Matthew Dugger Interview – 50 States (Ohio)
Matthew Dugger– “I do not find camping enjoyable”
This week, Creative Chair is in Cincinnati, Ohio, where we’re talking to design Matthew Dugger for the 39th instalment of our 50 States series.
Matthews design incorporate illustrative elements and a range of styles.
You can see more projects on his website.
Tell us a little bit more about yourself and what you do
My name is Matthew Dugger, a Senior Designer for a branding and innovation agency located in Cincinnati, OH. I work on a lot of really cool big name brands, I drink almost exclusively old fashions and gin and tonics, I’m a tiny human doing big things, I can’t post most of my work due to NDA’s, I have a rescue chihuahua that would probably hate you, I care way too much how my apartment looks, and despite popular opinion here in the Midwest, I do not find camping enjoyable.
How has your state influenced the work that you do?
Ohio is often referred to as the armpit of the United States, which I can understand, but it has a surprising number of good things to offer. Proctor & Gamble is headquartered here, so you can imagine the kinds of brands I get to work on at my agency. Grocery shopping is quite the experience because my agency influences a lot of what you see on shelf.
Cincinnati is pretty landlocked from the rest of the world, which creates more challenge than opportunity. The culture of the city is rooted in German heritage. It borders Kentucky so there is a lot of bourbon influence and bluegrass music. I’m not sure that these things inherently influence my work in an apparent way but I think that subconsciously there are things that I learn from the culture I’m in that affect the way I design.
The 138th 366 Award goes to Matthew Dugger for his outstanding creative work.
Of your own work, what is your favourite project and why?
My favorite project currently in my portfolio is the rebrand I did for The Brandery. I’m a sucker for a great idea. And the idea for The Brandery rebrand was really, stupid simple and so perfect for the brief we were given (brief is summarized on my website) that it was the only time I have ever gone into a client presentation with only one idea.
We had the client in the office, printed a manifesto on newsprint paper and set it in front of them, walked away, and came back when they were done reading it. They loved the work and couldn’t have been happier. It certainly got a lot of recognition in the city and awards shows that year.
And finally, if you died and got reincarnated as a song, what would that song be?
Definitely: Sharp Dressed Man by ZZ Top.
