+ visual artifacts / a triptych of things observed
Frequently the most visually interesting things are those that are overlooked. These visual artifacts are all around us, but we don't notice them. It’s easy to find inspiration in the majestic or the overtly beautiful. In the mundane, however, we often find the sublime. This tendency toward finding beauty in understatement and simplicity informs most of my work, both personal and professional.
+ about me / résumé, links, and other info
I am a NYC-based creative director. I’ve been actively involved in the evolving digital / interactive space since 1996, when I worked on my first Web site with IBM.
Creative Director / Freelance
New York, NY
November 2009 – Present
Creative Director / Sullivan
New York, NY
October 2004 – November 2009
Senior Associate / Lippincott Mercer
New York, NY
November 2003 – October 2004
Design Director / Siegel + Gale
New York, NY
October 2000 – May 2003
Senior Visual Systems Designer / Razorfish
New York, NY
June 2000 – October 2000
Design Director / Imagistic
Venice, CA
August 1999 – June 2000
Lead Designer / IEC
Marina del Rey, CA
February 1998 – August 1999
Senior Designer / LaserMedia
Los Angeles, CA
June 1996 – February 1998
M.A. Fine Art
California State University, Northridge
Graduated with Honors
May 1996
B.A. Fine Art
California State University, Northridge
Graduated cum laude
January 1991
I received both my B.A. and M.A. in fine art, with a specific emphasis on painting. I was engaged at this time in multimedia, as well, and in 1988 I received a university grant for my efforts to set up one of the university's first digital design labs. I also studied photography and creative writing for several semesters.
In the late 1990s, I became interested in motion design, and enrolled in several animation and video courses. Over the years, I have continued to take relevant coursework to keep up to date with the latest tools and technologies.
Alliance-Bernstein
American Express
AOL
AT&T
The Bank of New York
Bessemer Trust
Better Homes and Gardens
Boise Corporation
Citibank
Dow
Ellerbe Beckett
Federal Express
Fidelity Investments
Ford Motor Company
Fortent
4 Elements Music
Graduate Management Admission Council
HNTB
JPMorgan Chase
Lion’s Gate Films
Martha Stewart Everyday Food
MasterCard
mba.com
Meredith
MetLife
Mirant
Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
Paramount Pictures
Playboy
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Pyramis Global Advisors
Schwab
Spears Abacus
State Farm
TIAA-CREF
Time-Warner
Toyota
United Airlines
Vestar Capital Partners
Finalist, 2008 New York Festivals Advertising Awards
Category / Television Commercial
Project / Benefits Are No Joke
Client / Fidelity Investments
My Role / Creative Director
Bronze, 2007 Financial Communications Society Awards
Category / B2B Web Site Single
Project / Schwab Institutional Public Web Site
Client / Schwab Institutional
My Role / Creative Director
First Place, 2006 Webby Awards
Category / Real Estate Category
Project / NRDC Building Green Web Site
Client / Natural Resources Defense Council
My Role / Creative Director
Gold, 2006 Financial Communications Society Awards
Category / Consumer Retail Collateral Single
Project / Lifelong Income Campaign
Client / MetLife
My Role / Creative Director
“Michael and I worked together on the redesign of Ford.com in 2000. It was an incredibly rewarding experience for me, since I had never worked with a designer before who brought so much to the table. He had (and still has) great graphic design and interaction design skills, attention to detail, and a passion for the work. Since then I've been fortunate to continue to know Michael, and have discovered that he has a great strategic sense about what works on the web and what does not. Overall it's been my pleasure to work with, and know, Michael. I couldn't recommend him more highly.”
— Alex Kirtland, Experience Lead, razorfish
“Michael does a phenomenal job at keeping projects together and the client happy. He is also an excellent creative director with a true passion for his work.”
