Michael KelarRGD

Michael is a product of Ontario College of Art & Design’s respected graphic design program. He co-founded the experimental design studio AmoebaCorp in 1996 and, in 2013, came together with other highly respected industry contemporaries to create a refreshing new multi-tooled design-led agency, Jacknife. Throughout his professional career, Mike has brought his unique brand of creative craftsmanship and leadership to major projects for the likes of Nike, Molson Coors, Arterra Wines, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, Red Bull, Second Cup, Hudson’s Bay, Weston and Nestlé. Mike believes that design is more of a way of life than simply an occupation. His near-obsessive approach to design has seen his professional and personal work published in numerous international publications in Canada, the US, Japan, Germany, Finland and the UK. An advocate of designing with purpose, Mike often shares his thinking on the need for design with integrity; he believes that good design is the meaningful bridge between functionality and human experience, intuition with inarguable reason. He thanks his Finnish/Polish extraction for giving him an early start to what would become a lifelong passion for Art & Design culture and counts cutting two albums, seeing Johnny Cash perform live and holding the studio's longest hair award as major milestones worth posting on the family fridge. Mike is also a co-member of the Gentlemen of Canada, a distinguished Toronto-based art collective that works to collect, combine, decontextualize and celebrate the rich cultural fabric of the North.