About MK

MICHAEL KUNHENN

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Five global awards won, artistic conceptual design and “creating billions of revenue and work places helped” are ingredients of Michael’s magic potion, the “MK USP”. Experience combined with up-to-date trend-savvy knowledge of potential opportunity communicated across digital and classic media, make Michael a valuable asset of any organization, business, branding or advertising. Michael creates strategy, concepts and design successfully impacting at the target audience’s attention, resulting in a chain of positive touch-points with a brand and recognition, and growing sales topping out with a stellar ROI.

Relevant, attractive, easy to understand messages, are Michael’s tools when creating visual and written concepts and content. Guidance of clients, teams and friends through creative process, projects and accounts adds “nice to work with team-player” to Michael’s professional attributes and values. The quality of my Michael’s work was once praised by a PM and Account Manager cheering “What you (Michael) touch turns into gold.” 

Creative Strong track record of powerful, elegant, and award winning creative and design across media, including digital, web & print.

Strategic – Demonstrated history of understanding market trends and developing innovative solutions through effective development of strategic concept-to-finish advertising and branding.

Leadership/Mentor – Management/supervisory experience, mentoring, coaching team members and staff of all levels through project development & process, including trending, concert and production.

Key Capabilities:

  • Art & Creative Direction – Digital/ Web/ Print
  • Hands-on Graphic Design – Digital/ Web/ Print
  • Strategy/ Concept
  • Creative Brand Management
  • Web Design & Social Media
  • Motion Graphics Design
  • User Experience UX/ User Interface UI Design
  • Typography Master
  • Project & Account Management
  • Client Facing & Presentation & Guidance
  • Photo Shoots (Planning/ Shoot List/ Retouching)
  • Corporate Presentations
  • Branding (Brand-Strategy, -Design, -Management)
  • Corporate Identity & Communications
  • Advertising 
  • Integrated Campaigning
  • Broadcast (TV & Radio)
  • Convention & Exhibition/Trade Fair Booth Design
  • Trade Fair Booth Design
  • Illustration
  • Public Information Systems & Signage

ACHIEVEMENTS

I created/ designed:

  • Sirius Satellite Radio Brand
  • AdvantageCare Insurance Brand
  • Liquid Visa Credit Card Product Brand
  • Alphera & Premium Global BMW Brands
  • DAAIR Pharmaceutical Brand
  • RepublicBanc Brand
  • Zoo in the Berlin Public Information Signage System – map, animal information signage

I re-branded/ re-designed

  • Village & Museum of Old Fort Lauderdale Corporate Identity
  • Nationwide Insurance Brand
  • BankOne
  • American Welding Association
  • Orient Cruise Lines
  • VITAS
    ( Vitas grew 1100% in yearly revenue in 10 years after rebranding, from 140 million in 2005 to 1.5 billion in 2015 – this project included the biggest photoshoot I have ever planned, managed and art directed – US$ 140,000 – I organized and art directed: 20 different settings, 25 models, 4 different locations, and 140 props )

Bigger advertising & marketing campaigns include:

  • Cruise Industry Image Video of Port Everglades
  • Kaplan University Global Strategy Video
  • DHL Express North America Product Launch of 12 new Products
Senior Designer USA (consulting freelance for the implementation-time-frame for new 12 products added to the existing 4 )
  • Senior Designer at Office Depot on staff, designing for the 1600 stores.

From Junior Pro…
I became Junior Art Director with my first own project at a German Advertising Agency (for the Dresdner Bank, creating & art directing the donations campaign to rebuild the Frauenkirche in Dresden, which had been destroyed in WWII, and the rebuild has been completed now

…to awarded Senior Pro
I won five global awards for an Integrated Advertising Campaign covering all European countries. The goal was to establish Eaton Electronics in the Renewable Energy Industry in Europe ( working as consulting Creative Director, Senior Art & Design Director, Senior Designer, self-employed at MKbranding.com )

