As Graphics Director at Small Times Media in Ann Arbor, Michael had the unique opportunity to create a graphics department and a national magazine from scratch for a startup media company. Michael was responsible for creating and maintaining the visual identity for all publications including magazines, books, directories, advertisements and all marketing materials. In addition, Michael developed a team of freelance designers, photographers and illustrators, managed the graphics budget, negotiated free-lance contracts and coordinated all print production.

One of the more important projects for Small Times were a series of info graphics that began as magazine spreads and then became the basis for a book, Small Tech 101. The graphics came about in part after a four hour meeting with a technical advisor who gave Michael an overview of the technology that Small Times would be covering in their magazine and website. Michael then worked with writers, editors and illustrators to create the content and then finished the design layout and production of the spreads.