Thirty years in. Still obsessing about kerning.
Matt grew up on the South Coast of England, a stretch of coastline that optimistically calls itself the English Riviera, largely on the basis of pebbles and very occasional sun. He has since worked in the London, Amsterdam, Melbourne and Auckland, New Zealand, which represents a reasonable improvement in both weather and coffee culture.
He is Creative Director at Onfire Design in Auckland. The studio is ten people strong, opinionated, and constitutionally incapable of producing average work. Matt writes and designs, which some find efficient and others find alarming. His work stretches across FMCG, boutique and lifestyle brands using a careful blend of craft and narrative thinking - brands built to hold up under scrutiny, on shelf, and in the real world.
Outside of the studio, his CV takes a drastically, and sometimes disastrously, sharp turn. Former Southern England U15 Trampoline Champion. Brief West Sussex U17 Squash representative. BBC Screenwriting intern for four weeks, which he describes as "formative" and the BBC has chosen not to comment on (funny now, wasn’t then). He also completes Ironman events occasionally, juggles adequately, and has taught spin classes, none of which appear in a design awards criteria.
He is an also a terrible coffee snob, which he blames on 4 weeks experiencing the social rituals and cafes in Milan - are you even a coffee drinker if you are not two shots deep before 9am!?
Recognised globally with awards from Type Directors Club, Art Directors Club, Pentawards, The Dieline, and the World Brand Design Society, Matt has built a strong track record. He’s also judged various design awards, conference speaker and is a professional stakeholder for the Whitecliffe College Design Faculty in Auckland.
Recognition
2026
The Dieline | USA - Merit
World Brand Design Society | UK - 2 x Gold
World Brand Design Society | UK - 3 x Silver
World Brand Design Society | UK - 2 x Bronze
2025
Pentawards | UK - 2 x Gold
The Dieline | USA - Top 10 Brand Refreshes 2025
Type Directors Club | USA - Certificate of Excellence
Communication Arts | USA - Award of Excellence
World Brand Design Society | UK - Black Pin + Best of Show
World Brand Design Society | UK - 3 x Gold
World Brand Design Society | UK - 1 x Silver
World Brand Design Society | UK - 2 x Bronze
World Brand Design Society | UK - Top 10 Global Studio Ranking
2024
AGDA | Aus - Distinction
New Zealand Best Awards - Bronze
FAB Awards | UK - Silver
Pentawards | UK - Bronze
World Brand Design Society | UK - 1 x Gold
World Brand Design Society | UK - 3 x Silver
World Brand Design Society | UK - 1 x Bronze
World Brand Design Society | UK - Top 10 Global Studio Ranking
2023
Art Directors Club | USA - Shortlist
Pentawards | UK - Bronze
World Brand Design Society | UK - 2 x Silver
World Brand Design Society | UK - 3 x Bronze
World Brand Design Society | UK - Top 10 Global Studio Ranking
New Zealand Best Awards - Graphics Judge
2022
The Dieline | USA - Finalist
The Dieline | USA - Top 10 Rebrand of the Year - Talbot Forest Cheese
Pentawards | UK - Silver
Transform Magazine Awards | Asia - Bronze
World Brand Design | UK - 2 x Gold
World Brand Design | UK - 1 x Silver
World Brand Design | UK - Top 10 Global Studio Ranking
2021
Type Directors Club | USA - Certificate of Excellence
The Dieline | USA - Top 50 Global Packaging Designs - Finery Cocktails
World Brand Design | UK - 1 x Silver
World Brand Design | UK - 3 x Bronze
World Brand Design | UK - Top 10 Global Studio Ranking
The One Show | NYC - Jury Member The Next Creative Leaders