BRANDS | CLIENTS

  • NCL Cruise Lines
  • Orient Cruise Line
  • Old Fort Lauderdale Village & Museum
  • CITRIX
  • Nokia
  • Sirius Satellite Radio
  • Nationwide Insurance
  • Liquid Visa
  • Bank One
  • BMW Financial Services
  • Ameritrade
  • Omnicom
  • Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
  • Fed. Assoc. of German Banks
  • Dresdner Bank – Wiederaufbau Frauenkirche Dresdner (First Art Director job)
  • CJM Recruiting
  • Take Shape
  • Wolfgang Hering Kindermusik
  • Maggie Munoz/ Sotheby’s Real Estate
  • Island City Stage
  • Algae to Omega
  • Serig Designs
  • Holtgreife
  • Solarlux
  • Office Depot
  • Seeger
  • Eaton
  • DHL Express US
  • Skywater/ Island Sky
  • DAAIR
  • Fido
  • Mastercard
  • Merrill Lynch
  • Coca Cola
  • VITAS Innovative Hospice Care
  • AdvantageCare
  • Collexium
  • Banc Republic

SOFTWARE SKILLS

Owned Equipment (Remote or On-Site)

  Apple MacBook Pro 16” & 2 Monitors
  iPhone 11 Pro Max
  High-Speed Internet Up- & Download

Capabilities/ Skills/ Know-How

  • Digital/ Responsive
  • Web/ Interactive/ Prototyping
  • WordPress
  • Social Media Posts & Pro Ad Formats
  • Online Banner Ads, Static/ Animated/ Video/ HTML and other formats
  • Email Marketing (Chimp & Constant)
  • Motion Graphics/ Video/ Animation/ Interactive
  • Project Management & PM Apps
  • Integrated Marketing/ 360° & Guerilla
  • Strategic Brand Management ( Brand Strategy [Opportunity, Platform, Positioning, Competitive Audits, Differentiation, Persona Development, to enable UX optimization, Brand Arch & Info Arch & Content Hierarchy, USP, Value Proposition, Strategic and Technical Creative BriefDevelopment  from Biz Plans and BIZ Strategy, Implementation, Guidelines, Brand Books, Case Studies, leading external vendors, agencies, etc. )
  • Brand Design [Brand Visual Identity Basic Elements Creation and Management for any touchpoint with the Brand becoming one link in the chain of positive Brand Experience, consistent in design and messaging, not repetitive, in Brand Experiences spanning and linking BTL & ATL, online and offline content, messaging and design – Brand Recognition enabled across all Media]/ Brand Experience [Journey, UX, Storytelling)
  • Content Creation
  • Research ( Tools: IMS, MRI/ Simmons, Nielsen, ComScore, AP, Reuters, .gov, & .edu University Websites )
  • Adobe Photoshop CC 21
  • Adobe InDesign CC 21
  • Adobe Illustrator CC 21
  • Adobe Acrobat Pro CC 21
  • Virtual Online Conferencing Apps
  • Microsoft Suite, ( Basic Word & Basic Excel/ Pro PPT, including content animation )
  • Learning “new” all the time )

INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE

  • Advertising
  • Automotive
  • Banking
  • Branding & Brand Strategy
  • Education
  • Electronic
  • Entertainment
  • Express Shipping, Logistics
  • Fashion
  • Financial Services
  • Healthcare
  • Insurance
  • Pharmaceutical
  • Professional Services
  • Publishing
  • Real Estate
  • Retail
  • Sports
  • Travel, Tourism, Hospitality

EXPERIENCE/ CAPABILITIES IN DETAIL

  • Advertising Campaign ( digital, classic, online, offline, integrated )
    10+ projects
  • Animation & Motion Graphics
    10+ projects
  • Banner Ads – Web
    10+ projects
  • Brochures – Single & Collateral Systems
    10+ projects
  • Catalogs
    6-10 projects
  • Image Campaigns ( digital/ video/ classic )
    10 projects+
  • Charts, Info Graphs
    10+ projects
  • Corporate ID Campaigns
    10+ projects
  • Direct Mail
    10+ projects
  • Email Campaigns
    10+ projects
  • Signage/ Public Info Systems
    6-10 projects
  • Exhibit Display/ Trade Booths
    1-5 projects projects
  • Forms/Sales Sheets
    10+ projects
  • Icons
    10+ projects
  • Illustrations – Computer
    10+ projects
  • Illustrations – Hand Drawn/ Art
    10+ projects
  • Invitation/ Announcements
    10+ projects
  • Social Media Strategy & Campaign Posts
    10+ projects
  • Logo Design
    10+ projects
  • Magazine Ads
    10+ projects
  • Magazine Layout
    10+ projects
  • Maps, Site/Floor Plans/ Planograms POS
    10+ projects
  • Mobile Apps
    1-5 projects
  • Motion Graphics/ Video/ TV
    10+ projects
  • Newsletters
    10+ projects
  • Newspaper Ads
    10+ projects
  • Online Banners
    10+ projects
  • Packaging
    10+ projects
  • Photo Retouching
    10+ projects
  • Photography & Photo Shoots
    10+ projects
  • Point of Sale/ In-Store Experience
    6-10 projects
  • Posters
    10+ projects
  • Promotional Goods / Adv. Specialties
    10+ projects
  • Social Media Animated & Video Posts
    10+ projects
  • Stationery/ Letterhead
    10+ projects
  • Storyboards
    10+ projects
  • Web Planning/ Flowcharts/ Wireframes/ Prototypes
    10+ projects
  • Vehicle Wraps
    1-5 projects
  • Web Sites
    10+ projects

