ABOUT MATTHEW
I am convinced in the objective nature of beauty and strive everyday to come to a better understanding of what that is. Through submission and conforming to this beauty, true precision can be accomplished.
With a degree in Art & Design from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, having studied Art History in Florence, and steeping myself in philosophy, literature, and music, I have a wide gamut of beauty to draw inspiration from.
I operate on four principles.
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1. Purpose
For what purpose is this design being created? This needs to be clear and must be the pivot point around which all other attributes revolve.
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2. Function
Functionality is the proper and intuitive means by which the Purpose is realized. Case studies, psychology, human behavior all determine decisions made in regards to functionality.
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3. Truth
At all costs, truth must not be sacrificed. A design must not be deceiving. This maxim is one that is rarely practiced today, but is one that cultivates lasting client and customer relationships.
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4. Beauty
Beauty is of utmost importance and is intrinsically related to the other three maxims. Beauty is the visual synthesis of Function operating under Truth for a given Purpose.
I ♥
- UI/UX
- HTML5
- CSS3
- jQuery/JS
- Backbone.js
- LESSCSS/SASS
- Blueprint
- Espresso
- Hierarchy (Typographical & Otherwise)
- Photoshop
- Illustrator
- Wordpress
- Ruby on Rails
- PHP
- InDesign
Web Design & Development
Experts-Exchange v10
After 5 years of increasingly antiquated design and code, the enormous project of rewriting all the lines of Java, reforming the markup and CSS to meet and exceed industry standards, along with implementing more interactive and engaging uses of jQuery/Javascript, EEv10 was released to the public on the beginning of 2012 and was met with lauds and garnered a significant rise in traffic and conversion.
EE Company Blog (Wordpress)
A custom Wordpress skin was created to match the new EEv10 styles along with custom article styles and promo-page integration. The blog was setup with editors and writers in mind, automating much of the styling to make it simpler for them to create articles.
FontPrep (Website)
A marketing page was required to help drive sales for FontPrep, a Mac OSX app designed and developed by my brother, Brian, and me. Since we released this app outside of the app store, the page had to be simple, yet attractive and convincing enough for our fellow web designers and developers to purchase the product.
FontPrep (OSX App)
FontPrep is a Mac OSX app designed using Sinatra (a Ruby-based framework similar to Ruby on Rails). My brother and I worked together for two weeks remotely, separated by hundreds of miles, to produce this font converter which fills a great need in the workflow of web designers and developers
ExpertOffice beta
ExpertOffice is a corporate Question & Answer web software that utilizes the same patented and proven technology that powers Experts Exchange to assist members of companies and various private groups to build an organic knowledgebase of information. I worked as the lead front-end developer and designer, ensuring an effective User Interface and preemptively addressing any points of tension in the system using data and feedback from Experts Exchange members.
JustDocuments
A cloud-based, no-installation file upload system designed to allow customers to store, share, and send large files from anywhere in the world to any computer.
JustDocuments Product Blog (Wordpress)
A custom Wordpress skin was created for all of the Redsource Interactive Products, including this one for JustDocuments. The design was meant to hearken to the aesthetic of JustDocuments proper yet differentiate itself as a blog.
Antiquify.js
Antiquify.js is a jQuery plugin that takes text and modifies the styles to make it look like it came straight off an old press. Randomized aberrations help create the illusion that the type was laid by hand using antique printing techniques. View a demo on the Antiquify.js webpage or download the plugin on GitHub.
GonzoHero
I was interested in developing a jQuery plugin that allowed me to transform DIV's into an animated slideshow specifically for this portfolio. I wanted it to be responsive, touch-enabled, light-weight, and able to transition between background-colors for each slide. The result was GonzoHero, an easy-to-use jQuery plugin which can be found on GitHub.
One Day Traffic School
Traffic school websites are notoriously clunky and cumbersome to navigate and use (but still much less painless than having to sit through in-person traffic school!) In order to further simplify and alleviate much of the pain that online traffic schooling still gives to users, I was hired to redesign the user interface and marketing strategy for One Day Traffic School. Tutorial videos and interactive supplementary material was developed and the online classroom was revamped to increase readability and promote a more effortless course completion.
