John Michalski
Art Director

Favorite Music: I like all types of rock - classic, contemporary, alternative. My favorite bands are Tom Petty, Pink Floyd, AC/DC, Weezer, and Linkin Park

Favorite Food: A Delmonico steak, cooked medium rare

Favorite Movies: Rocky, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Rudy, Fight Club

Favorite Things to Do in the 'Burgh: Going to Heinz Field for a Steelers' game when I get the chance! Also, eating at Fat Head's in the South Side with my wife, exploring downtown during the holiday shopping season with my girls, and checking out the Warhol or the Carnegie Museum of Art


Interesting Facts You Wouldn't Know Otherwise:

  1. I met my wife while vacationing to Ocean City, MD on a bus, while strongly under the influence of much alcohol.
  2. We got married in Riviera Maya, Mexico, on the beach.
  3. I ran the Pittsburgh Marathon in 2003. 

If you were a font, which would you most likely be? 
Baskerville - I think it has a lot of character. It's a classic serif font with a subtle calligraphic flare. Similar to how I see myself: traditional, but pushing the envelope when I can. 

"If the audience doesn't find the information easy to digest, then I haven't done my job."

John graduated from La Roche College in 1997 with a Bachelors degree in Graphic Design. Before he graduated from college, he worked as a production artist at Society of Automotive Engineers International and stayed with SAE. In 2001, John became the art director at Zoltun and has been with the company ever since.

To John, the most important aspect of design is actually making sure a design functions as it's intended to do. "A visually stunning brochure is one thing, but if it's hard to read or understand, the message is lost,"  he says. "If the audience doesn't find the information easy to digest, then I haven't done my job." 

Nothing is more important to John than his two little girls, Reagan and Kylie. "They, along with my wife, Jody, are always going to come first," he says. 

Outside of the design industry, John has aspirations to become a coach when (and if) the girls get involved in sports. "Being a good coach is just like being a good teacher. There's nothing more rewarding than giving a person knowledge, and then seeing them learn from it."

John and Jody are also busy flipping their old house. Since they've moved in, they've added a deck, redesigned the landscaping, furnished the basement, and remodeled the main bathroom - and more projects are on the way!