EXPERIENCE

Oct/2006 – present

MKbranding.com

Senior Designer/ Creative Director/ PM/ 6 hats
Remote USA/ On-Site

MKBranding,com was founded in 2006 as a marketing consultancy and has been the partner of choice for emerging and established brands looking for innovative branding and communications solutions through the integrated use of identity, digital media, packaging, advertising, motion graphics, interactive and print.

  • Manage complete project life cycle from project planning, strategic development, design and execution.
  • Manage all aspects of media design and utilization, including content development, promotional strategies, budgetary considerations, and deadline adherence across all channels, including print, web, and interactive media.
  • Provide guidance and leadership with respect to marketing campaign strategy development, benchmarking, implementation, post-execution analysis, theme development, and budget considerations to achieve better results and understanding of innovative market solutions and trends.
  • Research, screen, and strategically integrate various resources and partnerships to improve cost-benefit relationship and maximize client satisfaction.

Projects/ Clients/ Brands serviced/ directed

  • Eaton Electronics ( 5 International Awards for a Continent-wide Digital & Classic Advertising Campaign )
  • DHL Express North America ( consulting freelance for 9 Months 12 Products Development/ Product Design/ Product Implementation Phase/ Advertising Image Campaigns/ Corporate
  • Communication including Value Proposition and USP – digital/classic
  • Databook NYC – Individual and Commercial Real Estate (Manhattan, Brooklyn , Queens) – digital/classic yearly publication campaign
  • Helix Recruiting Website (USA Image Campaign/ Website/ Social/ Classic )
  • Skywater ( IslandSky ) – Water Making Machines (Branding, Design Basic Visual Elements/ Advertising/. Marketing )
  • Holtgreife ( Image Campaign/ Brochure )
  • Solarlux ( Image Campaign/ Yearly Brochure/ global )
  • Swiss Navy/ MD Science/ BioXgenic USA/ Europe Advertising digital/classic image campaign
  • Vertical Market: Real Estate ( Sotheby’s, MLS/ Property Presentation Video )
  • Island City Stage ( Brand Creation/ Website/ Shows Event Design 3 Seasons/ 360°/ Advertising/ Window Display Art)
  • Sterling Accounting/ Financial ( Brand Creation/ Website/ Advertising )
  • Zoo Berlin (East) – Tiergarten ( Concept of Public Information System/ Signage, Collateral System )

 

July/2014 – June/2015

Office Depot

Senior Designer – Brand Identity Basic Visual Elements/ In-Store Customer Experience/ Visual Merchandising
Boca Raton, Florida, USA

  • Successfully grew overall national results (% in comparison to same quarters last year) in excellent visual merchandising, in-store customer experience, merchants, internal and external vendor teams.
  • Manage complete creative project life cycles of quarterly and event campaigns, including strategic concept development, art direction & design, engineering, photo-shooting, pre- and post-production and implementation into 2000stores of different configuration and sizes.
  • Provide guidance, innovate and revise Brand Architecture & Brand Visual Identity Elements, improve creative collaboration between departments and creative functions of national vendors and partners, optimize consistency  across channels, media and communication vehicles.

