Hi! I'm Michelle.
Who
I'm a collaborative leader who believes the best way to mentor is through empathy, curiosity, transparency, and honesty. As a communicator, I'm known in my personal and professional circles as a "straight shooter." Maybe it's being a native East Coaster, or maybe it's a pure lack of desire for beating around the bush, but I've found that my direct but tactful communication style has continually earned the trust and respect of my peers and colleagues. And I really like it that way.
What
This is usually where designers say, "I bring brands to life." Well, sure, but I see it a bit differently. Through design, I bring people to life—the audience those stories are aimed at. I strive for a balance of beauty and practicality in my work, using texture, color, light & geometry to evoke an emotion in that narrative. I design for the now with tomorrow in mind by constantly challenging myself to engineer solutions that are modular and accessible and won't "age out" before it's time. I love what I do, and it shows. Years into my career, I still can't believe I get to do this!
When
With nearly 25 years in the industry, my experience spans a wide range of disciplines. From digital marketing strategy and social media activations to content creation, publishing, and retail experiential design, I've either designed or lead teams through the whole gamut. (I'm also pretty good at fixing stuff, swinging a hammer, and working on cars, too!)
Where
Behind the screen, I rock the expected mastery of all the Adobe CS standards along with SketchUp, VRay, Premiere Pro, After Effects, XD, and Figma. Adept at digital photography, color correction, retouching, and color matching, I've also been known to wordsmith a syllable or two.