Become Mark Exploration

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Client Project

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Become Mark Exploration
I was hired by Become to develop their brand messaging framework and new identity. With the first phase completed we had language that helped create these concept marks. While the new identity has not launched, I wanted to share these initial concept explorations—the good, the bad, and the ugly. Not all of these explorations were shown to the client, but they all played a crucial part in shaping the final brand identity.

• Client:

  Coldbreak
  Portable Draft Beverage Systems

• Services:

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

• Team:

  MKN Design Team:
  + Michael Nÿkamp, Design Director & Strategist
  + Rob Monacelli, Strategist
  + Nate Netti, Brand Copywriter
  
  Union Media Stakeholders:
  + Ryan Montgomery, Chief Executive Officer
  + Andrea Montgomery, Managing Editor
  + David Schofield, Designer

• Related:

  → View the completed Become Identity.

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Square Bear

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Creative Musing

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Square Bear
Blanking staring off into space.

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Fulton Street Farmers Market – Poster

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Product

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Fulton Street Farmers Market – Poster
An illustration I have been working on the last few weeks is finally finished. Fresh fruit, friendly farmers, and artists provide a diverse, inclusive, vital, and vibrant community marketplace that offers high-quality, locally grown, farm-fresh products.

• Buy this Poster:

  Fulton Street Famers Market poster is available for purchase in my shop. Explore more posters in my shop.

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Death Snail

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Creative Musing

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Death Snail
The notorious spinning lollipop of death adorning the rear of a delightful snail. Officially known as the wait cursor, Mac users affectionately dub it by these fitting descriptors: Spinning wheel , spinning beachball and Spinning rainbow.

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One Banana

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Product

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One Banana
A simple illustration utilizing light and shadow.

• Buy this Tee:

  One Banana graphic tee is available for purchase. 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.

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USPS Mail Truck

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Creative Musing

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USPS Mail Truck
I have been enthralled by the boxy style of the new USPS mail trucks. Such a cool design should warrant a refreshed brand… right? To implement my take on a revitalized brand, I created technical illustration views of the truck and integrated the mock brand to illustrate the redesign visually.

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Maggie Bandstra Studio – Brand Identity

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Client Project

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Maggie Bandstra Studio – Brand Identity
Maggie is a versatile artist and educator who seamlessly transitions between painting and crafting clay sculptures and pottery. Her creative endeavors are unified by a captivating exploration of themes such as nature, healing, and human connection.

The organic shapes within her logo are reflective of the forms recurrent in both her paintings and pottery creations. While her identity remains neutral, Maggie's vibrant personality permeates her work, ensuring that her art takes center stage. During the exploration phase, it became evident that Maggie required multiple logo marks to accommodate diverse applications across her artwork and to maintain a professional presence across various stamped, printed and digital platforms.

• Client:

  Maggie Bandstra Stuido
  Independent Artist & Educator

• Services:

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

• Team:

  MKN Design Team:
  + Michael Nÿkamp, Design Director

  Maggie Bandstra Studio Stakeholder:
  + Maggie Bandstra, Owner, Artist & Educator

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Portrait Style Evolution

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Product

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Portrait Style Evolution
These portraits illustrations started as a self-initiated project in 2013 as a stratagem, but also to expanded my skill as an illustrator.

The project began with drawing a few of my Facebook friends and turned into a series of paid client projects for the CanUX Conference, Herman Miller, Fast Company, and IxDA. This personal initiative were simple portrait line studies and evolved to a refined style without compromising its minimalist feel. Portraits from top to bottom: Sam Bleckley, Steve Frykholm, and Hamad Al Zemami.

• Portrait Commission:

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

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Merrell Footwear – Product Illustrations

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Client Project

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Merrell Footwear – Product Illustrations
I collaborated with Cush Design to create detailed illustrations of sixteen Merrell shoes, showcasing six distinct views for each: three-quarter, top, inside side, outside side, front, and back (a total of 96 illustration. The illustrations required precise detail, achieved through a combination of photographic references and direct observation of the physical shoes, ensuring accuracy in depicting each view.

So, I’m sure you’re asking why do footwear brands do this? It’s to visually document their unique footwear designs, allowing them to legally protect their creations, safeguarding their intellectual property and maintaining competitiveness in the market.

• Client

  Merrell Footware via Cushdesign, Inc
  Outdoor & Adventure Gear

• Services:

  + Illustration

• Team:

  MKN Design Team:
  + Michael Nÿkamp, Illustrator
  
  Cushdesign Stakeholder:
  + Matthew Cushman, CEO

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Vessel

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Creative Musing

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Vessel
An elegant combination mark for a memorial urns business. The mark is paired with the typeface Niagara designed by Tobias Frere-Jones from Frere-Jones Type.

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Jabber

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Creative Musing

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Jabber
Matching the visual essence of a word into a wordmark. The typeface that I used is Proxima Nova designed by Mark Simonson from Mark Simonson Studio.

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Swans Reflection

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Creative Musing

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Swan Reflection
Black and white swans on the water.

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Salad Bowl

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Creative Musing

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Salad Bowl
A medley of fresh greens and protein.

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The Well – Brand Identity

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Client Project

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The Well – Brand Identity
The Well Initiative is a place of gathering, conversation, and community. Formed by a group of fellow believers who felt an urgency and awareness of the racial disparities in our country and the desire to better love to our neighbors and community.

Like the priest and the Levite who pass by on the other side of the road to avoid the man who lies dying (Luke 10), we also have ignored the historic as well as present suffering of those around us, often in the context of race. The Well comes together across generations, political lines, and various backgrounds to humbly listen, learn, and engage with open hearts and minds.

• Client:

  The Well
  Seymour CRC

• Services:

  + Brand Advisor
  + Concept Development
  + Design Direction
  + Qualitative Research
  + Visual Identity

• Team:

  MKN Design Team:
  + Michael Nÿkamp, Design Director

  Seymour Stakeholders:
  + Brian White
  + Brent Beams
  + Rachelle Bosma
  + Sara White
  

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Climbing Out

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Creative Musing

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Climbing Out
For some, climbing out of 2020 feels like this… carefully ascending out of a hole, while perhaps navigating loss of a loved one, a job, anxiety, depression, long covid. Wishing all a good year of hope and renewal. As Ian Maclaren wisely stated, "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."

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Happy 2021

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Creative Musing

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Happy 2021
Bestowing a character to the year 2021. From left to right, Optimistic 2021, 2021 Balancing Act, and 2021 Surprise.

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A Year Of Prints

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Product

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A Year Of Prints
Some prints from others and some of my own. From left to right:

1. Architectural Styles via Michael Nÿkamp
2. Black Cat via Little Friends
3. Goodbye 2020 via Michael Nÿkamp
4. House Industries via David Dodde

• Buy these Posters:

  Architectural Styles and Goodbye 2020 posters are available in my shop.

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Statue of Liberty

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Creative Musing

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Statue of Liberty
Anticipating better days ahead. The poem, The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus was the inspiration for this mark.

The New Colossus
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flameIs the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door

– Emma Lazarus

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Goodbye 2020 – Poster

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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).

• Buy this Poster:

  This poster is available for purchase in my shop.

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Lost Privacy

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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?

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