— Doug Logan, Web & Interactive Director, Inovat
“Michael is an amazing CD. He's a deep thinker— someone who reasons his way to great designs. It's so refreshing when your creative director can explain EXACTLY WHY he wants something the way he wants it; and as a result his designs have an internal logic and an authenticity that goes far beyond the aesthetic and approaches something that much modern design often lacks, that is, integrity. He's also funny as hell and a great guy to be around.”
— Jason Sindel, Sr. Integrated Producer, Sullivan
“Michael has the rare ability to both create engaging and inventive work as an artist and to sell these ideas in a way that respects his craft, but makes it easy for any client and/or fellow team member to understand the ideas behind the design.”
— Jon Stout, Project Producer, imagistic
“Michael is an awesome creative talent...on many levels. He is responsible and respectful to clients and always has a sense of fulfilling client service responsibilities. He is a great partner to the marketing teams...able to push through insights about the challenge at hand: respectful of marketing's role in the process and open to direction on the creative. And as Creative Director, Michael is able to bring smart strategic thinking to solve creative challenges...resulting in beautiful solutions that are powerful in both their form and their function. I greatly enjoyed collaborating with Michael on the many projects we worked on together at Sullivan.”
— Josh Mait, Director of Marketing, Sullivan
“I've worked with Michael on multiple projects (and as part of many different teams) since 2002. Michael is probably one of the most creative, observant people I've ever worked with. He is able to clearly define the problem to be solved (often a challenge in its own right) and then come to it with fresh ideas, often taken from unusual sources. One example of this was his use of airport design metaphors applied to a site for people seeking guidance on the pursuit of higher education.
“Michael has what I can only describe as a passion for creating innovative user experiences, whatever the medium. He remains a staunch advocate for the user's needs and is somehow able to gracefully balance that with the often conflicting needs of clients.
“As a writer/editor/content strategist, Michael always makes my job easier: for one, he understand the role and importance of editorial content and, perhaps more prosaically, also "gets" that one has to design for the extremes and constraints of editorial content length, structure and formatting; content management system requirements, etc.
“In short, Michael is brings enormous value to any project he's involved in.”
— Julie Threlkeld, co-founder, DesignCode
“I had the pleasure of working with Michael for 4 years on a range of design initiatives — from branding to identity, interactivity and usability, and collateral and messaging.
“Michael is the unique kind of creative director that pushes his team to not only ask questions but also to follow through and make sure that all objectives are solidly met and exceeded. He encourages exploration, especially in function and form, and pushes members of his creative group to be involved throughout the creative process from brainstorms to press checks. This holistic approach really sets Michael apart and it shows in the work that he and his team produce.
“Lastly, he is a genuine design connoisseur — always seeking out new approaches and staying abreast of trends and new work — and an advocate of design thinking and most importantly: good design.”
— Kerr Fellows, Art Director
“After working with Michael for almost five years, I’m grateful to work with him on any project because he is one of the most reliable and supportive colleagues I could ask for on a project of any size. Michael is one of few people I’ve encountered who has a gift for seeing both the bigger picture and the minutest detail. He’s invaluable for contributing to the strategic thinking that goes into the foundation of every creative project, and for thinking of ways to create something that builds on that foundation in a way that is completely transparent to the viewer of the communication because it just works well. And he thinks through to the ultimate implication of every decision, so that nothing is included or excluded without a level of forethought that pleasantly surprises almost everyone he works with. He is a true advocate for the end client, fighting for what is right for the user of what we are creating in the face of time, budget, political, or other constraints, while also being open to adjusting course to make sure that we can create something that is ultimately achievable for the client. He also shares in the responsibility for meeting deadlines and budgets in a way that is truly appreciated by his marketing partners. And, in addition to all of this, he has an excellent sense of humor and great taste in blogs and YouTube videos, which is, of course, critical of any teammate in a profession that involves client service.”
— Lauren Walsh, Director of Marketing, Sullivan
“Michael is one of most creative designers I have ever worked with. His impeccable sense of style and his vast knowledge of design and art principles make him a valuable addition to any project. He is easy to work with and can produce exceptional results, regardless of medium. He consistently creates unique, eye-catching and brand-perfect design.”
