matt defrain

Matt DeFrain's design career began early — before he entered college, in fact. After graduating from high school, his graffiti technique attracted the attention of Flint MI's Downtown Development Authority, which tapped him to spraypaint murals on a waterfront ampitheater. He is now an associate creative director at Grant Design Collaborative, the Canton GA design firm where DeFrain and company create award-winning design for clients like Adobe Systems Incorporated, AIGA, Herman Miller Incorporated, Blackberry Farm, Monterey Carpets, Muzak and SI Flooring Systems. The Western Michigan University graduate's work has been featured in 365: AIGA, Communication Arts, STEP inside design, Contract, HOW, Interior Design, Metropolis and PRINT. In his spare time, DeFrain can be found on his road bike or at his art studio. His fine art assemblages have been honored by the American Craft Council with an award of excellence.

Is graphic design a growth industry? Currently, businesses are demanding more strategic design thinking; that increases the likelihood that designers will become engaged in all parts of the business process. Designers who champion good design while creating practices that improve clients' bottom lines have a distinct advantage and will be valued by business and society.

Do graphic designers have a special responsibility to promote a green society? Designers are responsible for the environmental impact of the waste that is generated by the design process. At Grant Design Collaborative, our primary approach to addressing environmental concerns is to be design editors. We strip away extraneous content, materials and visuals to allow the essence of a product or service to be communicated effectively and with integrity. Our product-to-market philosophy affords us opportunities to incorporate our design thinking into manufacturing and distribution choices. Working that deeply in the client terrain increases our ability to integrate sustainable design practices into the equation.

ONE THING I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT IS either excedrin or my wife. It's a tie — but they're not related!

FAVORITE MOVIES

The Jerk
The Godfather
Amélie

FAVORITE BOOKS

George Herms: Then and Now: Fifty Years of Assemblage by Anthony Seraphin and George Herms
The Ruins by Scott Smith
By Design: Why There Are No Locks on the Bathroom Doors in the Hotel Louis XIV and Other Object Lessons by Ralph Caplan

FAVORITE SONGS

"Jam on It" by Newcleus
"Hoy es Adios" by Santana & Lerner
"The Way I Are" by Timbaland

FAVORITE FINE ARTISTS

Robert Rauschenberg
Alexander Calder
Joseph Cornell

FAVORITE TV SHOWS

CBS Sunday Morning
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Band of Brothers

BOOKMARKED WEBSITES

mediabistro.com/unbeige
swissmiss.typepad.com
worldchanging.com
designarchives.aiga.com
mocoloco.com
graffitiresearchlab.com
nijhoflee.nl