Michael Leonardini🇺🇸

About Michael Leonardini

Design Director at The Shipyard

With over 18 years of experience in the creative industry, I am a multi-disciplinary Creative Director specializing in Branding, Design, and Advertising. I have worked with clients across various sectors, including Tech, CPG, Luxury, Tourism, and Healthcare, delivering award-winning solutions.

I coach creative professionals at any age, who desire the skills and insights to take their career and personal brand to the next level. Through creative leadership acumen and personal brand exercises, I help strengthen your knowledge base and personal development—accelerating your learning and increasing your capabilities for a more creative and fulfilling life.

Expertise

Sessions with Michael Leonardini

• Free 30-Minute Mentorship Session (30 min): This is a 30-minute session that is free and available to anyone, from junior to senior to executive level. This session will help you when you want to: • Improve your design portfolio • Prepare for a job interview or a peer review of self-appraisal • Understand better how companies hire designers • Get design career advice for any career level • Solve a professional issue • Discuss solutions for creative blocks and get back in the flow Please come prepared with questions, and if you have anything you would like to share (for example, a design, a briefing, your portfolio, or your resume), please do so beforehand.
• Resume and Portfolio Review & Revamp (90 min): In these mentorships, we'll review your resume and existing portfolio and provide constructive feedback for improvement. You'll receive guidance on using AI to eliminate redundancy and provide real value to past experiences from the perspective of the position you want to hold. We'll enhance visual appeal, organize content and strategy, and target specific audiences. Revamp your portfolio to make a lasting impression and increase your chances of landing dream projects or job opportunities.
• Personal Brand Elevation Workshop (60 min): Designed for professionals who desire to build their personal brand and accelerate their careers, and create a more fulfilling life faster. I've taken 20 years of design and advertising experience and compressed it into a 4-week course designed to help people with various degrees of understanding about branding, personal branding, identity, and content strategies. Here are the weekly themes we will explore in great detail. • Benefits, value, and roadmap for personal branding • Articulate your competitive advantage– and discover your Why. • Practice and market communication congruently by creating a content strategy that aligns with your values, competencies, and goals. • Show and tell: Gain real-time feedback and insights into your launch In the end, you will create your own personal brand expression. Whether it's to communicate your values clearly, advance your career, or differentiate yourself, this course will help move you forward and improve your life in actionable ways.

What mentees say

“I worked with Michael while facing near existential challenges with motivation and self-doubt about my place in the creative field. Over the course of several months, I worked on my new portfolio while having regular review sessions with Michael. I was in a very different place after my most recent session with Michael! A much better place.”

“Michael is an exceptional mentor who listens attentively and demonstrates incredible patience. He thoughtfully shared his professional experience, providing practical suggestions tailored to my needs. His warm and caring encouragement made me feel supported and motivated throughout our session. I truly appreciate his insights and the positive energy he brings to mentoring.”

“I had a wonderful time meeting with Michael. I was really impressed with his thoughtful approach, asking lots of questions of me, listening intently to best understand me and my situation before he started to give advice. Hes a wonderful mentor. Our time together flew by and I can't wait till our next session.”