About

Hi, I’m Michael. I’m a multidisciplinary designer and writer. I spend most of my time exploring the fuzzy interplay of art, science, and craft. There is so much to discover in the overlap of frontiers.

I was born in Wisconsin and still live hereabouts. It’s mostly forest and farmland with lots of little cities and towns dotted about. I happen to like cheese and snowy winters, so I may stay a while until the sprawling strip malls and miles of SUV-covered concrete roads chase me away.

In 2009, I cofounded a software games studio with my two brothers aptly called Kieffer Bros. We had a lot of fun making all sorts of puzzle games. My favorites are Aqueduct and Blockwick 2. I did everything from game design to filing tax returns. Building a creative business from scratch is enormously difficult—the odds are against you. Nonetheless, it's extraordinarily fun and rewarding to see millions of people across the globe enjoying your work. In 2016 we decided to put our studio on the back-burner and explore different aspects of the universe.

To satisfy an innate and growing curiosity, I decided to start studying mathematics and physics in earnest and went to school. I learned a lot but often found the classroom model as frustrating as enlightening. I graduated with a B.S. in Mathematics. Despite the flourescent-lit lecture halls and interminable bureaucracy, I'd love to go back some day.

Lately I’ve been exploring storytelling, illustration, and design. In 2020 I wrote my first book. It’s a science fiction adventure story for kids and families that will be published soon. I post my illustration and design work on this site as well as on Bluesky and Instagram.

Though I can be a picky son of a gun, I am always open to collaborate and work with creative and passionate people. Drop me a line sometime.

Talk to you soon,

Michael