BURNING MAN PROJECT + BURNERS WITHOUT BORDERS
COmmunity + Cultural Systems
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Creative direction, illustration, and packaging design connecting one of the world's most recognized brands with the energy of electronic dance music and youth culture.
The project translated music, movement, and visual expression into collectible packaging and promotional experiences that celebrated creativity while strengthening Coca-Cola's connection to a new generation of consumers.
Rather than treating packaging as a container, the work positioned it as a cultural touchpoint—an object capable of extending the brand beyond the shelf and into the communities, events, and experiences where culture is created and shared.
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The creative system combined illustration, typography, and product storytelling to build an authentic visual language rooted in electronic dance music culture while remaining unmistakably Coca-Cola.
The result balanced global brand consistency with local cultural relevance, creating designs that felt energetic, contemporary, and collectible.
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By connecting an iconic global brand with electronic dance music, youth culture, and audiences worldwide, the project demonstrated how thoughtful design can elevate everyday products into meaningful cultural artifacts.
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2025 Tomorrow Today Themed Man Base Design Participant
2024: Beyond Black Rock - Reno International Airport, Nevada
2023: A Dream Made Real - Reno International Airport, Nevada
2019: No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man - Oakland Museum of Art
2019: No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man - Cincinnati Art Museum
2018: No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man - Smithsonian Institution
2017: City of Dust: The Evolution of Burning Man - Nevada Museum of Art
2014: Default World Dreaming - Gallery 151 - New York
Michael joined the Burning Man community in 2001 and began collaborating with the organization in 2006. He was a featured participant on the 2010 Arts and Community panel at Burning Man’s Global Leadership Conference in San Francisco. Additionally, he co-presented "The Design Science Decade: Design for Impact" panel with the Buckminster Fuller Institute at the 2020 Burners Without Borders Spring Summit.
His art and design have been showcased in multiple exhibitions for Burning Man and Burners Without Borders, including the Smithsonian Institute's 2018: No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man exhibition. Most recently, he designed the logo for Burning Man Project's Fly Ranch property and was selected to submit a proposal for the 2025 Man Base design.
EXHIBITIONS:
2025 Tomorrow Today Themed Man Base Design Participant
2024: Beyond Black Rock - Reno International Airport, Nevada
2023: A Dream Made Real - Reno International Airport, Nevada
2019: No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man - Oakland Museum of Art
2019: No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man - Cincinnati Art Museum
2018: No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man - Smithsonian Institution
2017: City of Dust: The Evolution of Burning Man - Nevada Museum of Art
2014: Default World Dreaming - Gallery 151 - New York
Burning Man Project’s FLY Ranch ⇄ Logo
Fly Ranch is a 3,800-acre off-grid ranch in the Great Basin that serves as a center for interactive arts and community participation for Burning Man.
Vision Beyond Borders ⇄ Fly Ranch ⇄ app
The Vision Beyond Borders app is a camera-based, on-the-ground guide for Burning Man’s Fly Ranch or navigating any site. The app works day or night, even in zero visibility conditions like dust storms.
Burners without borders ⇄ silkscreen ⇄ burning man ⇄ event Ticket
Burning Man ⇄ 2025 ⇄ Tomorrow Today ⇄ man-base proposal
Burners Without Borders ⇄ 2025 ⇄ 20th Anniversary ⇄ Sticker (on bottle) ⇄ Patch design
Burners Without Borders ⇄ Flag ⇄ Patch designs
BURNERS WITHOUT Borders ⇄ Spring Summit Event design
Stickers ⇄ water bottles ⇄ silkscreens

