Cleo McMichael - Print Designer, Artist

Cleo brings over 13 years of graphic design experience and eight years of experience in art direction. She’s worked in both agency and corporate environments including U.S. Equities Realty, a full-service real estate firm, Boole & Babbage, an enterprise automation software developer, Fullmoon Interactive, an integrated Internet architecture company, and M7, a Silicon Valley marketing firm.

The majority of Cleo’s experience is with print design. Her wide-ranging portfolio includes corporate identities, advertising, exhibit signage, direct mail, packaging, sales collateral and annual reports. She recently expanded her talents into multi-media Web design and is studying Web development to round out her skills. Cleo’s client list is also noteworthy, including Fujitsu, SureWest, Coherent, Knight-Ridder, Logitech, Electroglas and Spectrian.

Although Cleo appears quiet initially, her reputation for humor and casual nature soon become evident. Her fastidious organizational skills and ability to see the big picture, translate into well-thought, clever communication artwork. She believes that each problem should be approached from a fresh view, almost through the eyes of a child. “It’s important to listen to people without any distractions–no music, ringing phones or interruptions,” says Cleo. “Sometimes it’s best to look at a project as undiscovered and approach it without any previous notions,” she adds.

Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Cleo received a bachelor’s degree in fine and applied arts from University of Illinois. Later she moved to Silicon Valley, where she now resides. Cleo is not confined to graphic design as the only expression of her artistic talent. She also designs jewelry and has been known to “cut a rug” as a ballroom dancer.