Aug. 7, 2024
KCAD student Mike Thompson rides career transition to nation’s highest honor for advertising design
It wasn’t too long ago that a creative career was the furthest thing from Mike Thompson’s mind.
Now, the senior in the Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University Graphic Design program is poised to enter the design industry on a high note after winning a coveted Gold ADDY Award at the national level of the 2024 American Advertising Awards.
Thompson’s road to this point has been anything but straight. In 2016 he was driving a FedEx delivery truck following four years of service to his country on a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier.
At the same time, he was renovating the home he shared with his wife -- an over 150-year-old farmhouse that’s been in his family for five generations.
Then, the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything.
With the world around him upended, Thompson began considering a different direction for his own future. He’d found himself energized by the design process he’d been using to navigate his home renovation and was inspired by the journey that had led his wife to a successful career in branding and art direction.
Susan Thompson is a 2011 graduate of the Graphic Design program who’s currently a senior designer at Grand Rapids marketing agency Montgomery Code.
“I felt this creative spark and wanted to look for opportunities to continue that,” Thompson said. “I thought of going back to school and was encouraged by the positive experience my wife had at KCAD.”
In the Graphic Design program, Thompson found the supportive environment he needed to develop his identity as a designer.
“I’m naturally drawn to clean, modern design with plenty of negative space that creates an ease of access to information.” he said. “KCAD has given me the skills and insight to translate those instincts into thought-provoking work.”
Thompson’s ADDY winning publication entry, “Spore Print Press,” blends his deft use of minimalist design with his strong sense of connection to the natural world. What started as a zine for a class project soon became a mission to change the way people view hunting, fishing and foraging.
“There’s this pervasive stereotype of these activities, and especially hunting, as being unsavory and malicious; I wanted to frame it in a different way,” he said. “I don't see hunting or fishing or foraging as sports–they’re a means of subsistence. It’s about finding that deeper connection with the earth, that adventure of going out into nature and taking on that challenge and period of hardship, which is very important for personal growth and reflection.”
“Spore Print Press” impressed judges in the advertising industry's largest and most representative competition by communicating Thompson’s message through concise information and personal stories of self-sufficient natural immersion.
Each story is rendered with an impeccably clean aesthetic, mature use of a minimalist layout, and beautiful photography that places readers directly in the moment.
“I wanted to share through personal experience this thought process that sourcing food doesn’t always have to mean going to the grocery store,” Thompson said.
Nearly all the photos in the publication are his handiwork, taken during various natural excursions. For “Spore Print Press,” he took care to select shots that would help accentuate what he was trying to communicate.
“Photography goes hand-in-hand with design,” Thompson said. “You need to find the right frame and compose your shots so that it not only creates visual interest but tells the story you want it to tell.”
Though you wouldn’t know it from his work, Thompson still feels like he’s finding his way as a designer. A National ADDY goes a long way toward validating his career transition.
“It means even more because I’m a non-traditional student,” he said. “It feels surreal, because I never thought I’d be doing this at all, let alone at an extremely high level. I’m proud to be representing veterans and non-traditional students–groups of people who are at times overlooked.”
For the KCAD Graphic Design program, it’s another feather in a cap already bursting at the seams with them. Thompson’s win marks the 16th national ADDY award win by a KCAD student since 2006, including wins in 2021 and 2022.
“On behalf of the KCAD Graphic Design program, my fellow co-chair professor Joan Sechrist and I congratulate Mike on this huge accomplishment in receiving a 2024 National Gold ADDY,’ said professor and program co-chair Jason Alger. “It is an honor to continue to see our students becoming strong, talented communicators who are professionally recognized.”
Beyond a spotlight, attending the national award ceremony gave Thompson to grow his network in connecting with other design students and industry professionals.
He’s been humbled by how people have been engaging meaningfully with “Spore Print Press,” and wants to continue pulling on that thread as he moves forward into his career.
“I just want to continue making work that people are drawn to,” he said. “I want to continue bringing in a global mindset and challenge what’s been done before.”
Thompson is also preparing for his career with an internship at West Michigan ad agency BrandHaven. He’s been actively contributing to client projects and soaking up the perspective and wisdom of the more experienced designers he’s working alongside.
And in a fitting full-circle way, he sees a lot of parallels between this role and life in the Navy.
“I believe in mentorship and learning on the job, and this experience being able to work on projects outside of my own mind and building value for clients without losing my own creative voice has been invaluable,” he said. “On the aircraft carrier I worked with people from everywhere, and I like that about design as well; working with people from different backgrounds and learning how different people approach design is something that I’ll always appreciate.”
See more of Mike Thompson’s creativity at caffeinemike.com.