Matthew J Smith

CREATIVE & PRODUCT DESIGN LEADER

Brand Strategy • Product Design • UX • Digital • Creative Direction • AI

Ann Arbor, Michigan
matthewjsmith.com · LinkedIn

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

Creative and product design leader with 25+ years of experience connecting strategy, design, technology, and storytelling to solve complex business problems.

Experienced across startups, technology companies, global organizations, and independent creative practice, with a career spanning brand strategy, product design, UX, digital experiences, creative direction, presentation design, content, illustration, and emerging AI workflows.

Known for connecting people and ideas across disciplines—turning complex challenges into clear, compelling experiences that support both business objectives and user needs.

CORE EXPERTISE

Creative Leadership
Creative Direction · Design Leadership · Design Strategy · Brand Strategy · Innovation · Team Building

Product & Experience
Product Design · UX/UI · Web Design · User Experience · Design Systems · Prototyping · Figma

Brand & Communication
Brand Identity · Visual Systems · Storytelling · Presentation Design · Content Strategy · Illustration · Video & Motion

Digital & Technology
Figma · Adobe Creative Suite · Framer · Sketch · WordPress · HTML/CSS · PowerPoint

AI & Emerging Technology
Generative AI · AI-Assisted Design · Research · Ideation · Content Development · Rapid Prototyping · Creative Production

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

MATRAMEDIA - Owner

April 2024 – Present | Ann Arbor, Michigan

Independent creative practice providing strategic design and creative direction for technology companies, organizations, universities, startups, and growing businesses.

• Lead projects across brand, product, UX, web, presentation, illustration, content, and creative direction.

• Partner directly with clients and leadership teams to identify opportunities and translate business challenges into design solutions.

• Develop digital experiences and website redesigns from strategy and information architecture through visual design and implementation.

• Transform complex products and ideas into clear, compelling visual stories.

• Create executive presentations, sales communications, events, and customer-facing experiences.

• Build flexible creative teams and collaborate with specialists when projects require additional expertise.

• Incorporate AI into research, ideation, visual exploration, content development, prototyping, and creative production.

Selected clients: Siemens · University of Michigan · Clarivate · Brightflag · Travel Automation

SUPPLYFRAME

Senior Design Director

June 2022 – April 2024 | Pasadena, California

Led design and creative initiatives for a technology company providing Design-to-Source Intelligence for the global electronics value chain.

• Led the redesign of the Supplyframe website, bringing greater clarity and consistency to a complex portfolio of products and capabilities.

• Connected brand, UX, content, and product storytelling into a more cohesive digital experience.

• Partnered with marketing, product, executive leadership, and external agencies.

• Developed visual strategies for complex technology and data-driven products.

• Led creative direction across digital marketing, campaigns, content, and communications.

• Helped establish stronger design processes and cross-functional collaboration.

• Worked within a hybrid model, collaborating remotely while traveling from Michigan to California for intensive periods of in-person team collaboration.

Impact: Helped shift the digital experience from simply explaining what Supplyframe was to demonstrating what customers could accomplish with its products and capabilities.

COUPA SOFTWARE

Senior Design Director

January 2021 – February 2022 | Ann Arbor, Michigan

Continued design leadership following Coupa's acquisition of LLamasoft.

• Provided creative and design leadership during the integration of LLamasoft into Coupa.

• Supported brand, product, marketing, and customer experience initiatives.

• Helped bridge design practices and organizational cultures during a significant period of transition.

• Applied strategic design thinking across complex enterprise software experiences.

• Collaborated with marketing, product, and executive stakeholders.

LLAMASOFT SOFTWARE

Design Director

December 2018 – January 2021 | Ann Arbor, Michigan

Led design strategy and creative direction for LLamasoft prior to its acquisition by Coupa.

• Led the evolution of the corporate brand and visual identity.

• Developed a comprehensive brand system and style guide.

• Partnered with marketing, product, and executive leadership to create a more cohesive customer experience.

• Contributed to UI/UX, product marketing, campaigns, content, and product storytelling.

• Led executive presentations and customer-facing event experiences.

• Mentored designers and helped establish a stronger internal design culture.

COVID-19 Global User Conference

When the company's annual global user conference could no longer be held in person, helped lead the rapid transformation into a fully virtual experience.

• Reimagined the event experience, presentations, digital assets, and visual system.

• Delivered the experience under extraordinary time constraints.

• Created a cohesive experience across presentations, communications, and digital touchpoints.

• The resulting conference became the company's most successful event to date, breaking attendance records.

Acquisition: LLamasoft was acquired by Coupa for approximately $1.5 billion. The company's handling of the virtual conference and overall customer experience was recognized as an important factor in the acquisition, and I was among the small percentage of LLamasoft employees retained through the acquisition.

CAREER NOW BRANDS

Partner / Senior Creative Director

August 2016 – March 2017

Senior Creative Director

May 2014 – August 2016

Joined a five-person startup and helped transform its approach to digital marketing, product strategy, lead generation, and content.

• Helped redefine the company's digital product and growth strategy.

• Developed SEO and content strategies to reduce dependence on paid advertising.

• Designed landing pages and digital experiences around user intent and conversion.

• Developed original content by interviewing professionals and translating expertise into useful digital experiences.

• Helped establish scalable processes for content, design, and digital marketing.

• Led creative strategy and design while collaborating directly with company leadership.

• Progressed into a Partner/Senior Creative Director role as the business evolved.

Impact: Helped increase lead generation by approximately 10× and transform a small startup into a more scalable digital business.

SELECTED CLIENT EXPERIENCE

Siemens · University of Michigan · Clarivate · Brightflag · Travel Automation · General Motors · Ford Motor Company

DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY

Adobe: Photoshop · Illustrator · InDesign · Creative Suite
Product & Digital: Figma · Sketch · Framer · WordPress · HTML/CSS
Presentation: PowerPoint · Keynote · Executive Presentations
Creative: Illustration · Animation · Video Production · Video Editing
AI: Generative AI · AI-Assisted Research · Ideation · Prototyping · Content · Creative Production

EDUCATION

Washtenaw Community College

1997 – 2002




< BACK