Hi, I’m Matt. I am a Strategic Graphic Recorder. I listen to people’s stories, speeches and discussions and then I draw what I have heard.
Listening is my best skill.
Backing up a little bit, I am an electrical engineer by education, an artist by choice, a salesman by necessity, and a strategist by skill and experience. My career has been one of envy by many. While I started out designing handheld computers in my 20s, I then designed wall murals, set up corporate processes, sold industrial control systems, and designed websites in my 30s, and today, I, Listen.
There are a few people across our country that do what I do- transcribe meetings into visuals. Some call themselves graphic facilitators, scribes, visual practitioners, and even brainstorming artists.
So, where did I get my title of Strategic Graphic Designer? A client that hired me to help out with visual messaging for a number of Cleveland startups gave me this title almost as a joke because of my stepping in at a strategic level. I kept the title. The titles you can give yourself are the most exciting.
My first job as strategic graphic designer, however was in 2009. I was hired by a strategy consultancy firm to be an onsite artist for a local manufacturing company. Scared out of my mind, I practiced, I bought bright markers, I pre-drew designs, and… I had the time of my life. One of the best back handed compliments from a C-level executive was:
I had no idea what the heck you guys were talking about until HE drew it.
I live and work in Exotic Peninsula, Ohio (Between Cleveland and Akron Ohio). My hobbies include reading, bicycling, but I love what I do- so that’s practically a hobby in and of itself.