— Marcelo Ziperovich, Co-Founder/Creative Director/Producer, Imagistic
“Michael is always extremely thoughtful, deliberate, and meticulous in his work. Nothing gets past this guy! He always has a well thought out point of view and articulates it clearly. When I worked with Michael, I felt that we could have straight-forward discussions throughout the process and that he would make the most out of every minute of our time. And, at the end of the day, he made sure the work lived up to his impeccable standards.”
— Melina (Glynn) Hefelfinger, Marketing Manager, Sullivan
“What can I say about Michael which has not been said a million times before? Besides his amazing artistic capabilities and professionalism, what is great about Michael is that he "gets it". When Michael worked for me we were at the beginning of the Internet boom - i.e. crazy ideas and budgets were the norm. What Michael was able to do was differentiate between commercial art and fine art. Too many web designers at that time were trying too hard and spent an enormous amount of time pushing pixels. Michael was and is able to ride the line between business and art to create brand extending, compelling and most importantly, usable web site design. As well, he is a great guy; smart; and fun to be around. He always knows that the door is still open for him should he ever decide to move back to Los Angeles.”
— Michael Weiss, CEO, imagistic
“I had the honor of working with Michael on a corporate redesign project. His experience, insight, and work ethic impressed me. I have worked with numerous agencies and have never met anyone that can connect so effortlessly with a team and get to the heart of what's needed to make for a successful project. Many think of design as just what people can see: the images, the logos, the graphics. I think Michael's insight goes well beyond the surface of this notion and it was evidenced during our project. He understands the importance of KPIs, calls to actions, and identifying metrics that will yield a successful project. On my specific project, he and his team were able to come up with an architecture that allowed every piece of content to be accessible within 2 clicks in order to create an optimal end user experience. This architecture would become the basis for our corporate redesign and was invaluable from a user experience perspective. These details, as well as many others, are a tribute to the insight that Michael has garnered over the years. I give Michael my highest recommendation and urge anyone to contact me for a reference on his outstanding work and work ethic. In addition to this, I am thankful to have met him and to have gained him as a new friend.”
— Nigel Storey, Johnson & Johnson
“Michael is one of the most strategically creative people with whom I have ever had the pleasure to work. He is a singular talent, a delight to work with, and has great ‘client-side’ manner.”
— Rénee Peet, Senior Consultant, Siegel & Gale
“I had the pleasure to work with Michael at Lippincott Mercer on the forward thinking, critical ideas he brought to the company. In a matter of months he put together and executed projects which had been on the table for years, and did so with a professional and friendly attitude that I wish I saw more of on a day to day basis. His ability to excite and encourage enthusiastic development are undoubtely invaluable to any company.”
— Scott Lopatin, Director of Technology, Lippincott Mercer
“Michael is one of the smartest, most thoughtful and meticulous creative directors that I've ever had the pleasure to work with (twice). He's a visionary, who is able to craft both strong strategic thinking with break-through creative executions. He is unflappable and maneuvers the trickiest of client situations with grace and conviction. I highly recommend his work and selfishly, I hope to work with him again in the future.”
— Steven Rank, Creative Director, Sullivan
My work has been featured in three books: Information Design Workbook; Designing Brand Identity; and Jakob Nielsen’s Homepage Usability: 50 Websites Deconstructed. // I’m originally from Los Angeles, where I was an active member of the Venice Interactive Community. // I’ve guest-lectured for NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP), FIT’s interactive communications program, and The New School. // I’ve been a member of AIGA for over a decade, and served as co-lead for the NY Chapter’s Interactive Experience Group. // I taught life drawing at California State University, Northridge, and life drawing and painting at The Learning Tree University. // I’ve been a judge for a variety of design competitions, including the 2008 New York Festivals Advertising Awards.
+ recent work / a sampling of projects
Recent work
