I’m a designer 
who writes.

Since 2003, I’ve had the honor of working with a wide variety of clients from boutiques and startups to Fortune 500 companies. I’ve designed books, brand identities, websites, and more. I’ve led creative teams and worked solo. Now, I’m back to running my own studio alongside my brother, Jon Steel. I live with my wife and four kids in Gainesville, Florida.

I am grateful for the daily opportunity to create work that informs people’s minds and lifts their spirits. If I can make you smile, even better. But the effort is wasted unless the message is true. As someone working in the justly-maligned field of branding, my intention is to uncover the actual value a client has to offer, distill it to the most compact and compelling form, and share that truth in ways that select the right audience. After delivering a brand identity, a client once told me I had given her to herself. As Wendell Berry says, “Good work graces with health. It heals with grace. It preserves the given so that it remains a gift.” With each project, I strive for no more and no less.

Good design is a way of proclaiming truth. Good writing is a way of ennobling the spirit and sharpening the mind.

The more I design, the more graphic my writing; the more I write, the more lyrical my design. For me, writing and design go hand in hand and I count myself blessed to have found a career that blends both disciplines.

If my words achieve any effect, I hope they help you become more fully awake and aware of the world as it is and as it could be. 

This website is where I catalog my astonishment, anguish, and delight. I write about the hunt for creative excellence and the pursuit of presence in a distracted world. I also show case studies of branding and design work that I’ve created with some of my favorite clients.

I’m glad you’re here, and I hope my work brightens your day.

[unex_ce_button id="content_riajqmse5,column_content_yni7mbm59" button_text_color="#201453" button_font="custom_one" button_font_size="20px" button_width="auto" button_alignment="left" button_text_spacing="0px" button_bg_color="#f1eeea" button_padding="17px 30px 17px 30px" button_border_width="1px" button_border_color="#201453" button_border_radius="0px" button_text_hover_color="#201453" button_text_spacing_hover="1px" button_bg_hover_color="#fc5158" button_border_hover_color="#fc5158" button_link="matt@mattsteelmakes.com" button_link_type="email" button_link_target="_blank" has_container="" in_column="1"]Start a conversation[/ce_button]

Capabilities

Branding
Brand audits
Naming
Brand positioning
Taglines & slogans
Logo design
Identity systems
Brand guidelines
Creative direction
Copywriting

Imagery
Illustration
Art direction
Iconography

Design for print
Books
Brochures
Stationery
Posters
Packaging
Signage

Design for screens
Information architecture
User interface design

Writing
Editorial commissions
Syndication for existing stories

What people say

Matt has done fantastic design work in both our print and digital media. He is an expert typographer and understands how to make the words jump off the page or screen by writing impressive copy and pairing it with an intentional layout. He takes a broader approach to understand the client’s brand, and how the design of a piece should be aligned with their brand strategy prior to beginning the work. 
– Katherine Wilson, VP of Marketing · Anova Furnishings

Finally, I found someone who could read my mind. What I mean by that is Matt took my rambling, incoherent thoughts and turned them into an excellent concept, then executed perfectly. If you’re interested in a great graphic designer, great thinker, great teammate, Matt’s the guy. Your only problem: You’ll have to get in line behind me for Matt’s services. 
– Nick Eicher, Chief Content Officer · World News Group

Such a well written and profound piece. Had my own workaholic multitasking faster hamster wheel business for 10 years. Now doing my best to work smarter, more creatively, slower. What is good business if not good judgment?
– Raman Frey, Writer · in response to my article, The Abundance of Slowness

I really like your commitment to design and quality. A lot. Smyth-sewn bindings last forever, archival paper that lasts hundreds of years, round European-style spine – all those details are what make something special. 
– A backer from my Kickstarter campaign to fund a new hardcover edition of Thoreau’s Walden

Let’s keep in touch! Sign up for Wonderlust, and I’ll deliver my next story straight to your inbox.

[unex_ce_mailchimp id="content_timk6m8i6" placeholder_text="Email Address" alignment="center" button_position="inline" button_spacing="0" input_placeholder_color="#a8a19b" input_width="span4" input_text_align="center" input_text_color="#fc5158" input_bg_color="#ffffff" input_padding="20px 30px 20px 30px" input_border_width="1px" input_border_color="#c7beb7" input_border_radius="0px" input_placeholder_color_mouseover="#201453" input_text_color_mouseover="#201453" input_bg_color_mouseover="#ffffff" input_border_color_mouseover="#201453" input_font_size="20px" input_font="custom_one" button_text="Giddyup" button_text_color="#ffffff" button_font="custom_one" button_font_size="20px" button_text_spacing="0px" button_bg_color="#201453" button_padding="20px 30px 20px 30px" button_border_width="1px" button_border_color="#201453" button_border_radius="0px" button_text_hover_color="#ffffff" button_text_spacing_hover="1px" button_bg_hover_color="#fc5158" button_border_hover_color="#fc5158" has_container="1" in_column=""]https://buttondown.email/api/emails/embed-subscribe/steelbrothers[/ce_mailchimp]

No spam, Sam-I-am