Michael Carpenter graduated from Parsons School of Design in New York City with a BA in Communication Design in May of 1991. During that time and continuing for one year after graduation he worked at Mirviss Design Associates, an interior design firm specializing in retail interiors. He worked with premier clientele such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Ellen Tracy, and Petrossian. In 1991 he joined Chief Executive magazine as Assistant Art Director. After four years he became the magazine's Art Director producing 10 issues plus 2 special technology issues a year. He joined Time Inc.’s Custom Publishing in November 1999 where he handled clients such as American Express, Fidelity Investments, Bank of America, Putnam Investments, Jaguar and Starbucks. He has been freelancing since 2005.