Transit Design was Born in Bed.
Transit Design began on a cold January night in 2010. I was curled up in bed here in Northern Michigan, searching online for a vintage subway sign for my home, when I had a thought: I could probably make one myself.
So I did.
I’m Michael, a freelance graphic designer with a lifelong love of typography, vintage graphics, travel, and artwork with a little personality. Those old transit signs—with their wonderfully unfamiliar destinations and simple type on black backgrounds—immediately appealed to the designer in me.
Original bus scrolls were expensive and hard to find, so I created my own. Before long, I realized it would be even more fun to make personalized subway signs using places that meant something to the person ordering them: cities they had lived in, favorite vacation spots, wedding locations, family memories, and all the little coordinates of a life.
That idea became Transit Design.
Since then, the shop has grown to include original travel posters, social justice art, farmhouse signs, custom portraits, typography art, vintage-inspired prints, and other pieces designed to give a room some personality.
On a typical day, you’ll find me in my studio working on freelance graphic design, creating custom artwork, fussing over typography, or dreaming up whatever I want to make next.
I believe the things we surround ourselves with should do more than fill a blank wall. They should make us smile, remind us where we’ve been, say something about what we believe, or simply make a space feel a little more like ours.
Thanks for visiting Transit Design. I’m very glad you found me.
— Michael
Design Portfolio: TransitDesign.com
Online Shop: TransitDesignShop.com