michael santoro, founder of maccase and multi-award-winning automotive and product designer

Meet Michael Santoro, Founder of MacCase

With over three and a half decades of experience at the highest levels of design, Michael Santoro built a career defined by innovation, timelessness, and mentorship. From award-winning designs for Chrysler to his ground-breaking creation of the Apple-specific case market with MacCase, to shaping the next generation of creatives, his work spans industries and institutions.

His breadth of experience spans product design, automotive design, interior design, graphic design, creative direction, and UX design. His career includes both corporate and entrepreneurial ventures, and he remains closely connected to the day to day operations of MacCase.

To understand the thinking behind every he's created with MacCase, start with The MacCase Story, then explore the Buyer's Guide to find the right solution for your needs. For a deeper look at the legacy of ideas, engineering and materials behind each design, the Design History & Innovations and Product Features & Protection Systems pages document nearly three decades of refinement and the MacCase Protection Ratings system shows exactly how that thinking translates into real-world performance.

Experience and Expertise

Founder / President / Chief Creative Officer
MacCase / Jan 1998 - Present

• Founded the Apple-specific case market with the launch of the first-ever iBook case
• Built a successful 28-year brand known for innovative design and world-class quality and customer service
• Reinvented the market by introducing the Premium Leather Collection growing revenue by 11% year over year
• Responsible for creative direction, product design, package design, photography, video, website/ UX design and digital content
• Devised a business model based on Kaizen principles that allowed for exceptional efficiency and revenue per employee
• Supervised a sales team that gained Tier 1 retail and international distribution with sales in 26 countries
• Utilized persona analysis and reporting working with agency partners to guide multi-channel advertising programs  

Founder / Creative Director / Chief Tutor
Art College Prep / May 2025 - Present

• Delivered one-on-one mentorship to aspiring artists across 10+ disciplines to fill skill gaps and meet the expectations of art colleges

• Achieved a 96% student acceptance rate into one or more top-choice art and design colleges globally

• Guided students in earning over $625,000 in scholarships to date, reducing the cost of world-class creative education for families

• Created and executed a five-pillar coaching curriculum covering Artwork Assessments, Art College Portfolio Projects, Art Portfolio Preparation, Admissions Strategy, and Interview Coaching

• Applied an award-winning professional background in product, graphic and automotive design, and creative direction to inform and elevate the technical and conceptual quality of student portfolios

Motorsports Livery Design Consultant
Desert Flight Racing / Audi Sport USA / Sept 2019

• Designed the liveries for a pair of Audi TCR race cars that captured the aspirations of the client and generated interest from the media and sponsors
• Directed team responsible for implementing designs to ensure flawless transition from desktop to race car
• Inspired by the new liveries, the race team went on to win the National Championship for their class

Consulting Creative Director
Angelina Hart - Adore / Feb 2017 - Oct 2020

• Laid the brand foundation and framework for women’s accessories start-up
• Conceptualized and directed the visual design language to deliver on the brand promise
• Executed an effective brand campaign that fostered growth from online-only into a 5-store retail expansion

President / Chief Creative Officer
DesignStar, Inc / Jan 1996 - Dec 2002

• Disrupted the art materials industry by offering products enabling creatives to carry their art supplies while living an active
  lifestyle and to access and work in previously inaccessible locations
• Developed the Studiopack backpack portfolios allowing artists to carry their supplies hands-free
• Achieved national distribution and was the #1 product in it’s category within 2 years

Automotive Designer / Consulting Creative Director
Vector Corporation / Sept 1995 - March 1996

• Administered all creative aspects of the Vector M12 supercar development and related materials
• Pushed creative boundaries with the design for the “American Anthem” M12 show car shown at the North American Auto show
• Collaborated with a multidisciplinary team to complete the vehicle exterior and interior designs
• Lead successful organizational rebrand to align with new marketing objectives
• Introduced, wrote copy for, and supervised photography for all communication materials
• Worked closely and strategically aligned with Program Management to develop the next generation of Vector supercars
• Reported and presented directly to the CEO to gain executive buy-in

Senior Industrial Designer
Walter Dorwin Teague / Aug 1994 - Aug 1995

• Managed and worked within a multidisciplinary team on a broad range of product, transportation, graphic, and UX programs
• Pioneered air travel concepts for Boeing Aerospace
• Created the interior design for the Gulfstream G5 private aircraft
• Innovated a new fork-lift design for Samsung, introducing the curved roll cage, now an industry-standard

Professor of Transportation and Mobility Design
Pratt Institute / Aug 1994 - Jan 1995

• Elevated the educational experience for students while pioneering innovative teaching methods

Automotive Designer
Chrysler Corporation / July 1988 - July 1994  

• Designed the exterior for Chrysler's multi-award-winning 1995 Car of the Year, the Cirrus sedan, along with the Dodge Stratus
• Spearheaded a team of engineers, sculptors and brand enthusiasts to create the exterior design for the Jeep Wrangler
• Invented the automotive Easter Egg as part of the Wrangler design, now used throughout the industry
• Conceptualized the first “overland” minivan for Dodge predicting the overland van culture by 20 years
• Redesigned the minivan roof rack saving the company $20 million a year receiving a patent for the idea

Additional Activities

• Host a successful Youtube channel teaching drawing fundamentals that has over 20,000 subscribers and 700,000 views
• Produced 3 design-based instructional courses for the Udemy platform that have reached over 3,000 students in 114 countries

• Linkedin - Michael Santoro

• Vist Michael Santoro Design to view the portfolio

Awards

• 1995 North American International Auto Show - Car of the Year
• 1995 Motor Trend Car of the Year
• 1995 Automobile Magazine - Automobile of the Year
• I.D. Magazine - Consumer Product of Distinction Award
• Florida Print Award - Best Brochure, Vector M12
• Holder of 8 U.S. Patent Awards

Press

• Car and Driver Magazine: “The Dodge Sport-Utility Van”- May 2023
• WGCH Radio - The Debbie Nigro Show: Interviewed to discuss design, career, etc. - Dec 2022
• Detroit Free Press: “Passion for Creativity - Former Car Designer Took Apple Accessories to a New Level”- Sept 2020
• Motor Authority: “See the Supercars That Never Made It Out Of Vectors Design Studio”- May 2020
• Authority Magazine: “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became a Founder”- Nov 2020
• Motor Authority: “How the Jeep Wrangler’s First Easter Egg Was Hatched”- Aug 2019
• Autoweek Magazine: “Passage by Design, The Designer Behind the Car of the Year”- Jan 1995
• New York Times: “The Designers Who Saved Chrysler”- Jan 1994Press