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

Careful, it’s a rabbit hole.

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

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Action Surge!

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Product

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Action Surge!
I’m not done yet! Not familiar with this term? Well, let me enlighten you. It’s a D&D reference where a fighter pushes themselves beyond their limits to do twice as much in one turn… because clearly, we needed even more ways to drag out combat ; )

Action Surge typeface is Kaneda Gothic designed by Ryoichi Tsunekawa from Dharma Type.

• Buy this Tee:

  Action Surge graphic tee is 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.

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Googly Eyed Philosophers

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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

• Buy these Tees:

  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.

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Coldbreak – Brand Strategy & Brand Identity

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Client Work

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Coldbreak – Brand Strategy & Brand Identity
Coldbreak, a  leader in mobile draft equipment for breweries, hospitality, entertainment, and beverage enthusiasts, hired us to re-build  its brand strategy and identity.

With a legacy dating back to 2005, Coldbreak built a strong reputation for engineering and producing exceptionally reliable draft equipment. Today, they lead the industry in the development, engineering, and design of mobile draft systems. As the business continued to grow, they recognized that their brand no longer reflected their vision or market position. They hired us to lead a full strategic rebrand—grounded in audience and stakeholder insights, consumer and market understanding, and refined through journey mapping, brand architecture, and messaging.

Building the team, I guided the owners and my team of collaborators through the conception, development, and design of the Coldbreak identity. Throughout the process, we distilled insights from audience and stakeholder interviews to establish the brand’s foundation, defining its tone, voice, and visual direction. As the work progressed, we conducted additional research, journey mapping, brand architecture, iterative brand development.

The outcome of this work with Coldbreak was a dynamic logo and precise brand messaging that resonated with the owners and strengthened their connection with customers. To support the ongoing use of the updated brand, we developed materials to guide and maintain consistency in future efforts. These assets included social media guidelines, vehicle wraps, and apparel design, and were all incorporated into a comprehensive brand guidelines document.

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View the preliminary concepts that where explored for Become.

“After a decade of struggling to define our internal identity, we turned to MKN Design. Michael quickly immersed himself in our company’s culture, history, and future goals to develop an accurate brand strategy and visual identity. Saying we’re happy with the results is a huge understatement.”

Boyd Culver
President of Coldbreak

• Client:

  Coldbreak
  Portable Draft Beverage Systems

• Services:

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

• Team:

  MKN Design Team:
  + Michael Nÿkamp, Design Director
  + Adam Barr, Copywriter
  
  Coldbreak Stakeholders:
  + Boyd Culver, Chief Executive Officer
  + Chris Musil, Chief Operating Officer

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Dark Side of the Moon

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Product

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Dark Side of the Moon
A modern take on Pick Floyd’s, Dark Side of the Moon album cover.

• Buy this Tee:

  Dark Side of the Moon tee is 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.

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Stayhome Friends

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Stayhome Friends
Amidst the U.S. stay-at-home mandate, I crafted a series of playful illustrations, each carrying messages specifically designed for the stay-at-home orders. These illustrations served not only to entertain but also to reinforce the importance of staying home during this time.

• Buy these Posters:

  These Stayhome Friends posters are available in my shop. Explore more posters in my shop.

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United & Vote

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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 & Tee:

  Unite & Vote Poster is available for purchase in my shop. Unite & Vote Tee is available for purchase on Cotton Bureau. All Cotton Bureau apparel comes in a variety of clothing types, styles, fits, sizes, materials, and colors.

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