References

I was fortunate to have Michael on my team during our most formative years at Impartner. Much of the ongoing success we continue to have was due to his fantastic brand work. Michael created a look and feel for our company that we're still using today, several years later. I particularly appreciated his ability to create strategic objectives that supported our business objectives, but also pop into Adobe and create amazing looking graphics and content for us. From the 30,000 feet to the last inch, Michael added huge value in everything he did. I highly recommend him!

 It’s estimated that a powerful brand increases the value of a company by as much as 30%. I have rarely seen a creative director as powerful as Michael Sligting in leading the brand identity of a corporation with bold, bright, fresh, industry relevant designs that create a distinct, competitively differentiating look and feel. He is endlessly clever, inexplicably productive, wonderfully collaborative with teams across the corporation, has a powerful blend of creative and technical capabilities, and is a hilarious, kind colleague that is universally liked. You simply could not make a more powerful creative hire.

Michael Slighting served as my team lead for a little over two years, demonstrating exceptional leadership qualities throughout. As our manager/Art Director, he skillfully guided our team of designers, and became someone I looked to as a mentor more than a manager. Tasked with spearheading a newly formed acquisition team, he faced the challenge head-on. This team was not only new to the company but also predominantly comprised of fresh hires, including our fully-remote marketing team. Despite these obstacles, he orchestrated a remarkable transformation, turning chaos into a well-oiled acquisition machine.

One of his key contributions was the establishment of a streamlined project management process that facilitated seamless collaboration between our creative team and our marketers. Additionally, Michael demonstrated mastery over Jira… and if you know Jira… you know that’s nearly impossible. However, beyond these tangible accomplishments, his most significant impact was on the personal and professional growth of myself, our two designers, and our video/motion designer. Under his guidance, we flourished, both individually and as a cohesive unit. We created some major portfolio-worthy work, and all because of his ability to lead and provide productive feedback.

Amongst the numerous leaders I've had throughout my eight-year career, he is one of the few I’ve truly trusted. His transparency, unwavering encouragement, and remarkable willingness to advocate for the well-being of our team is what made us successful. Under his guidance, our team cultivated the most exceptional working dynamic I've experienced to date.

I envy the creatives who will have the privilege of benefiting from his guidance and mentorship in the future. Thank you, Michael for making work a fun, safe, and healthy environment that I looked forward to being a part of each day.

I was one of Michael’s direct reports at 1-800 Contacts—he is highly effective as a creative team leader and manager, and I credit him for my growth as a designer. Michael facilitated creative problem-solving and design thinking amongst our team. He cultivated an environment in which creatives thrived, allowing us to experiment and ideate while also helping art direct and offer constructive critique when needed. Michael has an extremely creative mind and I was constantly impressed with the ideas he brought to our team. Michael has many strengths: he is personable, strategic, a skillful designer, and a great human being. He has strong communication skills, is a natural collaborator, and unites teammates through his good-natured personality. Michael structured one-on-ones in such a way that I felt comfortable discussing successes, challenges, and big-picture career goals; he truly made me feel valued and it was evident that he cared about me (and all his other direct reports) as a person. Michael is a pleasure to work with and would be an asset to any creative team.

Michael would make the best addition to any team! He’s not only one of the best managers I’ve ever had, but also has the design skills to execute on anything that needs to be done. He is one of those managers that truly cares about the people on his team and navigates hurdles with grace and brings multiple solutions to the table. He is a true asset to any team and I’m so grateful to have reported directly into him for over 2 and a half years.