When most people think of a designer, they think of someone who can make things look pretty. And, while that may be the extremely simplified way to describe what we do, I prefer to think of design as the chance to create, elevate and enhance a visual identity.
To share a message or evoke an emotion.
To create a brand that audiences instantly recognize and resonate with.
My name is Michael Gragg, and I’m a visual designer. In August 2016, I earned a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Visual Communication Technology with a focus in Interactive Media at Bowling Green State University. And in 2020, earned a Certificate in Full Stack Web Development from Case Western Reserve University.
The TL; DR: I am a creator.
For the past 5 years, I’ve worked at Precision Metalforming Association in Independence, Ohio as a web and graphic designer. On any given day you might find me designing graphics to promote an event, designing or coding websites, creating social media imagery, or graphics for presentations, mailers and more.
I have an appreciation for strong brands and visual identities, and have an even deeper passion for being the one that creates them. My background in branding, visual design and graphics development allow me to take a competitive approach with any project. I’m constantly learning new design techniques, trends and tools.
So, that’s a little bit about me. Click around and check out my work. If you’ve got an exciting project I can help you with, let’s talk.
Website
Social Media App
Branding
Web Application
Branding
Newsletter
Web Application
Web Application
GOAL FOR THE PROJECT: Re-design websites of 2 publication to improve search engine optimization (SEO) and transition into digital first.
OUTCOME: Collaborated with magazine staff to come up with a layout that is designed to be date-driven. The most current articles, videos, podcasts will always appear on top of the webpage and move through the site as more current items are posted.
Designed 25 different layouts for 60+ pages of website content, turning a desktop-only website into a fully responsive site, while also including descriptive titles, image names, and meta tags for improving SEO.
Each element is also tagged with links to the type of category, the date it was published, and the author, for the user to find similar articles they want to read.
MetalForming Website | 3D Metal Printing Website
GOAL FOR THE PROJECT: Group project to create a full stack application with Reactjs as the front end, a Node and Express Web Server, a MySQL or MongoDB database, a Sequelize or Mongoose ORM, both GET and POST routes for retrieving and adding new data, and deployed using Heroku.
OUTCOME: A social traveling app that allows users from around the world to meet and talk about locations to travel to, talk about locations to travel to, and even plan trips together! Using React, Material UI, MongoDB, Express, Mongoose, Axios the MVP allows users to create an account and post to a main feed that all users can see and respond to!
GOAL FOR THE PROJECT: Create branding to promote the Leadership Lab Class of 2019.
OUTCOME: Designed and created program and postcard explaining topics covered, outlining a full schedule of the sessions, and highlighting testimonials from previous graduates. Social media images were also created to announce and celebrate members of the class.
GOAL FOR THE PROJECT: Have a Budget Tracker with functionality to allow offline access.
OUTCOME: Application that allows the user to keep track of there their budget whether they're online or offline. The user is able to enter the name and amount of a tranaction and then add or subtract the funds. If offline, the transation will be saved and kept when the page is reloaded and back online.
Budget Tracker | GitHub Repository
GOAL FOR THE PROJECT: Create new branding concept for new-to-market METALFORM EDU training software.
OUTCOME: Designed marketing materials to advertise and promote new software. Brochures, postcards, and flyers were made to improve selling of software and to be distributed at trade shows and conferences to create awareness. Designed a 214-page catalog to explain descriptions of more than 550 courses. Materials were also created in Spanish for the annual FABTECH Mexico trade show.
GOAL FOR THE PROJECT: Produce four WiM newsletters each year.
OUTCOME: Worked with different printing vendors to set up and deliver files correctly. Ensured that products were printed on time and sent out to WiM members. Newsletters were created to keep members up-to-date with valuable information on mentoring, leadership, management, and manufacturing best practices.
GOAL FOR THE PROJECT: Use the OpenWeather API to retrieve weather data for different cities and use `localStorage` to store any persistent data.
OUTCOME: Created an application using Open Weather API, allowing users to search for a city to see current weather information, including the current temperature, humidity, wind speed, and UV index, (the background around the UV index changes colors based on how severe the conditions are). as well as forecasts for the next 5 days.
Weather Dashboard | GitHub Repository
GOAL FOR THE PROJECT: Create a burger logger to keep track of burgers to eat and have already eaten (or devoured).
OUTCOME: An application using MySQL, Node, Express, and Handlebars to allow users to add burgers, to be "eaten later" or "devoured". With options to "eat now" or "delete" any burger in the waiting to be devoured box and options to "eat again" or "delete" any burger in the devoured burgers box.
Eat Da Burger! | GitHub Repository
