Michael's Story
Michael J. Karpovage
Michael is a native of western New York, a 1986 graduate of Fairport High School, and a 1990 graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology, specializing in design and illustration along with a minor in history. He worked some thirty years in the design and marketing field as an award-winning art director while freelancing with map design. And he's a bona fide treasure hunter, too (see below). Michael is also a Traveling Man of the Craft. He lives in Roswell, GA with his wife Laura.
Karpovage Creative, Inc.
This is the design and publishing firm of Michael J. Karpovage. Founded in 1999 as a freelance side hustle while he worked as an art director, his meticulously detailed, birds-eye-view map illustration style gained popularity with his Erie Canal Illustrated Map. He then partnered with the cartographic team of Mapformation in 2005 and has since created a multitude of college campus, resort, golf, hospital, and city maps. Michael uses a blend of cartographic artistry, geospatial data, and modern design tools such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and Wacom to digitally hand craft his maps.
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Historic Illustrated Maps
Michael Karpovage created these maps for the avid traveler that believes in the preparation process and getting the most out of their visit to America's most famed historical cities. The bestselling Savannah Historic District Illustrated Map was borne in August, 2012 and was instantly awarded the Best Recreational/Travel Map in the 40th Annual CaGIS Map competition that year. Since then, 40,000+ have sold! Haunted Savannah followed in 2015 to rave reviews. Bonaventure Cemetery came next in 2016. Another instant Amazon bestseller was released in 2018 with his Charleston Historic District Illustrated Map. 2020 brought the New Orleans French Quarter Illustrated Map. And 2025 will debut his most challenging and largest tourism map project, the Boston Historic Illustrated Map.
Custom Map Designs
As an expert cartographic artist, the Karpovage name is in high demand. His notable commissions include: the Buffalo Bills training camp; the California estate of Metallica's James Hetfield; philanthropist Darla Moore's botanical garden in South Carolina; the Royal Botanical Garden in Hamilton, Ontario; the Biltmore House; Ford House; and the famous golf resorts of Pebble Beach and Pinehurst. From military bases and WWII battlefields, to pharmaceutical plants and hospitals, to private schools, churches, and villages, Michael Karpovage's unique skillset can make your property shine like no one else's.
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Here's some of Michael's best Custom Maps.
Book Author
Michael's debut military thriller, Flashpoint Quebec, was published in 2003. Then came The Tununda Mysteries: Crown of Serpents, 2009, Map of Thieves, 2014, and, Skull of Disguises, 2018. His books are brilliantly-plotted and meticulously-researched meshing historical fact with adventurous treasure hunts. Think National Treasure meets Indiana Jones, but Rated R.
“SKULL OF DISGUISES is a Rubik’s Cube of betrayal, inhumanity, honor, bravery, and adventure set against the historical backdrop of WWII and a Freemason’s legacy.” —Timothy S. Yarbrough, reviewer.
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Available on Amazon (link) in print, ebook, audio.
Treasure Hunter
Michael's book research has taken him to some wild places. From an abandoned military base in New York, to lost mines in North Georgia, to the remote Blackbeard Island and visiting an inmate at a state prison, he's seen many places and met many unique individuals.
But when he joined a treasure hunting team in the summer of 2020, he struck silver – unfortunately not gold. Asked to come onboard as the historical researcher, Michael soon took the helm and formed a relic hunting company to crack the whereabouts of one of the greatest Civil War era treasures this country has known. Here's the announcement of the discovery of lost coins and artifacts from the famous Gold Wagon Train Robbery of 1865 in Georgia.
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More articles and interviews about Michael's adventures HERE.
Honors & Awards
2023 Best Travel Map – Moore Farm Botanical Garden – 51st CaGIS Map Competition
2023 Thomas L. Jackson Award for Masonic Education, Scottish Rite Valley of Rochester, NY
2016 Published in the Atlas of Design, Vol. III - Bonaventure Cemetery Illustrated Map
2011-2015 Published in Tourism Leadership Council's Southern Journey Book – Savannah
2012 Best Rec./ Travel Map – Savannah Map – 40th CaGIS Map Competition
2012 Bronze Award – Life University – Cover Design – NAIA
2008 Gold Medallion Award – Ellsworth CC Panthers Logo – NCMPR District V Awards
2008 Judges Citation – TC3 Planned Giving Package – SUNY CUAD Awards
2008 Judges Citation – TC3 Souvenir Cartoon Map – SUNY CUAD Awards
2008 Merit Award – TC3 Web Site – Admissions Marketing Awards
2007 Gold Medallion of Excellence – TC3 Admissions Folder – NCMPR
2005 Silver Award – TC3 Athletics Logo – Admissions Marketing Awards
2005 Merit Award – TC3 President Annual Report – SUNY CUAD Awards
2004 Gold Award – TC3 Recruitment Package – Admissions Marketing Awards
2002 Citation of Excellence – St. John Fisher College Athletics Logo – Rochester Ad Federation
1998 Harvey Readership Study Award – Chemical Processing Magazine
1998 Product of the Year Award – Lubricants World Magazine
1995 Best Ad Award – Industrial Distribution Magazine
1994 PIAG Awards – Award of Excellence
1994 Gold Ink Awards – Pewter Award
