Foundations of My Design Practice

Article

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Foundations of My Design Practice
I didn’t just wake up one day and decide to become a graphic designer, or what some might call a design generalist or T-shaped designer. My path started much earlier as a kid who loved to draw and express ideas through color. That early curiosity eventually led me to study fine art, illustration, and user experience—five years of focused learning, exploration, and hands-on practice. Though these studies were instrumental in shaping how I work, I do not practice just one of these disciplines. Over time, they’ve blended into a focused approach that has taught me to observe closely, think conceptually, and design with sensitivity to the human experience.

It was from these foundational beginnings that I naturally flowed into practicing graphic design, but with a unique, visually driven, illustrative approach woven into my design work. Over time, this developed into my style and has helped me shape brands and build design materials grounded in thoughtfulness, meaning, clarity, and how people relate to and engage with them.

Not only have these foundations shaped my work, but they’ve also led to a set of guiding principles, approaches that continue to influence how I collaborate, problem-solve, and design with purpose.

These are the guiding principles I work by (in no particular order):

• Design Happens Together
• Approached with Thoughtfulness
• Design with Intention
• Acumen Equals Impact
• Crafted to Compel

 

  • This article expands on an later piece I wrote where I reflect on my process and why principles matter.

    → 5 Principles Behind the Process

  • The reel above is a mix of client collaborations and personal creative explorations I’ve pursued between projects. They express the breadth of my skills, my evolving style, and the passion I bring to every piece of work—whether driven by client goals or personal curiosity.

Luminous – Brand Identity

↓ Brand Development Deck
Deck slides are an overview of the process behind defining and executing the development of the Luminous identity.

 

↓ Abbreviated Brand Guidelines
The below guidelines outline the essential elements and standards for presenting the Luminous brand accurately.

Client Project

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Luminous – Brand Identity
Luminous engaged us to elevate its master brand and portfolio, guiding the development of a comprehensive visual identity that connects the parent brand with its sub-brands, reflects its mission, and positions it distinctively in the optical market. Luminous originated from Jonas Paul Eyewear and today, Luminous serves as the holding company for Jonas Paul and several other optical brands—dedicated to, “Shedding light into every corner of the optical space.”

Guided by research, collaboration, and informed insights provided by the team, my primary design goals were to establish a strong identity that connects the master brand with its sub-brands, stands out in a competitive market, and reflects boldness, innovation, and meaningful impact.

Despite early design challenges, our shared determination and open dialogue allowed us to refine concepts until one emerged that aligned seamlessly with the brand’s vision, core audience, and markets. Achieving this alignment demanded a rigorous process, carefully balancing innovation, design, and brand consistency.

The result is a distinctive and innovative identity that thoughtfully reflects their mission and current brand offerings. It embodies quiet sophistication—illuminating rather than overwhelming—and conveys intentional brilliance balanced with confident contrast, capturing the essence of the brand.

 

  • Luminous
    Optical & Eyewear Services

  • + Brand Advisor
    + Concept Development
    + Creative Strategy
    + Design Direction
    + Qualitative Research
    + Visual Identity

  • MKN Design Team:
    + Michael Nÿkamp, Design Director

    Luminous Stakeholders:
    + Ben Harrison, Chief Executive Officer
    + Laura Harrison, Chief Operating Officer
    + Spencer Blanchard, Chief Revenue Officer

Googly Eyed Philosophers

Product

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Googly Eyed Philosophers
Some design fun with old lithographs, goggly eyes, and 3 philosophers.

Some quotes from Aristotle, Plato, and Socrates.

“When men speak ill of thee, live so as nobody may believe them.” – Plato
“Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” – Aristotle
“All I Know Is That I Know Nothing.” – Socrates

 

  • Aristotle, Plato, and Socrates graphic tees are 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.

Holmes Sardines

Creative Musing

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Holmes Sardines
This internal project reflects my appreciation for vintage packaging and its rich history. I’m inspired by the hand craftsmanship of early packaging design, which beautifully captures the essence of its era. Through recreation, my aim is to preserve and honor its historical significance.

Sardine fisheries and their canning factories were prominent along the U.S. East and West Coasts from the 1870s until their decline in the mid-20th century, serving as vital industries for coastal communities. These operations not only supported local economies but also played a significant role in shaping the cultural and industrial landscape of the time. The Stinson Sardine Cannery in Prospect Harbor, Maine, was the last operating sardine cannery in the United States, closing its doors in April 2010, marking the end of an era for a once-thriving industry.

