AVAILABLE FOR CONTRACT

michael lyden

creative. product. communication.

BASED IN verdant New Jersey

Creative Designer + Digital Strategist

Featured

Work

I build things that work in the real world and scale in the digital one. I've designed consumer products sold at Best Buy, Target, and Macy's. I've built AI-powered marketing systems that drove record university enrollment. I've launched three profitable consumer product businesses from my garage. And I teach the next generation of product designers how to do the same.

Industrial Products

  • Concept Development 2023

  • Creative Content

  • AI Workflow Specialist 2025

  • Interactive VR Spaces

  • Experience Design 2018

  • Rapid Visualization

  • Concept Development 2021

  • Concept to End-user

  • Niche Market Identification 2020

  • RC Vehicles

  • Toy Design 2022

  • Lead Generation

  • Digital Marketing 2025

  • Housewares

  • Product Design 2018

see some experiments

More About MIke

I’m a creative designer and digital strategist working at the intersection of product design, user experience, and measurable business growth.

I build things that are intuitive, purposeful, and ready for the real world, blending storytelling, emerging technology, and hands-on making to turn ideas into shipped outcomes.

I hold an MBA, a BFA in Industrial Design, a BS in Marketing, and certifications spanning User Experience, User Interaction, User Research, Design Thinking, AI, Agile methodologies, Leadership, 3D Visualization and Gamification. What ultimately defines my work is simple: shipping things that matter.

At Rowan University, I led creative and digital content strategy, building AI-accelerated workflows that improved lead accuracy from 36% to 93% and helped drive two consecutive record-setting enrollment years.

At Montclair State University, I integrated 3D, VR, and AR technologies into curriculum and instruction, teaching product design and social media marketing. My students earned 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place at the World Traffic Safety Symposium.

I’ve designed RC helicopters, camping gear, and kitchen tools sold through major retailers including Best Buy, Target, Macy’s, Bed Bath & Beyond, Lord & Taylor, and TJ Maxx.

I’m an avid 3D modeler and hands-on maker, focused on real-world functionality, rapid prototyping, and manufacturable solutions.

Expertise

(1) Tech integration
Craft intuitive navigation that makes features accessible. Choose layouts and graphics that fit your personality.

(2) Digital Marketing
Web, google ads, email, social—I figure out what makes people tick and offer solutions… in a way that has proper attribution and hits KPIs.

(3) Brand Extrapolation
Companies have stories, products have owners, and brands represent lifestyles. I nurture a throughline that customers and users feel and want more of.

(4) 3D Integration
If a project calls for greater understanding of a physical object or place, I'm going to figure out how to bring people in close with virtually real objects.

(5) Prototyping
Physical or digital, the best way to figure something out is to try it out. Ideation, iteration, experimentation, count me in.

(6) UX/UI CRO SEO
Sometimes these things go together, and sometimes they're at odds with one another. I LOVE figuring out the best mix to get eyeballs on content and clicks through to where we want them.

Motivation

As a Designer, Creative Strategist, Problem-solver, and Technologist I am fueled by encountering new challenges, applying sideways thinking, and experimenting with new techniques and technologies to find innovative, novel, high-impact solutions.

Experience

ROWAN UNIVERSITY

  • Director, Creative & Digital Content 2024-2025
    Led AI-powered content strategy and digital marketing for a major public research university. Built workflows that improved lead accuracy from 36% to 93%, contributing to record enrollment and an estimated $15–25M revenue impact.

ROWAN UNIVERSITY

  • Associate Director, Web Content & Strategy 2022-2024
    Managed web strategy, UX optimization, and CRO initiatives across university properties. Implemented data-driven improvements to digital campaigns and conversion funnels.

Montclair State University

  • Adjunct Professor, Product Design, Business 2017-Present
    Teach Social Media Marketing at Feliciano School of Business and four courses in the Department of Art and Design: Design Visualization, Digital Design Sketching, and Transportation Design I & II. Students have won 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place at the World Traffic Safety Symposium.

SLYDE Handboards

  • Product Design & Branding Consultant 2012-2022
    Consulted on product design, branding, and go-to-market strategy for the bodysurfing handboard company. Slyde secured a $200K investment on Shark Tank from Mark Cuban and Ashton Kutcher, grew to $2.5M annual revenue, and expanded to Dick's Sporting Goods nationwide.

Valid Studio

  • Founder & Lead Creative 2012-Present
    Independent design consultancy specializing in product design, prototyping, branding, and digital marketing. Clients span consumer products, startups, and higher education.

Protocol NY

  • Senior Industrial Designer 2008 – 2012
    Designed consumer electronics and home products including RC helicopters, kitchen tools, and outdoor gear. Products achieved national retail distribution at Best Buy, Bed Bath & Beyond, Target, Macy's, TJ Maxx, and Lord & Taylor.

Tech Stack FAVS

  • Adobe Creative Cloud
    An avid user of Adobe products, I regularly use Photoshop, Illustrator, Firefly, Substance, InDesign, Animate, and Mixamo in my work to develop and finalize visual content.

  • Google Business Suite
    Approximately 12 years of heavy use of almost all of google's tools, including Drive, Slides, Docs, Analytics, and Tag Manager, incorporation of Gemini and Deep Research has been a godsend for coordinating large teams with complex flows and tight deadlines.

  • Claude
    Need a thought partner or a reliable person to scour the internet to find research and give it to you straight? Claude is my guy. He checks my math and helps to run multiple scenarios to streamline approaches to marketing and troubleshooting.

  • Figma
    My go-to tool for collaborating with virtual employees or building out quick web prototypes for UX testing and iteration.

  • Rhinoceros 3D
    3D modeling complex organic forms, compound curvatures over complicated innards, or smooth, beautiful, intuitive handheld forms, this is the program to use.

Let's build something Together

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East Coast Native focused on making elevated things, serving excellent user experience, and driving growth.