microsoft 365 Specialist