 

KitchenAid – Branded Environment Graphics

↑ Final Environment Design Concept

↓ Final Environmental Design Environment

↓ Video: KitchenAid Environment Walkthrough

↓ Details: KitchenAid Brand Illustrative & Product Narratives

Client Project

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KitchenAid – Branded Environment Graphics
For the second consecutive year, we partnered with KitchenAid, a leader in the consumer kitchen countertop appliance sector, to translate and design their updated brand story with supporting environmental visuals and products for their annual directors’ meeting.

At this year’s meeting, KitchenAid was showcased, and we developed visuals for their updated brand messaging into an illustrative, product-focused walkthrough leading into a beautifully designed kitchen environment, highlighting their most innovative products to investors.

After meetings and a review of their brand messaging and requirements, we deconstructed each brand pillar and translated them into five distinct narratives to bring the “Do It With Me” ethos to life. Each story highlighted households preparing meals, showcasing the interaction of illustrated people with KitchenAid’s countertop appliances, cookware, and utensils in action. These narratives were then seamlessly integrated into a sixth narrative, creating a cohesive story that illustrates how KitchenAid plays a central role in bringing people together, supporting families in food preparation, and fostering meaningful experiences in the kitchen.

The final installation was a seamless blend of clean, minimalist line illustrations paired with physical KitchenAid products, effectively demonstrating how the brand serves as an ‘aid’ in everyday cooking routines. The result was a visually captivating environment that embodied KitchenAid’s brand principles and brought their message to life. This project was a collaborative effort, with the KitchenAid product and CMF teams. Concept sketches where done by Jody Williams.

 

  • KitchenAid
    Consumer Countertop Appliances

  • + Concept Development
    + Design/Art Direction
    + Illustration 
    + Narrative Storytelling
    + Print Management
    + Qualitative Research

  • MKN Design Team:
    + Michael Nÿkamp, Design Director
    + Jody Williams, Illustrator

    KitchenAid Stakeholders:
    + John McConnell, Director of Global Design
    +     Chadwick Ries, Global Brand Director
    + Brittni Pertijs, CMF Design Manager
    + Brandon Mock, Design Manager

Tulip Festival

Creative Musing

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Tulip Festival
I submitted these minimalist tulip illustrations to the Tulip Time poster competition, but they didn’t place. So, I repurposed them into mockups for the Tulip Festival at Keukenhof Gardens in Lisse, Netherlands.

Artwork Statement: Inspired by the tulip’s form, this series of minimalistic illustrations captures its beauty through three life stages: Emerge, Unveil, and Reveal. Each phase captures the tulip’s transformation using the simplicity of negative space to frame its contours. The reduction of detail allows the viewer to focus on the essence of the tulip’s appearance, revealing how it unfolds over time. Through this work, I seek to emphasize the tulip’s beauty and timeless form. The three posters can be evaluated as a series or individually considered.

 

Rethinking Math Workbooks

Creative Musing

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Rethinking Math Workbooks
During my childhood, I despised math and often wondered if it was due to how it was taught and presented. Perhaps it was, perhaps not. Even now, I feel my kids math workbooks are unapproachable. So, I thought create a cover series for simple math workbooks – taking my youngest sons math workbook, I stripped it down to its bare essentials, and gave it a complete rebranding. The typeface I used for this design is DIN Condensed Variable, designed by Isabella Chaeva and Tagir Safayev from Paratype.

 

Midwest UX – Conference Experience Design

Nonprofit Client Project

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Midwest UX – Conference Experience Design
As the Creative Lead and a creative team we partnered with Midwest UX to craft the creative vision for their three-day conference in Grand Rapids. Leading the creative team in the development and design of key visuals, environmental graphics, and digital touchpoints, we created a cohesive experience that reflected the theme of “Place” and highlighted the city’s culture and character.

Guided by the theme, I directed the overarching visual identity that shaped every aspect of the attendee experience. I oversaw the development of key visuals and their application across a comprehensive range of assets, including badges, wayfinding systems, environmental graphics, videos, website design, apparel, and social media content. By defining the conference’s visual language through clear assets and guidelines, I ensured the brand was applied consistently across all touchpoints, creating a cohesive, intuitive, and immersive experience for more than 500 participants for workshops, talks, and keynotes.

Beyond execution, we had the opportunity to showcase what Grand Rapids has to offer, integrating local culture, gastronomy, and context into the conference experience. I collaborated closely with the Midwest UX board, conference board, sponsors, and vendors to ensure alignment between design, logistics, and user experience, balancing creative vision with practical considerations. The resulting design system strengthened the conference brand, enhanced participant engagement, and left a lasting impression on both attendees and the broader UX community.