 

  • Lead Designer:
    • Q4 Holiday Season
    • Q3 Back to School
    • Strategic Brand Management and Brand Visual Identity Basic Elements

 

Oct/2004 – Oct/2006

Turkel

Senior Art & Design Director
Miami

  • Provided creative vision of internal and external projects, with a strong focus on brand development, strategic processes and collaboration with clients and among internal environment, print & interactive teams.
  • Developed strategic and tactical roadmaps for integrated communication teams and third party vendors for launch of new brands in the marketplace, including advertising, direct marketing, POS, and interactive teams for Vitas Innovative Hospice Care, AdvantageCare and other key clients.
  • Managed all aspects of media design, including content development, 75K+ photoshoots, promotional strategies, budgetary considerations, and deadline adherence across all channels, including print, web, and interactive media.
  • Streamlined processes lead to deeper and stronger collaboration with internal departments and expanded relationships with clients.
  • Recreated the Turkel brand, its offerings and all business development tools to provide greater clarity of services to new and existing clients.
  • Brought extensive experience and knowledge of branding and interactive development into a direct marketing firm.
  • Showed leadership of firm’s new offerings, art directed its new brand and marketing materials, and established brand and consistency across platforms.
  • Initiated and led first comprehensive brand audit for key client evaluating all print, communication and web materials and streamlined their brand to maximize ROI.

VITAS (rebranding, 1100% growth in the 10 years after, from 140m to 1.46b)
AdvantageCare (brand creation, collateral system, advertising)
Bank Republic (brand creation, collateral system, digital: website, advertising)
Kissimmee (rebranding)
Collexium Luxury Car Rental Start-up and Brand ( owner of the company was a Blast Garcia Moros, a co-founder Microsoft, and he is one of my references )

 

Jul/1998 – Aug/2003

Interbrand

Design Director
New York City

  • Partnered with cross-functional teams to execute all aspects of brand strategy, brand architecture, corporate identity development and brand guidelines.
  • Creatively led design teams in the re-branding of major multi-national corporations and the development of
    specialized product branding initiatives for financial, automotive and manufacturing clients.
  • Developed key protocols of new service offerings – including brand audits – to expand services available to clients during corporate identity initiatives.
    • Sirius Satellite Radio (brand creation, previous and current logo – the current “waves” logo was the second direction in the branding presentation – the dog was the first direction – there was a total of three directions.
    • Nationwide Insurance (rebranding & Advertising)
    • Ameritrade (rebranding)
    • Liquid VISA (product brand creation & Advertising)
    • BankOne (rebranding)
    • Hyphen (brand creation, collateral system, advertising)

i

  • Scraper (brand creation & advertising)
  • Converse (rebranding)
  • Elite Vodka (brand creation & digital advertising)
  • New York Life (strategy: brand audit – findings)

EDUCATION

University of Fine Arts Berlin

Master Academic Degree:
Visual Communication & Graphic Design

Languages

                • English
                • German
#references

PROFESSIONAL REFERENCES

Professional Reference:
Blas Garcia Moros

Founder & CEO, Collexium/ Co-Founder of Microsoft
“Thank you for a great brand identity.”

Professional Reference:
Louis Pokriefka

Director Visual Merchandising, In-Store Customer Experience, Office Depot
Office Depot Headquarters Boca Raton (telephone number or email provided upon request)

Professional Reference:
David Martin & Kim Hoechst

David Martin: President North America Interbrand
KimHoechst: First Vice President, FirstUSA Bank NA
“Because of the great work of K. Freed, A. Frasher and Michael K. (Brand Platform & Identity Creation) on the Liquid Visa Project for First USA, Interbrand contracted the BankOne Brand Creation on a six figure day.”

Professional Reference:
Peggy Marion

Director of Marketing at Rennert Bilingual NYC
“A very good, experienced design, marketing, brand management professional with a passionate commitment to excellence. Michael K. has come through for me on many difficult deadline projects.”

Professional Reference:
Bill Donnelly

CFO BMW Financial Services Bank of North America
“Thank you for your professional advice and lead through the Product Brand Creation process on the global Alphera Financial Services project.”

Professional Reference:
Bruce Turkel

Owner & ECD, TURKEL Total Brand Management – 6/30/2013

When did Michael K. work with you and for how long?
Michael was with us for two years.

Was this freelance or a fulltime relationship? What was Michael’s position? Can you describe the job responsibilities?
Full time. Michael was a senior art director.

Did Michael miss a lot of work? Was Michael frequently late? Were there any issues you are aware of that impacted Michael’s job performance?
Michael did not miss work and was not late. He’s very punctual.

Did Michael K. get along well with management and co-workers?
Yes

How did Michael handle conflict? How about pressure? Stress?
I don’t remember Michael K. being involved in any conflict. The only pressure would have been deadlines and Michael remained meticulous throughout.

Can you speak to Michael.’s software capabilities?
He was well versed in all design and in some development programs.

Would you work with Michael K. again if the opportunity arose?
Absolutely.