Meet Michael Santoro

With more than thirty years working at the highest tiers of the design world, Michael Santoro has built a career marked by originality, longevity, and a deep commitment to mentoring others. His accomplishments range from award-winning automotive work at Chrysler to pioneering the modern Apple-specific case industry through MacCase, all while helping shape the next generation of creative thinkers across multiple fields.

His experience spans product, automotive, interior, and graphic design, along with creative direction and UX. This wide-ranging background gives him an unusually comprehensive understanding of the creative landscape—knowledge he brings directly to the students he mentors. His career bridges both corporate and entrepreneurial ventures and keeps him closely connected to professionals working in areas such as illustration, animation, and digital design.

Paired with this industry expertise is more than a decade of teaching and mentorship, including faculty appointments at Pratt Institute, guest instruction at Art Center College of Design and the College for Creative Studies, and successful online courses through Udemy. He has helped countless young designers refine their portfolios, strengthen their artistic voice, and win admission, often with partial or full scholarships, to top art and design programs through How to Draw Cars and Art College Prep.

“My combination of real-world experience and proven teaching gives me the ability to meet students where they are and guide them toward becoming confident creators and future industry leaders.”

This page highlights that journey, from milestone projects and press coverage to the mentoring work that has helped students gain entry to leading art and design institutions.

Michael Santoro's CV

Experience

Founder / Creative Director / Chief Tutor
Art College Prep / How to Draw Cars

• 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

Founder / President / Chief Creative Officer
MacCase

• Founded the Apple-specific case market with the launch of the first-ever iBook case
• Built a successful 27-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

Race Car Livery Design Consultant
Desert Flight Racing / Audi Sport USA

• Designed the liveries for a pair of Audi TCR race cars that captured the aspirations of the client and generated media and sponsor interest
• 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

• 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

• Disrupted the art materials industry by offering products enabling creatives to carry their art supplies while living an active lifestyle
• 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

• 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

• 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 Design
Pratt Institute

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

Guest Instructor

• Art Center College of Design
• College for Creative Studies

Automotive Exterior Designer
Chrysler Corporation

• 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

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

• Vist Michael Santoro Design to view the portfolio

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

Career Highlights

1995-2005 Jeep Wrangler for Chrysler

1995 Dodge Stratus for Chrysler

G5 Interior for Gulfstream Aerospace

1995 Chrysler Cirrus for Chrysler

M12 Super Car Design for Vector

Roof Rack Design for Chrysler

Graphic Design For Various Brands

iBook Case Design for MacCase

Molded Briefcase Design for MacCase

Race Car Livery Design for Audi

Illustration for Maspeth Bank

Fine Art Painting Arcylic on Canvas

Awards and Press

A partial list of articles covering the work of Michael Santoro

Tutoring and Mentorship

In addition to the work here on How to Draw Cars, Michael Santoro has 3 successful courses on the Udemy platform as well as a successful YouYube channel helping hundreds of thousands of aspiring artists and designers around the world.

Students from all over the world have benefited from working directly with Micheal on their artwork assessment, tailored course automotive design projects, art portfolio preparation, admission strategy or interview coaching. He has successfully validated his methodologies, leading to exceptional outcomes in top-tier art and design college admissions, earning significant scholarship awards, and seamless creative career transitions for his students.

michael santoro's youtube channel how to draw cars

Now that you know about mine…

Let’s Talk About Your Creative Journey

“Every aspiring artist has a unique voice waiting to be nurtured. I did. Every parent wants to see their child thrive. My did as well. If you’re wondering how to best support your creative path, I’d love to help. Whether you’re just starting to explore automotive, transportation or mobility design, drawing or art school options or looking for guidance on how to prepare a strong portfolio, I’m here to offer clarity and support.

Our model works.

Let’s start with a free conversation.

Reach out and let’s begin to plan your creative future.”

– Michael Santoro

Free Artwork Review