“One of Michael's talents is his ability to simplify the complexity and the magic of what you do.”
Sandor Boyson, Director
Supply Chain Management Center
Robert H. Smith School of Business
I'm Michael Best.
I began practicing as a professional designer in 1986, opened my own studio in Baltimore in 1988, and moved the practice to Denmark in 2003. Since 2015 it's been Storybuilt Design.
From consulting through implementation, I'm a communication strategist, a designer, a photographer and a film maker. I create core stories and the communication tools that tell them — identity, branding, copywriting, photography and film. When a project needs more hands, I bring in other seasoned professionals I've worked with for years, and the accountability stays mine.
I've had a camera in my hands since I was fourteen, and I think that's where the habit comes from — looking at whatever is in front of me through whichever lens the moment needs.
The photography won a stack of awards, and the awards led me to design school. There, design thinking and the design process became part of how I think, not something I do. I was fortunate: my instructors had studied with the Bauhaus masters, and their belief that problems are best solved across disciplines is still the way I approach every project I take on.
INTENTIONALLY MULTI-DISCIPLINED
I have no agenda — it's all about you, and helping you where you need it most. A new identity, a tagline, a full communication platform, a website redesign, a company film, or just a photo library: all of it is welcome, and all of it answers to the same story.
one studio, seven disciplines. whatever your story needs, it comes from one place.
A FIRST CONVERSATION
Half an hour on a call, or a coffee if you're nearby, is the quickest way to find out whether we work well together. You'll come away with focused insights into where your story is landing today and where it isn't — and if you choose to work with me, you get my guarantee:
a solution you love.