One of the most integral components of the human race that has enabled our species to evolve over the course of time is that innate ability to design.  The fact that humans can develop a concept out of thin air and then transform that figment of imagination into a physically existing object is simply phenomenal.  Fast forward yourselves from the idea of cavemen designing tools for hunting or scientists designing aircrafts to transport humans into outer space… and bring yourself to the present day.  In this featured article Ferro Productions is going to dive into the world of Graphic Design by sharing with you the story of our own in-house designer, Matt Swensen.

“Graphic design is everywhere I look.  On food labels, television commercials, magazines, clothing, websites, coffee mugs… everywhere.  Everything you see started out as an idea.  It’s my job to transform those ideas into reality.”- MS

Overhead view of Swensen working on a new design.

Matt Swensen is a twenty-three year old designer from northern New Jersey.  Please don’t let the age fool you, for Matt has been waist deep in the industry since he was a teenager.  At the age of sixteen Matt spent a lot of time hanging out with his friends that were members of a local band.  Mr. Swensen would occasionally capture photo and video for the band and as he shares, “That’s where I really started to figure out I was interested in production.”  Matt’s newfound interest in production along with his already keen fascination with computers proved to be the perfect ingredients for this young man to get started in the industry.

A member of the local band was making t-shirts, flyers, and bumper stickers to sell at shows… This caught Swensen’s attention. Although Matt considered himself a horrible artist, he was fascinated with this new fad that his friend was involved in.  Swen immediately installed PhotoShop on his father’s PC Laptop and began exploring.  “I remember sitting on that old laptop and just typing in ‘Cool PhotoShop tutorials’ on Google.  After that I would spend hours upon hours going through these tutorials and literally teaching myself how to use the program.  It was honestly fun, except for the fact that I spent a lot of time staring at the progress bar waiting for stuff to load.”

By 2007, at the age of 17, Matt got his first Mac Book and no longer was he spending hours staring at the progress bar on his father’s PC.  The senior in high school was cutting skateboard and music videos on Final Cut Pro and learning the basics of graphic design on PhotoShop.  A kid who once considered himself a horrible artist was now discovering that he could use his creativity and intelligence to portray art… on a computer.

When it came time to graduate school, Matt was stuck at a crossroads.  “All of my friends were going off to big Universities but I really wasn’t into that.  I didn’t like being forced down the standard road that everyone else was so content with.  I decided I was going to try my own thing and teach myself everything I needed to know.  If it didn’t work then I would settle and go back to the way everyone else does things.”

Matt’s “MAKE SOME NOISE” graphic on the big screen at Metlife.

A classmate of Mr. Swensen’s caught wind of his experience with Final Cut and PhotoShop and hooked him up with an interview for the New York Giants Broadcasting Crew.  The eighteen year old made quite the impression at his interview, as he was offered a position immediately.  Matt’s first week on the job was nothing short of overwhelming.  “My boss gave me a laptop with an After Effects project opened and said ‘We need this by the end of the week.’  I went from making band flyers that 10 people saw to designing motion graphics for network TV, overnight.”

Where many would have folded, the determined new Graphics Designer spent the whole week on the internet watching video tutorials for After Effects.  Needless to say he got the job done and the rest is history.  Matt now finds himself approaching his sixth season with NYG Broadcast, working as the head of the Graphics department.  His day-to-day work is featured on all of the Giants network TV shows, as well as on the big screens at MetLife stadium on game day.

During our interview with Swensen he reveiled his inside opinion on what it takes to make it in the industry.  You may begin to notice a reoccurring theme with the insider tips given by all of our interviewees.  To all aspiring graphics designers and to all aspiring to do ANYTHING in the industry, Matt says, “You need to realize that this takes an insane amount of time.  I wasn’t good at this stuff for a while but I truly have a dying passion for it.  I don’t know why, I just do. It took sleepless nights and failure to get where I am right now but  I have this burning desire in my chest to never stop learning and never stop creating… I think that’s what separates me from the majority of people my age.”

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