These pages serve as a repository of MKN Design Studio’s articles, client projects, independent work, and products.

Careful, it’s a rabbit hole.

 

Use the search to find projects by type, or the dropdown to explore by group.

CURE International – Environmental Graphics

Client Work

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CURE International – Environmental Graphics
CURE International partnered with MKN Design to create an environmental design experience for President's Weekend 2026—a gathering of 225+ donors and supporters coming together around a shared mission. The goal was simple: bring CURE's story to life through an immersive environment that guided guests through powerful stories of world-class surgical care and the call of Christ to serve children in need. Every design decision was made with care, balancing love, humility, and impact to create an experience that felt as personal as it did purposeful.

Understanding the venue space—how guests would move through it and where stories would have the greatest impact was essential to shaping the direction of this project.

From there, we translated the initial messaging and sketch into a storytelling environment that was both compelling and on-brand. As the concept evolved, we evaluated how the environment would be produced and experienced within the space. While there was an opportunity to reuse CURE’s existing displays from the previous year, we recommended a different direction. Brightformat's freestanding display system was selected for its durability, portability, and reusability across future events.

By bringing a refined visual narrative to life through purposeful color, typography, and a circular storytelling structure, the elements of brand, messaging, and freestanders formed a cohesive attendee experience that connected emotionally with guests—reflecting both the heart of CURE's mission and the spirit of the weekend.

Each zone was designed to carry its own distinct story, all culminating in the third zone which served as the centerpiece of CURE's mission.

Zone 1, World-Class Surgical Care
Guided viewers through Nathan's scoliosis journey at CURE Ethiopia using a circular clockwise narrative.

Zone 2, Gospel-Based Ministry Care
Traced CURE's holistic, faith-driven approach from community outreach to post-discharge discipleship.

Zone 3, Our Mission
Served as a bold brand statement anchored by "God Operates Here," highlighting CURE's hospital locations across eight countries.

 

  • CURE International
    Non-Profit Organization

  • + Concept Development
    + Creative Strategy
    + Design Direction
    + Qualitative Research
    + Narrative Storytelling
    + Qualitative Research

  • MKN Design Team:
    + Michael Nÿkamp, Design Director

    CURE Stakeholders:
    + Justin Narducci, CEO
    + Gary Weyel, Marketing Director
    + Alex Barnes, Project Manager

    Print Vendor:
    + Brightformat, Inc

  • Related project showcasing Environmental Graphic Design:

    → KitchenAid – Branded Environment Graphics

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 Work

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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

Herman Miller – Iconography Design System

Client Work

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Herman Miller – Iconography Design System
Led the Workplace Knowledge Team at Herman Miller (presently MillerKnoll) in the development and design of an iconography system pivotal in delineating crucial research methodologies within their workflow. These icons were not only instrumental in establishing definitive research practices but also needed to adhered to Herman Miller's strict brand guidelines.

 

  • Herman Miller (MillerKnoll)
    Furniture Design & Manufacturing

  • + Design Direction
    + Brand Advisor
    + Illustration
    + Qualitative Research

  • MKN Design Team:
    + Michael Nÿkamp, Design Director

    Herman Miller Stakeholder:
    + Gretta Peterson, Senior Director of Global Real Estate & Workplace Strategy