[3] He developed a notable body of work of graphics, film and "industrial soul" music before his sudden death at the age of 39 in May 1999.
Commercial yet highly personal, Makela created visually aggressive work for clients such as Apple Computer, Rossignol, Nike and Sony.
Projects such as Michael Jackson's "Scream"[4] and film titles for the seminal Fight Club[5][6] defined a post-modern moment in graphic design, along with the work of contemporaries such as April Greiman and David Carson.
[7] Together with writer Lewis Blackwell they authored Whereishere (Ginko Press) an "unprecedented print-website concept that broke from the orthodox approach to understanding two dimensional design.
"[8] As a passionate snowboarder and mountain biker, Makela epitomized and expressed early 1990s American youth culture.