Creative Musing + Product
November 2018
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Factory Icon Series
Some fun minimal vintage factory icons.
Purchase this Icon Set
This icon set is available for purchase, email me for licensing and cost.
United & Vote
Creative Musing
November 2018
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United & Vote
“If we don’t vote, we are ignoring history and giving away the future.” This quote by Pat Mitchel reminds us of our obligation as U.S. citizens to vote for our future. Absorb these words, take action, register and head to the polls when you are called on each election day. Vote!
Buy this Poster and Tee
This mark is available as a poster in my shop and can be purchased on a tee at Cotton Bureau
Flying Dutchman
Creative Musing + Product
October 2018
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Flying Dutchman
This display typeface embodies a minimalist, contemporary boxy serif style, inspired by my earlier creation, Dutch Mafia.
Buy this Display Typeface
Flying Dutchman is available for purchase, email me for licensing and cost.
Related Content
Take a look at Flying Dutchman showcased on a vintage skateboard deck by Moose Skateboards.
Wolverine Sticker
Creative Musing + Product
August 2018
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Wolverine Sticker
Simplified wolverine stickers for your car window, bumper, skateboard, water bottle, computer, binder, and whatever else you can think of.
Buy this Sticker
This sticker is available for purchase in my shop.
MYD Studio, Architectural Styles
Product
May 2018
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MYD Studio, Architectural Styles
My poster was bought, and the customer sent me a photo along with this friendly note from Lauren Moss, purchaser and owner of MYD Studio, “Framed minimally and placed on the ideal wall space, this Architectural Styles poster is the latest addition to our studio storefront, serving as a beautiful and fitting source of graphic inspiration.”
Buy this Poster
This poster is available for purchase in my shop.
ILLOHUS
Creative Musing + Product
October 2017
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ILLOHUS
I designed this logo for my side hustle, selling posters and products in my shop.
Fultonwood Type Foundry
Client Project + Product
September 2017
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Fultonwood Type Foundry
A small West Michigan type foundry, founded by Zac Freeland, a young enthusiastic graphic and type designer. He now is works for the Detroit Red Wings & Detroit Tigers as a graphic designer. Dream job!
I collaborated with Fultonwood Type Foundry to create an illustrative story highlighting their design process and homage to traditional typeface tools, echoing the stylistic elements of typefaces they craft.
Suburbia
Creative Musing + Product
June 2017
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Suburbia
A dizzying illustrative representation of endless suburban rooftops.
Buy this Poster
This poster is available for purchase in my shop.
Nook Real Estate
Client Project
January 2017
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Nook Real Estate
Nook Real Estate, nestled in the heart of Newport Beach, California, epitomizes modernity in the realm of real estate. With a team of astute industry leaders, they specialize in handpicking lifestyle properties that captivate discerning buyers. I've was hired by Nook to craft simple illustrations showcasing the diverse architectural styles of California, enriching their marketing arsenal with visual allure.
Employing my minimalist illustrative approach, I visually captured 20 distinct architectural styles. These illustrations were subsequently compiled into a poster, presenting a comprehensive showcase of the diverse spectrum of architectural designs found in Newport Beach, California.
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Illustration & Graphic Design
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+ Creative Direction
+ Research
+ Sketching & Ideation
+ Graphic Design
+ Iconography -
This poster is available for purchase in my shop.
Skate, Surf, & Art
Article + Product
January 2017
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Skate, Surf, & Art
Monsa Publications requested permission to feature my illustrated skateboard deck graphic, "Urban Totem," in their book titled "Skate, Surf, and Art." This graphic, originally created for a fundraiser aimed at constructing a new skatepark.
Buy this Book
Skate, Surf, & Art is available for purchase on Monsa Publications website.
Dwell Feature
Article + Product
December 2016
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Dwell Feature
Thank you Dwell for promoting my work in this month’s issue of Dwell Magazine and on dwell.com It’s nice to be noticed ☺️
What the Dwell blurb reads, “Design With an Eye for Fine Lines. Michigan-based graphic designer and illustrator Michael Nykamp takes minimalist approach to creating portraits and logos for a variety of clients, including AIGA West Michigan, Herman Miller, and musician Truman Cage. We also love his crisp drawings of midcentury classics, such as Jens Risom’s A-Frame house. Follow his collaborations, posters and personal explorations like this geometric lion at dwell.”
