Michael Novak was born in Los Angeles, and lived in New York City for ten years before moving to Portland in 2007—officially placing him in the category of “person most despised by native-born Portlanders.” Over a 20-year career, he’s been an editorial Art Director at Time Warner and Portland Monthly, as well as an illustrator, designer, animator, and storyboard artist.

The highlight of Mike’s brief animation career was a year-long stint as a character layout animator on the Fox show King of The Hill, before he decided that drawing Hank Hill all day long was pretty damn boring. After the act of sitting at home waiting for the phone to ring put the kibosh on his freelance illustration career, he discovered design, which he loves.

His duties at Portland Monthly consist of making the magazine look and read awesomely, by designing covers, features, and pretty much anything else. In his free time he likes to sleep.

Mudroom

Our Hero, Zero

Intrepid map nerds discover a new GPS pursuit.

10/11/2010 By Julian Smith

Mudroom

Burb Battle

A new streetcar may divide two of Portland’s toniest bedroom communities.

09/13/2010 By Zach Dundas

Mixology 101

The Beer Fashioned

Too much of a good thing?

08/24/2010 By John Chandler

The Mudroom

Follow the LEEDer

Hood River’s renovated million-dollar middle school is a lean, green teaching machine

08/16/2010 By Lauren Fox

Mudroom

Pinot Partners

NW wines score some attention from Hong Kong

07/15/2010 By Kasey Cordell

Mudroom

The Perfect Party

People we’d most like at our dinner table this month

07/15/2010

Mudroom

ID-ing P-town

Portland searches for a future in industrial design.

07/02/2010 By Christian DeBenedetti

Mudroom

The Perfect Party

People we’d most like at our dinner table this month

06/16/2010

Mudroom

On a Wheel and a Prayer

Portland and Pope Pius XII team up to protect Oregon's bicyclists in a whole new way with Portland's new Bicycle Shrine, honoring the patron saint of cycling, the Madonna del Ghisallo.

06/10/2010 By Kasey Cordell