FOUNDER/CREATIVE DIRECTOR
MCKL
LOS ANGELES CA
Jeremy Mickel grew up in Ohio and studied Fine Arts at Indiana University. He moved to New York City in 2001 and worked at Carbone Smolan Agency and Columbia University before starting his own design practice. He continued his education at The School of Visual Arts, where he studied type design with the legendary Ed Benguiat.
Jeremy released his first typeface, Router, in 2008 and launched MCKL as a foundry and design studio in 2012. He has published many popular typefaces over the last 15 years, including Fort, Shift, Superior Title, Redaction, and Owners. He’s built an international reputation for custom work through creative partnerships with top design firms including Pentagram, Collins, Wolff Olins, and Turner Duckworth, and has designed logos and custom typefaces for adidas, the LA28 Olympics, Warner Bros, MGM, Pfizer, The Atlantic, and Bon Appétit.
Jeremy has taught at Rhode Island School of Design and Minneapolis College of Art and Design, and lectured at design conferences around the world. His work has been honored by the Type Director’s Club and AIGA, and his typefaces have been exhibited at MoMA PS1, the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum, and the Walker Art Center.
He lives in Los Angeles with his husband and their French bulldog, Bruno.
Looking forward to 2023, are you optimistic about the role and impact of Graphic Design and Visual Communication in Business? Culture? Causes? Have the events and disruptions of the past few years changed the role or trajectory of Graphic Design?
It’s an interesting time to be alive! While the last few years have shown how chaotic and unpredictable life on this planet can be, we’re also witnessing unprecedented innovations in technology and human achievement in the forms of artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and green energy. Over the centuries, scientific discoveries have had huge effects on culture, sometimes in ways that take many years to reveal themselves. I think we’ll see equivalent shifts in art and design in our lifetimes.
I’m optimistic for the future because I’m inspired to learn, create, and collaborate. It may look different than how we’ve worked in the past, but by evolving and staying nimble we can forge the next era of design together.
Most influential graphic designer of the last 60 years?
It’s hard to imagine a more important, engaging, and inspiring designer than Paula Scher. Getting to draw type for her has been an absolute joy of my career.
Most influential product?
The devices coming out of Cupertino have revolutionized entire industries over and over again. We’re lucky to live in a time where designers around the world can basically run their business from anywhere with a laptop.