Additional Content
View my work on Dwell.
Citizen Project
Article + Product
November 2020
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Citizen Project: Collaboration, Freedom, Purpose
This article was originally published on Neenah Paper's blog, Against The Grain by Emily Potts
The Citizen Project is a collaborative of four creatives in Grand Rapids, Michigan—designers Jody Williams, Brian Edlefson, type designer Terrance Weinzierl, and illustrator and designer Michael Nÿkamp. Formed by Williams, the collective was established with the intent of collaborating on side projects with a purpose: to raise awareness of the amazing talent in Grand Rapids.
“As independent creatives, corporate projects tend to keep us isolated. We wanted to find ways to collaborate with our friends and peers. The Citizens Project lets us choose a common cause and theme, then produce our own visual interpretation of it. We hope to collaborate on at least one new project every year and bring other artists with other skills and interests to our effort.”
— Jody Williams, Designer.
Williams added that the goal of the collaboration allows the friends and artists to work on a personal project with a common theme. “We set our own goals and guidelines and we choose a project that interests all of us. This allows us to work together on a single project that means something to all of us.”
“We would meet up once or twice a month to discuss concepts and how to fund the project,” Michael Nÿkamp recalls. They devised this year’s theme commemorating the 200-year anniversary of Francis Scott Key’s writing of the Star Spangled Banner. Each artist will designeda limited-edition poster that will be silkscreen-printed by Continental ID. “We all created an inspired poster featuring our interpretation of the American Flag,” Nÿkamp added.
▲ We gathered at Thesis in St. Joseph, Michigan a few times to discuss our concepts.
Citizen Project used Kickstarter to help fund paper and printing costs, with print runs limited to 250 of each poster. Donors receive a set of four signed and numbered posters. Chuck Oleniczak at Central Michigan Paper helped the artist choose a sheet that would work best for each design. Nÿkamp’s poster is printed on Neenah’s Classic Crest® Cover Avon Patriot Blue. Brilliant choice!
▲ Color samples being made on our paper selections at Continental Print.
▲ Left to Right:
1. Terrance rocking the ampersand tee and holding a mic boom.
2. Terrance and Brian signing their posters
3. Thirteen Stripes, Fifty Stars and Color Wave being displayed at the UICA, in Grand Rapids Michigan.
This article was written by Emily Potts has been an editor and writer working in the graphic design publishing trade for more than 20 years. In that time she’s managed a slew of publications, people, and events. Since July 2014, she has been an independent writer, editor, and consultant working for a diverse range of clients including Neenah Paper, Creative Live, AIGA, Goodtype, Elements, and more. Emily loves interviewing people and telling their stories.
Weinzierl, of course, employed typography for his poster design, while the others used more literal forms of the flag in their interpretations with varying results. Three of the four posters were shown in a Star Spangled Banner 200th anniversary exhibit in Baltimore, Md., with Nÿkamp’s design receiving an Award of Excellence.
“A future goal is to work on a project that either generates income for a cause and/or serves a non-profit or other needy institution with our respective skill sets,” says Williams. “The original intention of this year’s project was to exceed the printing costs of the poster run and donate proceeds to a veteran’s organization. Kickstarter, ultimately did not allow that to be part of the funding parameters. As we move forward, we may choose another source to fund the project, which will allow more flexibility.”
The Citizen Project hopes to broaden its pool of collaborators. The core group of four wants to draw in artists with different talents to collaborate on future projects. “The side effect of this process has been that we created new personal and working relationships with each other and had an amazingly fun time doing so,” says Nÿkamp.
Collaboration. Freedom. Purpose. New friendships. That is a what we’d call a Star Spangled success.
▲ Left to Right:
1. Jody Williams
Color Wave, 2014
Printed on Smart White from French Paper Company
3. Terrance Weinzierl
Thirteen Stripes, Fifty Stars, 2014
Printed on Smart White from French Paper Company
2. Brian Edlefson
American Portrait, 2014
Printed on Brilliance, Super Reflector Film from Decorated Paper
4. Michael Nÿkamp
Thirteen Stripes, Fifty Stars, 2014
Screen Printed on Neenah’s Classic Crest Cover Avon Patriot Blue
▲ Being interviewed by Shelley Irwin on WGVU Morning Show about the Citizen Project.
▲ The Citizen Project posters displayed at Grand Rapids Christian, Elementary School.