Hello! I’m Mike Simpson
I’m a designer from Toronto, Canada
My Design Philosophy
Graphic design has been my passion since day one. I admired aesthetics inspired by skateboarding and punk, from the idiosyncratic grunge layouts of Thrasher magazine and David Carson, to the fusion of urban styles of bands like the Beastie Boys or the Clash.
Early on I thought of myself as doing “punk rock with Photoshop” – design with individuality but professionalism. Slowly I developed my style and an appreciation for iconic looks, high contrast design, simple colours and design that communicated well and used strong photography.
These days I love classic but eclectic design and I’ve found that working with tools like WordPress has sharpened my love for simple layouts and accessibility. It’s nearly 2020 and one must design for mobile and social! This day and age requires responsive design that is readable and useable on all devices.
I love to merge design with education, and believe in combining DIY-style self-sufficiency with formal education. I’ve led classes at colleges and private schools and conducted training and presentations with teachers and administrators.
What follows are a few of my favourite and recent projects. Hope you like them and I welcome your feedback!
Mike Simpson
August 2019
Tdot Shots
Social media / photography curation / web design
Tdot Shots is a community-based online photo gallery. I support photographers and artists in Toronto via gallery curation, promotion and events like contests and photo walks. I manage an Instagram account with 16k supporters and post to the blog at tdotshots.com. I have grown expertise in social media and the photographic arts.
View @tdot_shots (Instagram)
View Tdot Shots website
AncestryProject.ca
E-learning / education development / graphic design
Ancestry Project is an award-winning website launched in 2017. AP provides free and paid resources to teachers in Canada and abroad; topics include: Canadian history and events, traditions in Canada, global culture and human interest stories.
As developer and designer, I created most of the materials. One exception is the lead feature, “Canada Road Trip, a collaboration with publisher Thane Ladner.
View Canada Road Trip at Ancestry Project
My CN Tower
Photography / web design / writing
I have loved the tower since my boyhood, growing up in the suburbs of Toronto. My CN Tower explores the notion that the CN Tower is omnipresent – in all places, at all times – especially in the lives of Torontonians. At times though the CN Tower may be obscured or only partly visible. Explore the images and ideas at the MY CN Tower project page.
Thanks for stopping by!
I appreciate your visit