About
Michael Forte

I'm a designer based in Cedar Grove, New Jersey, with more than fifteen years spent moving between print, branding, and digital design.

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I started in catalogs. For a decade at Haband I designed the catalogs and direct mail that were, for that customer, the entire store. There was no window to look in and no salesperson to ask, so the page had to do all of it. Over those years I helped build the catalog program into the company's primary business, and led the launch of Stone Creek, a menswear label created from scratch inside it.

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From there I moved to editorial. At Wainscot Media I designed regional magazines and custom publications for retail clients, across profile features, food and style coverage, health reporting, and local guides. It was also where I first translated print into interactive digital editions, rebuilding magazines into something you scroll and tap rather than turn, including a custom edition for the luxury jeweler London Jewelers.

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That pull toward digital became the focus. At Computershare I designed the home screen for a new registry intelligence platform, the first view every user lands on, working with product managers and developers from early concept through deployment and returning later to design the platform's help experience. For the Live Learn Innovate Foundation I built the identity for the foundation, OpenLife Cloud, and Best Life, then carried it through to the screens: redesigned home pages across all three websites, and the Fitness section of the Best Life app, from its home screen to the features people use to track workouts, steps, and sleep.

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Beyond those, the work has ranged more widely: brand identity and websites for small businesses, patient-facing collateral for a surgical oncologist, and a logo adopted as an education association's official identity.

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I hold a BA from Montclair State University with a concentration in Graphic Design, and a UX design certification from the Interaction Design Foundation.

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I'm open to full-time roles, and available for freelance and contract work.