Hi there, I’m Mike and I’m a lecturer on the BA (Hons) Graphic Design undergraduate degree course and joined Leeds Arts University in 2021. I teach primarily on Levels 5 of the course and am the module leader on the industry focussed Design Practice and Industry module.

I have been working in industry since graduating and have over 19 years experience as a professional graphic designer. I’ve worked for independent studios, as a freelance designer, and for the last 10 years have been running The Archipelago, my own studio practice based in Leeds city centre. My studio practice focuses on branding for the cultural sector and for independent creative/retail businesses. For museums and galleries I develop the branding for exhibitions along with designing catalogues, publications, campaigns and internal displays. My work with smaller independent clients is often more varied and can involve packaging, pattern design, illustration, web design and social media campaigns. A couple of notable projects from recent years are designing for Grayson Perry’s touring exhibition The Vanity of Small Differences (2014) and for British Art Show 8 (2016).

My professional clients include: Bowes Museum, Compass Box Whisky, Coventry Biennial of Contemporary Art, Hampton Court Palace, Kew Palace, Leeds Museums & Galleries, The Hepworth Wakefield, Salts Mill, Yorkshire Dales National Park, York Museums Trust and Yorkshire Sculpture Park.