We were lucky to catch up with Mikell Johnson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Mikell, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

As a kid I was always into art. But in the pre-internet times it wasn’t as easy to find ways to learn new skills and finding pathways to careers in art wasn’t something you could do without some real guidance. I didn’t really have a clue how to turn that into something I could do for a living until we got a new teacher, Scott Schaller, who turned the printing class (silk screen and offset) into a real graphic design class. This was the early 1990’s. God I am old. He secured funding for new Power Macintosh computers and Adobe Photoshop 1.0, Page Maker, and Adobe Illustrator 1.0 and started teaching us how to design logos, publications, posters etc. The real key though was him teaching us the actual principles of design. Ability to use software in no way makes someone a designer. It’s understanding basic principles of art, layout, design, and typography that make you good.

Anyways, After a year or two we started winning student design contests and even the California State Fare for our work. The skills I learned in his classes really set me up for my profession. Mr. Schaller still teaches design at my old high school today. What a legend.

I went to college to learn more and all my jobs from year one were graphic design jobs because I already had a portfolio. From there I worked in-house and agency jobs until I got a contract gig that let me start my LLC and I’ve been going ever since. I have done work for 100’s of business including small local businesses all the way up to global brands like Symantec, Dell, Intel, etc.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

The last section covers some of the background. I went from an in-house or agency designer to starting my own business when I got a 2 year contract from a client that needed product and branding designed. One of my past employers asked me to do work for them as well and that really cemented my business. I have had that past employer as a client since 2008 now. I have done work for Symantec, Dell, Intel, Liberty Safe and their white labeled product (John Deere, Harley, Cabela’s, Sportsman’s, etc etc., Skull Candy, Google (as a sub), non-profits, Nat-Su Health Care, and tons of smaller businesses have also had me do work for them.

What keeps clients coming back to me is my attention to detail, listening to their goals and needs, and turning around a great solution fast. I exceed deadlines and avoid being the bottleneck in the workflow.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Word of mouth. I take good care of my clients and that has brought me long term accounts. I also network with other creatives and business owners and have sent them good referrals for things I don’t do and that has been reciprocated with some good clients being sent my way.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I work to live…not live to work. So in that spirit I like to be efficient, fast, and effective with my work I do for clients. That keeps my clientele happy and allows me more free time to work on personal art projects, art photography, travel, and follow other passions outside of graphic design. Those things inspire me and build up my creative energy which in turn fuels inspiration when working on design projects for clients. A sort of circle of creative life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mergendesign.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikelljohnson/
• Other: photography portfolio: https://flic.kr/s/aHsjyNfdEp

Image Credits

Mikell Johnson