Herman Miller Threads – Portrait Illustrations

Client Project

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Herman Miller Threads – Portrait Illustrations
At the heart of the furniture manufacturer's legacy lies its iconic pieces and the visionary designers behind them, such as Alexander Girard, and Ray and Charles Eames. "Threads" is a presentation and conversation lead by former graphic designer Steve Frykholm and writer Clark Malcolm. They weave Herman Miller's rich history of design innovation, its embrace of new ideas and talents through captivating narratives that shaped Herman Miller's 111-year journey. Because of my illustrative portrait line style, I was commissioned to create illustrations tailored to complement the theme of "threads."

Because of my former work in simple line portraits and having already completed a portrait of Steve, I was approached to create a portrait of Clark. These portraits were seamlessly woven into promotional and presentation materials, tailored to complement the theme of "Threads."

 

  • Herman Miller (MillerKnoll)
    Furniture Design & Manufacturing

  • + Portrait Illustration
    + Sketching & Ideation

  • MKN Design Team:
    + Michael Nÿkamp, Illustrator

    Herman Miller Stakeholders:
    + Mark Beard, Art Director
    + Kathy Keating, Senior Manager, Brand Design Operations

  • My portrait series, formally called Facebook Friends started as a self initiated project illustrating my friends on Facebook. This endeavor evolved into illustrating portraits of speakers for CanUX Conference, and numerous portraits for friends and clients.An article titled "Face Behind the Faces" was written about me and the portrait series.

CANUX Conference Portraits

Client Project

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CANUX Conference Portraits
CANUX is an annual design, UX, and technology conference held in Canada’s historic capital, Ottawa, featuring engaging speakers from around the globe. I was commissioned to create portraits for the keynote speakers in both 2014 and 2015. Notable speakers included Aaron Draplin of DDC, Abby Covert of the IA Institute, and Louis Rosenfeld of Rosenfeld Media. The portrait style has evolved over time, building on techniques developed in an earlier project called Facebook Friends. This progression and my approach to simplifying the illustrative style were highlighted in an article written for the conference, which also explores my creative background.

 

  • CanUX
    Conference & Event Services

  • + Portrait Illustration
    + Portrait Studies
    + Sketching and Ideation

  • MKN Design Team:
    + Michael Nÿkamp, Illustrator

    CanUX Stakeholder: 
    + Cornelius Rachieru Jr, Co-Founder & Conference Chair

  • Read article about CANUX and the portraits I illustrated for you. "Michael Nÿkamp, The Face Behind The Faces"

  • Want a custom portrait of your likeness? Email michael@mkn-design.com.