...and welcome to Michael Holdren Design. As of November 2006, after two years of fun in the sun and a successful run in the freelance world, I've decided to close the doors to Michael Holdren Design. I've accepted a full-time position in the marketing department of Golfsmith International, Inc. I'm the art director for for the Clubmaking Catalog and the Clubmaker Magazine. What you'll see here now is a collection of some of my work, and my "blahg".

So, what do I mean when I say that "design is understood"? First, let's break down what "graphic design" is. Graphic: visual, Design: strategy. Graphic design is taking a defined problem and, using a number of strategies, finding a visual solution.

When I say that design is understood, that's because the solution should be understood. In graphic design, the visual solution is understood. In radio or web, the audio solution or interactive solution is understood. Those are all methods of delivery, part of the strategy, for making the message understood, which was part of the problem.

Design as a whole, which encompasses all strategies, is now also understood.

When used properly, graphic design brings a strategic value to the business of communication. It's not just about "making things pretty" but rather it's the collaborative process between the designer and the client that opens the path to finding the best solution.

"A client comes to you with a definition of the problem, or ideas about what they want to accomplish. Sometimes they have a sophisticated view of it, sometimes they don't. I find myself frequently spending time with the client redefining the problem, backing up, going back to the beginning. Not infrequently the "problem" turns out to be the "symptom." You have to sometimes move back, in order to move forward to really understand what the nature of the solution should be."

- Saul Bass, when asked on his approach to a new design project; as published in Communication Arts, November 1989