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

Independent Work

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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.

 

Tank of Hearts

Independent Work

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Tank of Hearts
Decommission hate. Deploy love.

 

Exhibit A – Brand Identity

Client Work

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Exhibit A – Brand Identity
I worked with Adrian Butler [AB] to create this Pegasus for the Exhibit A brand.

Exhibit A” is an annual creative event in Grand Rapids that brings together fashion, music, and local culture in a high-energy showcase—with runway shows, DJs, designers, and other creatives collaborating on a one-night experience celebrating the city’s style and community. It’s produced by Adrian “AB” Butler, a DJ, designer, and producer, and was making a notable comeback in 2024 after not being staged since 2019.

 

  • Adrian Butler [AB]
    DJ, Designer and Musician

  • + Concept Development 
    + Sketching and Ideation
    + Illustration

  • MKN Design Team:
    + Michael Nÿkamp, Design Director

    AB Stakeholder:
    + Adrian Butler, DJ, Designer and Musician

KitchenAid – Branded Environment Graphics

↑ Final Environment Design Concept

↓ Final Environmental Design Environment

↓ Video: KitchenAid Environment Walkthrough

↓ Details: KitchenAid Brand Illustrative & Product Narratives

Client Work

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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

Independent Work

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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.

 

Yes She Can!

Independent Work

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Yes She Can!
For Freedom.

 

Pixel Playoffs

Article

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Pixel Playoffs
I had a fantastic time at Atomic Object for Tech Week GR last night! Comfort & Adam (comfortandadam.com) and I took part in a live head-to-head art competition, based on word prompts from the audience. The prompt we were given was: “The future is a tentacled optimistic Cheez-it.” From there we each created separate illustrations, working independently without seeing the other team’s artwork, all within three half-hour rounds.

Huge thanks to Kimberly Crawford and Brittany Hunter from Atomic Object for organizing such an awesome event for the community!

 

No King

Independent Work

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No King
Earthly power, at last, doth yield to death.

 

Multiplayer Tetris & Game Over

Product

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Multiplayer Tetris & Game Over
Created these for the love of 1980’s arcade graphics. Tetris was created by Soviet software engineer Alexey Pajitnov in 1984 and was released in the United States by Atari Games in 1988.

 

  • Multiplayer Tetris & Game Over 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.

Strategy Requires Creativity

Article

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Strategy Requires Creativity
I remember when all creative concepts were hand-drawn. I honed this skill during my college years studying illustration and design, and continue to use it to this day. Nowadays, most clients don't see my sketches, as presenting 'polished' work has become the norm. Nevertheless, my sketches are what made the project.

For me, sketching is essential for visual problem solving and connecting ideas. It continues to help me to create strong visual concepts not only requiring a skilled hand and a good eye, but also empathetic, critical, and conceptual thinking.

If you're seeking human insight, creativity, and thoughtfulness, I can help your brand craft strategic, compelling and unique solutions based on your business objectives, your brand, and your consumers.

 

Orb

Product

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Orb
Creating a celestial feeling through experimentation with shapes, blurs, and textures.

 

  • Orb 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.

Anatomy of Twitter

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Anatomy of Twitter
I pulled this illustration from my archives (originally created in 2010). When Twitter existed before becoming 'X', the internet dubbed my illustration "The Anatomy of a Tweet." My original aim was to depict the thinking (brain) and feeling (heart) of users, highlighting the struggle to balance logic and emotion tweets.

 

  • Anatomy of Twitter 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.

Zero/One & Ninety-Nine

Product

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Zero/One & Ninety-Nine
These numbers were my favorites growing up. Zero/One (or 10) is from the Dodge Charger that Bo and Luke drove on, Dukes of Hazzard. Ninety-nine of course came from my favorite hockey player, Wayne Gretzky who played for the Edmonton Oilers from 1979–1988.

 

  • Zero/One & Ninety-Nine graphic tees shown in this post 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.

  • The numbers featured on these tee graphics come from a display typeface I designed. It’s available for purchase, view Sum here.

Super Phat

Product

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Super Phat
A design exploration to find a typeface that embodies “Super Phat”. I believe I choose right. The typeface I used is Sutturah designed by Octavio Pardo from Rosetta Type Foundry.

 

Hen & Egg

Independent Work

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Hen & Egg
Plutarch posed the question as a philosophical matter in his essay "The Symposiacs", written in the 1st century, "Which came first: the hen (chicken) or the egg?"

 

Mellow Yellow

Product

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Mellow Yellow
Inspiration for this type treatment from the song Mellow Yellow by Donovan. The typeface is Lust Script designed by Neil Summerour from Positype.