My name is Michael Shirley, and I'm an art director & graphic designer. I just relocated to Chicago, Illinois from New York City. Below you will find a little sprinkling of my professional work. It should give you an idea of my skillset and aesthetic taste until you can get to a computer and view my entire portfolio.
I cross over media platforms with a very diverse range of skills. My core competency lies in a strong design aesthetic sense and a strategic approach to concept development. Over the years I have built on this foundation to incorporate hands-on skills in interactivity, motion graphics, video editing and sound production. My understanding of these mediums enables me to provide better art direction, and work more in tune with freelancers & outside vendors. Because of this knowledge I have the ability to recognize creative opportunities and take them to the next level.
I grew up in Kansas City and moved to Denver in 2000 to pursue my bachelors degree in Graphic Design. I took time off in the middle and l worked on various other endeavors only to return and graduate in March 2006. I worked briefly at JWT Denver, cutting my teeth on Ford Automotive. Soon after, I freelanced in-house for The Sports Authority and helped redefine their new store launch campaigns. Prior to moving to Chicago, over the last few years I have been working at Mouth Creative, a boutique agency in New York City. I started as a freelance art director but stayed on to eventually become the ACD.
CONTACT ME
Email: info(at)michael-shirley.com
Phone: 816-739-7910
The Dirty Lie was created for Robert F. Kennedy's Waterkeeper Alliance to help truth get out about the lies of the Coal Industry. This advertising campaign featured a central flash microsite powered by wordpress. It was complimented with printed ads, OOH and video content that was seeded across the web. The campaign was featured on Creativity Online (Interactive Site of the Day), MediaPost, Vanity Fair, CBS, The New York Times, Adfreak, and ABC News.
Before relocating to Chicago, I was the associate creative director & art director at Mouth in New York. We helped to launch Tequila Casa Dragones brand in the US & Mexico. We worked with a french design team and photography team to develop the packaging and product photography/retouching. We also developed the Casa Dragones brand flash website, brand video and have an upcoming TV spot due to come out in November, 2009.
During my time as the associate creative director & sr. art director at Mouth we worked with Mahou beer from Spain to establish the american id and positioning. We produced billboards, collateral, events, print ads, a website concept, viral video concepts and a large format wildpostings.
During my brief stint at JWT Denver in 2006, I worked on the Regional Ford Account. I produced print ads, storyboards, billboards, OOH signage for professional sport venues, newsprint and direct mail.
This K-Swiss Sportism concept was developed for a pitch while I was still a freelance art director in early 2007 at Mouth. It crosses many boundaries and media platforms, including traditional print & ooh. It included ambient media, guerrilla marketing, social media hubs and seeding, and outdoor spectacular projections on building facades.