Mike's Story ...
KARPOVAGE CREATIVE, INC:
This is the design and publishing firm of founder Michael J. Karpovage. Started in 1999 as a freelance side hustle while he worked as an art director, his map illustration style gained popularity when he partnered with the cartographic team of Mapformation in 2005. College and university campus maps was his marketplace ever since. In 2012, Michael branched into retail creating his first historic illustrated map under his company brand. He's now producing his sixth map in the line while still creating exceptional quality commissioned maps for a multitude of clients. Recently he became a member of Illustrators For Hire, a curated group of professional freelancers from around the world.
HISTORIC ILLUSTRATED MAP GUIDES:
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 2024 will debut his most challenging and largest tourism map project, the Boston Historic Illustrated Map.
MAPS:
Here's a 2012 in-depth interview by Philip Riggs of Decorative Maps about Michael's map illustration career.
Here's another article by Michael on Crafting a Fantasy Map.
WRITING:
Michael's debut military thriller, Flashpoint Quebec, was published in 2003. Michael's debut mystery thriller, Crown of Serpents, was published in 2009. His second book in The Tununda Mysteries, Map of Thieves, was published in 2014. The third book in the series, Skull of Disguises, was published September 2018.
DESIGN:
Here's some featured design portfolio pieces created during Michael's designer/art director career in various ad agencies and marketing departments.
PERSONAL:
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. He worked some thirty years in the design and marketing field. And he's a bona fide treasure hunter – laying claim in 2020 to the first discovery of the lost Confederate treasure ever recorded. Michael is a Traveling Man of the Craft affiliated with Fidelity-Hobasco Lodge #51 in Ithaca, NY. And he's a secret guardian of the Knights Templar treasure hidden deep underneath New York City (cough, wink). He lives in Roswell, GA with his wife Laura, their staffy Zoey, and cats Tybee, Mojo, and Mini.
HONORS & AWARDS:
2023 Best Rec./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 Map
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