“Mike is an excellent listener and he was able to articulate design that perfectly captured the tone and feeling that I wanted to convey in my web and marketing design. He was exceedingly patient in educating me about the more complicated aspects of the web site, and very responsive and prompt with all of the work he did for my project. Mike is a very experienced designer and his expertise was evident throughout the entire process. I highly recommend Mike Youtz for design and implementation of any marketing or public relations materials. He is a delight to work with.”
—Mary Harbison, Founder of Boulder Relationship Transitions Seminars & Coaching

Web Design

I’m a front-end developer coding in CSS & HTML and working primarily in WordPress & Shopify. I’ve also created sites in Editor-X and Wix and have also worked in Weebly, Magento and DreamWeaver. Additionally, I work a little bit in Slider Revolution where I created the knife animation above.

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Typography

Graphic Design is about getting the message to the market and good typography adds credibility and helps convey the personality. As I design, in addition to focusing on the verve of the brand and the visual interest the typography can add, I'm also concerned with maintaining legibility, how many fonts there are available in the typeface, the amount of copy there is and where the design will be displayed (Web, social, print, embroidery, etc.).

Graphic Design is about getting the message to the market and good typography simultaneously conveys the emotion that helps make the sale. As I design, I consider the personality of the brand, the visual interest the typography can add, in addition to maintaining legibility, how many fonts there are available in the typeface (What sort of flexibility will I have for creating different levels of information in the future?), how much there is in a given piece (Do I need large x-height and slightly compressed font to fit everything?) and where the design will be displayed (Web, social, print, embroidery, etc. so I know whether the design will maintain its integrity for the needed utilities).

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Photo Retouching

I retouch photos to both create compelling visuals and also to solve problems. I do projects that require 100% photo-mechanical production like creating multiple colors of the same product or granularly retouching images, but I also use photo retouching regularly at some point in most projects to resolve small issues and keep the projects moving.

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Kind & Helpful

Being kind and helpful is an inextricable part of who I am and who I want to be because it’s the right thing to do and because it feels good. I feel it’s pertinent to mention in this format, because it’s also part of the recipe for getting things done in a fun and cooperative manner. I can always be expected to bring this perspective to every project.

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Mac & PC

I have a KVM switch which I use to flip back and forth between my Mac and PC computers almost every day depending on the client and the application. I have decades of practice with both systems.

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Production Design

About seven years ago I got the opportunity to do production work and I fell in love with it. It’s like design-light accented with a fast-pace, need to be very organized and frequently calls on using many different skills in rapid succession. It’s a rush.

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Studio Photography

I’ve done many product shoots over the years using a Canon SLR, soft box and studio lighting. My focus (pun-intended) is always to show all the detail while staying faithful to the shape of the product and making it look compelling.

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Printing Expertise

Prior to becoming a designer, I was a sales rep. and project manager in several agency-style offset printing companies. Earlier still I was a pressman and did some bindery work. I know how to set-up for print properly, efficiently and cost-effectively while getting the most out of the medium and I’m very versed at hosting and performing press-checks.

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Adobe Suite

Throughout my career, I’ve used Illustrator, Photoshop, Indesign, Acrobat, Distiller and Bridge practically daily. Though I’m still only scratching the surface with AI, I’ve also recently started integrating Abode FireFly and have see astounding results so far. I'll surely be augmenting the other Adobe apps with it more and more. I’m also learning After Effects.

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Team Player

I like to help people by nature, so transferring that propensity to my team has always been a natural to me and I’ve been on many teams. My recipe is to create materials that are easy for others to use, to communicate clearly & expediently and to always be respectful and to listen. I also employ a little humor and am always compassionate.

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Very Creative

I need to convey that I'm very creative because I want to properly represent myself since, for a designer, creativity is an imperative. But don’t want to come across as arrogant because I’m not. I do have a strength for seeing solutions that aren't obvious and I have for as long as I can remember. After a lifetime of practice and success, when a challenge presents itself, I believe I can solve it so I do. Practice makes confidence.

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Problem-Solver

I love a challenge and when I can clearly see what the solution needs to be, I can see how it will come about. I learned this skill by tackling tough challenges during long hours and unyeilding standards in my early years in graphic design. The answers were not clear, but the due date wasn't changing, so I learned to relax my mind and let it open to outside of the box thinking. I'm grateful for those lessons that pushed me to find elegant solutions.

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