King Design
Photo by Dan Z. Johnson
Principal
Mike started King Design in 2002. But his passion for great design started much earlier. Mike's family and friends knew early on he was destined for an artistic career path. Every kid draws, but Mike always had a knack for creating clever scenes and ideas.
When he started at Penn State in 1993, Mike's first design assignment was to share his favorite drinking cup with his class. People came back the next day with beer steins, juice glasses, and plastic tumblers. Mike brought in an old, olive green coffee cup that he found at a yard sale the year before. It wasn't obvious at first why he picked this cup to be his everyday favorite but after having to carefully describe it's characteristics to the class, it soon became clear. The large amount of coffee it held, the ability to fit three fingers through the handle and a fourth if needed, the way the rim felt on his lips when taking a sip, and the unrecognizable signature on the bottom that gave it a mysterious past, together made this cup the obvious choice in the morning and a forever favorite in his cupboard.
While it made for a fun start, the lesson was profound: great design can be bold or subtle, simple or complex, personal or universal - but it has to have a purpose.
Years later, after learning the world of professional design at various firms around his hometown of Philadelphia, Mike was ready to put his talents and his passion to work for his own clients. He now heads a group of graphic communicators who bring fresh ideas, technical aptitude, classroom and real-world know-how, and a personal drive to produce inspired work.
In addition to running King Design, Mike sits on the board of the Suburban Young Professional Network serving the Greater Philadelphia area and is a member of both the Jenkintown Chamber of Commerce and the Jenkintown Community Alliance. He has taught fine art courses for Penn State University and Abington Art Center, a Philadelphia-based non-profit organization. Mike and his firm are also active with a number of local and national charities, including the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.