 

  • Midwest UX
    Conference & Event Services

  • + Brand Advisor
    + Concept Development
    + Creative Direction
    + Creative Assets
    + Environmental Design
    + Qualitative Research
    + Wayfinding Design
    + Website Design

  • MKN Design Team:
    + Michael Nÿkamp, Design Lead
    + Jonah Bailey, Interactive Design Lead
    + Jacob Mcvey, Junior Designer

    Conference Co-Chairs: 
    + Grant Carmichael, Conference Co-Chair
    + Laurel Stanley, Conference Co-Chair
    + Samuel Bowles, Conference  Co-Chair

    MWUX Stakeholders:
    + Erik Dahl, MWUX Board Chair
    + Brandon Stephens, MWUX Board Chair
    + Pam Haaser, MWUX Board Chair

Herman Miller – Planning Guide System Design

↓ Locale Planning Guide
Several layouts from the Locale product planning guide.

 

↓ Locale Isometric Illustrations
A selection of isometric illustrations from the Locale Planning Guide.

Client Project

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Herman Miller – Planning Guide System Design
To support Herman Miller’s vision for an accessible and scalable planning resource, we were brought in to redesign their product planning guides from the ground up.

Informed by focused research, UX insights, creative exploration, and stakeholder input, the work moved into development. Over the next two years, I worked with three product development teams to define requirements, understand their product lines, create a flexible framework, and design layout concepts paired with a refined isometric illustration style.

Each planning guide required custom product illustrations paired with copy and callouts, all maintained consistently across the system. Categories such as storage, desking, screens, displays, tables, and accessories were represented with multiple illustration types—including product views, detail views, planning views, and electrical diagrams—complete with callouts and dimensions. Across each guide, over 300 isometric and plan view components were created to ensure comprehensive and consistent representation.

The redesigned framework refreshed MillerKnoll’s planning guides, enhanced search functionality, and introduced a clearer, more intuitive layout. The final implementation delivered a user-friendly, easily navigable, and scalable guide, accessible across electronic devices, with the added ability to download and print PDFs.

“Michael’s collaboration, creativity, and design expertise elevated the planning guides, creating a user-friendly system with clear layouts, comprehensive visuals, and a flexible framework that works across product lines.”

Marketing Manager
MillerKnoll

 

  • Herman Miller (MillerKnoll)
    Furniture Design & Manufacturing

  • + Design Direction
    + Design Strategy
    + Product Research
    + Qualitative Research
    + Technical & Isometric Illustrations
    + User Experience Design

  • MKN Design Team:
    + Michael Nÿkamp, Design Director and Technical Illustrator

    Herman Miller Stakeholders:
    + Laura Bielby, Senior Marketing Manger
    +     Renee Cooper, Interior Designer
    + Furniture Design Teams, Locale, Public Office, Layout Studio

Sustainable Research Group – Brand Identity

Client Project

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Sustainable Research Group – Brand Identity
Following a decade of expansion, SRG’s logo no longer aligned with the organization’s aspirations. Collaborating closely with the leadership I gathered key insights informing what the brand could be. Based on these insights, a fresh trajectory emerged—one aimed at broadening expertise, enlarging the customer base, and refining market focus. The bold new approach reflects an innovative impression of sustainability and boasts confidence, strength, and leadership. The rebrand extended to stationery brand standard guidelines.

 

  • Sustainable Research Group
    Sustainability and Environmental Consulting

  • + Brand Advisor
    + Concept Development
    + Creative Assets
    + Design Direction
    + Qualitative Research
    + Visual Identity

  • MKN Design Team:
    + Michael Nÿkamp, Design Director

    SRG Stakeholders:
    + William Stough, CEO

Turnstone – Brand Identity & Design System Collateral

Client Project

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Turnstone – Brand Identity & Design System Collateral
Following a series of internal shifts, Turnstone found their brand outdated and disconnected from their customer base. A relevant change was needed to resonate with the emerging demands of smaller businesses and startups. Equally important was to show that their products could grow with them and still have the quality and longevity as other furniture brands in the industry. I was a member of the design team responsible for creating a revitalized brand and integrating the new brand across various communication channels, including advertising, product catalogs, brochures, and website improvements.

 

  • Turnstone (Steelcase)
    Furniture Design & Manufacturing

  • + Brand Identity Concepts
    + Concept Development
    + Graphic Design
    + Photo Retouching
    + Print Management and Production
    + Sketching and Ideation
    + Technical Illustration

  • Project collateral was completed while employed at Designvox with a team art directors, project managers, senior and junior designs, and copywriters.