Mark Wilhelm
Creative.
Regardless of how you found your way here.
Welcome!
I'm Mark Wilhelm
A multidisciplinary designer with 25 years of experience solving visual and communication problems.
Turning complexity into clarity through brand, digital, UX/UI, illustration, and product design. I design with accessibility and inclusion in mind, creating experiences that are clear, intuitive, and meaningful to the people using them.
If you came here via my resumé you'll find my body of work first. If you're here scouting a designer for some Freelance work, there is a little more about me and my process after the Exhibits. In either scenario, thanks for being here.
Exhibits.
A collected sample of the diversity of design available to my clients or employers.
A. Branding
B. Print
C. Ux/Ui
D. Storytelling
E. Illustration
Exhibits.
A collected sample of the diversity of design available to my clients or employers.
A. Branding
B. Print
C. Ux/Ui
D. Storytelling
E. Illustration
Branding.
Frighteningtales.com
In early 2026, the Frightening Tales brand was formalized into a system designed to carry the podcast into the future. Until then, the brand had developed without a defined visual identity.
Retro horror comics became the foundation for the new direction. Because the identity needed to work alongside a wide range of comic imagery and typography, the supporting system was deliberately restrained.
A single typeface became the foundation and a consistent visual cue throughout the brand. The colour palette followed the same approach: three colours inspired by the classic hues of early graphic design. Black, white, and red were shifted toward the period with charcoal, crimson, and an aged yellow-white.
The resulting system gives the artwork room to tell the story while providing the consistency and recognition needed to hold the brand together.
College Employer Council Logo
While working at OCAS, a partner needed a logo mark to establish a stronger visual identity. Their brand voice and colour palette were already established, but they needed a symbol that could become recognizable on its own.
A discovery session with the team identified several key ideas: connection, interlocking, teamwork, and strength. The team also wanted the letters CEC incorporated directly into the mark.
The resulting symbol brings these ideas together through interlocking forms that suggest connection and strength, while integrating the CEC initials into the structure of the mark.
Department of Curious Findings
Created for a novel of the same name, the author wanted an embellished mark with classical flourishes and an old-world sensibility.
Rather than adapting an existing typeface, the entire mark was illustrated from scratch, drawing the lettering and ornamental details as a single composition. Its completely custom nature gives the identity a distinctive character that couldn't simply be reproduced by selecting a font.
Print.
Ontario Colleges Event Materials
In 2026, a series of informational cards was created as handouts for events attended by the promotional team. The material needed to be attractive, on brand, and easy to understand at a glance.
The cards were designed to give prospective students a clear overview of the college journey, from the types of programs available through to how to apply. Key application dates and important steps were included so students could leave with the information they needed to take the next step.
OCAS Annual Applicant Survey Report
Each year at the completion of the application cycle applicants to colleges in Ontario receive and invite to fill out an applicant survey. Those result are gathered and assembled into a report provided to the 24 public colleges in Ontario. I was the lead designer on these reports.
OCAS Family Cookbook
A collection of recipes submitted by staff was brought together and treated with the same care and attention as a professional, for-profit publication. The result was such a success that the cookbook became a cherished gift, finding its way into the homes of extended family members as well.
Ui/Ux.
ontariocolleges.ca
In 2025, OCAS began a project to rebrand Ontario Colleges and redesign ontariocolleges.ca, a consolidated catalogue of programs offered by Ontario’s 24 public colleges. The site receives more than 7 million visitors annually, with more than 200,000 students applying through the service in 2026.
The experience brought together a large amount of data, business rules, college requirements, and program information. The challenge was to make that complexity feel simple for the student.
Working alongside a Product Designer, the new brand was translated into the digital experience through wireframes and UI design. Design discussions helped shape the evolving product, with ideas and visual solutions carried through into the final experience.
Navigation Levels
The experience used two levels of navigation. The primary navigation provided access to key areas of the page, while a secondary navigation gave users access to actions they could take throughout the experience.
Because those actions could be needed at any point, the secondary navigation was placed above the primary navigation. Its quieter visual treatment created a clear hierarchy while keeping those actions easy to find.
Several navigation approaches were explored before settling on spacious dropdown menus. Giving each option room to breathe kept the interface from feeling crowded or intimidating, especially when presenting a large number of choices.
Brand elements were used as accents throughout the navigation to connect it to the broader visual system without distracting from the task at hand.
Visual Language
The brand concept centered on the learner’s path through education. The challenge was finding a way to bring that idea into the digital experience in a meaningful way. The solution was to represent the path as a simple line, creating a visual element that could move throughout the website and shape the illustrations, icons, and interface.
The learner’s pathway through education was represented as a simple line. Clear and flexible, it became a visual tool throughout the website, shaping the illustrations, icons, and interface.
