Greetings! I am Mike Darowski, president of 78 Layers and compulsive designer. I am 31 years old, living in Madison Heights, Michigan, with my forgiving wife and unforgiving cat. I began my creative exploration at the age of 8 when I began playing the drums. Living life as a full-time musician in a professional metal band for 10 years taught me more about marketing and hard work than any cubicle ever would. In my early years, I used to draw our flyers with a Sharpie and take it to Kinko's but as my band grew, so did the demand for legitimate marketing materials. Being a control freak in a band with a very small budget, I volunteered to design our marketing materials and quickly found that I truly enjoyed it. My music career ended unexpectedly in 2005 due to injury, but this allowed me to really become a professional designer, permanently. Design is much like writing/performing music to me. Combine the right amount of technicality and creativity with your vision and you will have produced something people will remember.
Diversity in projects keeps me fresh and on my toes so I always look forward to something new. I have produced countless catalogs, logos, brochures, flyers, CD/DVD covers, postcards, apparel and more for clients ranging from independent lifestyle companies to large corporations including Ford, Infiniti, GE, Mopar, Land Rover, Range Rover, Shell, Dodge, Disney, Marriott and Ritz. Working with some of the larger corporations has made me realize that there is no reason why a designer can't deliver that quality to everyone equally.
I began 78 Layers out of a quest to apply my personal design philosophies to any and every project I handle. The name 78 Layers came from my 1978 birth year and the fact that my designs seem to always have at least 78 layers in them (it's not easy to break old Photoshop habits).
Every client deserves their own identity, but it doesn't have to break the bank. Remember, the more time you allow, the greater the opportunity for me to invest some of my extra time, so be sure to book your project as early as possible.
Thanks!