O fantasy... who moves you when the senses do not spur you? A light that finds its form in Heaven moves you.
Corporate Identity
For he who would proceed aright... should begin in youth to visit beautiful forms... out of that he should create fair thoughts; and soon he will of himself perceive that the beauty of one form is akin to the beauty of another, and that beauty in every form is one and the same.
"He who works with his hands is a laborer. He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman. He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist."
Resume
Profile
Experienced & Enthusiastic Worker
9 years of experience with web design and development. Known for enthusiastic and driven attitude towards projects, flexibility and ingenuity.
Skills
Software
HTML, CSS3, Backbone.js, jQuery / JavaScript, AJAX, LESS, SASS / SCSS, PHP, Ruby on Rails, C++, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects, Premiere, Maya, Flash, ActionScript 3, WordPress Customization, vBulletin Customization
Art
Intermediate Digital Painting, Advanced Drawing, Intermediate Painting, Intermediate Photography and Artificial Lighting
Work Experience
FontPrep — San Luis Obispo, CA
September 2012 — Present
Co-creator / Front-End Developer and UI Designer
Developed a Mac OSX app for converting TTF and OTF fonts to web-ready font filetypes. Growing userbase in the thousands.
- Designed pre-release marketing strategy and beta program to drive interest and increase userbase.
- Worked remotely with partner to see a successful product launch from inception to completion in a matter of weeks.
Experts-Exchange — San Luis Obispo, CA
July 2010 — September 2012
Lead Designer on Products Team
Worked as lead designer of a small team of engineers, IA, and creative personnel to explore and develop new web productivity apps for individuals and businesses.
- Designed dozens of website identities.
- Worked intimately in a small group to see a cloud-storage product from inception to launch.
- Diagnosed and refined UI issues with various web entities including EEv10 with a user base in the hundreds of thousands using jQuery and gracefully degradeable CSS3.
- Helped implement internal productivity tools including SASS/SCSS and organization standards.
Lofy Enterprises Inc. — Bakersfield, CA
May 2009 — September 2010
Creative Director
Hired as Creative Director and head Graphic Designer to spearhead the redesign of four online traffic school websites.
- Analyzed the organizational and communicational problems of a 9-year old website and presented a complete restructuring of the site’s design.
- Developed Tutorials and Intro Animations using Flash and AfterEffects.
- Assisted in Audio / Video Studio Recording.
Guerrilla Design + Advertising — Bakersfield, CA
June 2008 — September 2008
Design Intern
Hired as a paid intern to develop corporate identities, advertisements, websites, packaging, and promotional material.
- Designed corporate identity concepts that were eventually chosen among others to be used as the company and/or organization’s image.
- Worked under creative directors in capturing a vision that exceeded the clients’ needs and expectations.
MD Manufacturing — Bakersfield, CA
June 2005 — September 2006
Design Intern
Kern High School District — Bakersfield, CA
June 2004 — August 2004
Design Intern
yaXay.com: Online Art, Design, and Development Form
Moderator, Podcast Host
Education
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Bachelor of Fine Arts, Art & Design, June 2010
Concentration: Graphic Design
Cumulative GPA: 3.365
Active Leader at Newman Catholic Center, Resident of Newman House for 2 years.
California State University, Florence, Italy
Art History, Italian, 2008-2009 (Intermediate in conversational Italian)
Volunteer Work
Society of St. Thomas More (website, fliers, marketing), St. Anne Byzantine Catholic Church (website), Central Coast Catholic Homeschoolers (website), Titanic Heroes (website), Serve poor at Prado Day Center
Awards & Honors
Best in Photography @ 2008 Annual Juried Exhibition - Cal Poly, SLO, 1st Place Website @ New York Virtual Business trade fair, 1st Place Website @ Virginia Virtual Business trade fair, 1st Place Website @ Bakersfield Virtual Business trade fair, 2nd Place Website @ San Diego Virtual Business trade fair