Event Calendar
As the project progressed, the event calendar became part of the product design work. One challenge was the potential for a single day to contain more events than the calendar could comfortably display. A marker system was introduced to indicate when events were available, allowing users to select a day and view its full itinerary without overcrowding the calendar.
Illustration.
Teamwork
Leadership
Passion
Wilhelm Branding
An iteration of my personal branding was developed loosely based off my signature. An M over a W connected/completed via a line passing through both.
These whimsical characters would represent the merits/aspects that I hold myself to or associate with my brand. These are (left to right) Teamwork, Leadership and Passion.
Frightening Tales Seasonal Branding
Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.
Character Sketches
For the Novel "Department of Curious Findings" the author wanted sketches of the characters throughout the ends of chapters to fill the pages where there was large amounts of negative space. The images needed to be hand drawn, warm, and on character.
Vector Ursa Major
Created as a gift for a friend. This bear was hours of work, completely drawn in Adobe Illustrator.
My time in animation taught me not to become attached to a single style, but to learn how to draw in different styles to suit the project I'm working on. As a result, my own illustration style remains deliberately loose and evolving. I don't see that as a detriment. It has allowed me to develop a broad visual vocabulary and the versatility to create illustrations that serve the needs of a project rather than forcing every project into my own style.
Next Stop College
Ontariocolleges.ca was looking for a mascot character for their events in 2024. The Character needed to be whimsical. Carrying everything he'd need to get to college. The artwork ended up on stickers and foamcore standees, and other event materials. Originally sketched in pencil, then redrawn and cleaned up on a tablet.
Optimus Prime
This illustration was created to coincide with a visit to TFCON Toronto, where I had purchased a VIP pass that got me in to see Peter Cullen original voice of Optimus Prime.
I wanted to create a poster for my son that was illustrated by his Dad and signed by his hero. The design turned out pretty great. I had people at the convention asking me where they could get one. But this was explicitly for my little boy.
It was entirely created in Adobe Illustrator.
Storytelling.
FrighteningTales.com Podcast
FrighteningTales.com Podcast
Curated Episodes
Spectacular Seasons
Thousand Downloads +
Countries Tuning-in
Voice Over Work
Ford Tough
Automotive Commercial Sample
Skillsets Used:
- Narration
- Audio Editing
- Sound Design / Audio mixing
Cosmos
Documentary Style Narration
Skillsets Used:
- Script writing
- Narration
- Editing
- Sound Design / Audio Mixing
Motion & Video
Horror's Famous Speak
Promo: Frightening Tales
Skillsets Used:
- Concept & Direction
- Narration
- Editing
- Sound Design / Audio Mix
Job Shadow Death
Promo: Frightening Tales
Skillsets Used:
- Concept & Direction
- Narration
- Editing
- Sound Design / Audio Mix
Thank you.
Thank you for taking the time to explore my work. If you have a creative challenge you’d like to discuss, I’d love to hear about it and see how I can help.
If you’d like to learn more about the skills behind the work, keep exploring.
Tools I'm
fluent in.
Brand & Visual Design
Brand Identity
Visual Design
Typography
Illustration
Motion Graphics
Print Design
Art Direction
UX/Product Design
UX/UI Design
Information Architecture
Design Systems
Interaction Design
Responsive & Accessible Design
WCAG/AODA Compliance
Research & Strategy
Research & Strategy
Discovery Workshops
Requirements Gathering
User Journey Mapping
Stakeholder Collaboration
MVP Scoping
Agile / Iterative Design
Workflow Design
Tools & Technology
Figma / Miro
Adobe Creative Cloud
HTML / CSS / Tailwind
WordPress
Azure DevOps
Monday.com
Microsoft 365
Canva Affinity
Teams I've
helped.
TD Bank
Ontario College Application Service Ontario Learn
Colleges Ontario
St. Lawrence
College Conestoga College
Ontario Colleges
College Trades
College Employer Council
Frightening Tales & Other Weird Stories
Toronto Grizzlies Football
Education.
I hold a Bachelor's degree equivalent in Education, supported by more than 25 years of professional design experience. My formal creative training includes two years of Illustration at Sheridan College and two years of classical Animation and Storytelling training, providing a foundation in drawing, visual communication, character, composition, movement, and narrative.
In 1998, I transitioned into Graphic Design and Front-End Development, expanding my skills into digital design and learning HTML and CSS. This combination of formal education, traditional art training, and more than two decades of professional practice has shaped my approach as a multidisciplinary designer, bringing together visual design, illustration, storytelling, interaction, and digital production.
In 2020, I expanded my professional skill set to include digital accessibility and accessibility-focused design. I developed a working knowledge of WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) and AODA (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act), applying accessibility principles to digital experiences, visual design, and user interfaces.
Because the world needs creativity.
Contact.
If you're looking for design, illustration or a little creative thinking, reach out. I'm about the work first and foremost. Creative work isn't just my profession, it's my passion.