Video by Influence Media.
Technology has made it easier than ever to create graphics, leading some to believe graphic design is nothing more than a drag and drop exercise.
With AI progressing at an alarming pace, it’s possible to generate convincing imagery with just a line of text.
But is that really all design is?
According to Matt Wildbore, the founder and director of Mattix Design, a design agency based in Hull, graphic design is more than just “creating a pretty picture”.
“It’s a communication tool,” he says. “When people have that view, they see it in a completely different way. And that’s where the value lies.”
We spoke to Matt to find out more about his design philosophy, how he’s built his business and their biggest success yet.
User comes first
Mattix Design provides a number of services that you might be familiar with, but one of their main offerings is User Interface/User Experience design. This can be incorporated into lead generation tools, e-commerce websites, apps and more.
Talking in their C4DI Hull office, which the team share with friends and fellow agency TH3 Design, Matt explains why UX is so central to the work they do.
Good design for him is about “understanding the audience needs, tailoring everything towards the users, and not getting too personally attached to a design.”
“Designers who are just starting out or younger agencies are often focused on what they personally think looks good, but I think you can tell that someone's a good designer when they base their design on the actual users.”
The style of something he’s working on might not be his personal preference "but I know it's right for the user and what they would like to see. That's a differentiating factor between a designer that adds value to the business, and one that gets by and makes things look nice. There's real substance to what we do. And the results speak for themselves."
A lot of this comes from good business principles and as with any good business plan, understanding your customer is as important to good website design as it is to increasing your profit margin.
Matt cites popular thought leader Simon Sinek and his ideas around finding ‘your why’ “when putting together your marketing, messaging and things like that.” That is, getting a greater understanding of why you’re doing what you do, before establishing how you’ll do it.
The companies that discover that, are the ones that "have the strongest marketing message and there's a lot of brand affinity that comes with that."
Websites with purpose
It’s clear from listening to Matt, that he really cares about making a difference in the companies they work with, which range from “ambitious startups and tech companies to construction firms and e-commerce businesses” for whom they offer “a full digital service, which includes design, SEO, PPC, social ads, Conversion Rate Optimization and more.”
Being online is of course a no brainer for the vast majority of businesses today but he stresses how important it is they don’t just get a new website for the sake of it. There should be a plan in place for how they’re going to make the best use of it and importantly continually optimise it.
“We've had clients before, and a lot of companies do this on a website project, where the job is completed and then the website says stagnant, but really, it needs to be constantly evolving and iterating. After all, users and customers are moving all the time.”
With the arrival of new channels, such as Tik Tok, the question will come whether that channel can be harnessed for your own digital marketing efforts. The answer depends on the business and the only thing more important than being relevant is authenticity. “Your potential target audience are quite savvy with marketing messaging and there’s a lot of stuff online from companies who are not being very genuine.” What approach you take comes down to having a good understanding of the business.
Front of the grid
Mattix Design’s result-based approach to design is clearly working and after 8 years this will be their best year yet. He cites some examples of client successes including helping to deliver a 100% increase in revenue over a 12-month period “doubling their sales through good design.”
When asked what project he’s most proud of, he’s quick to mention one of their most recent partnerships, with a Sim Racing startup called Grid Finder.
The Newcastle based company are embedded in the Sim Racing and e-sports world and at the start of 2024 were acquired in a multimillion-pound deal. Mattix who began partnering with them back in January 2023, have helped to transform the design side of the business. “We refreshed the brand and made that consistent and professional for both users and partners and improved the commercial and corporate side of things.”
“Alongside that, we've been getting deep into the digital products as well. A lot of UI and UX design and making that flow as seamlessly as possible. All of that's helped the business to be acquired, only three years after they started. So that has been exciting.”
“It's been nice to play a pivotal part in that, seeing this tech startup in the north of England go from an initial investment to acquisition only three years later. It's been an incredible achievement for everybody involved.”
Partnering towards success
It’s a great example of the core proposition that Mattix offer, which is based on building long term partnerships with businesses.
“When we started, we did a lot of ad hoc work. The odd web page here or a little brochure there.” It was an approach that many companies and freelancers take initially, but for Matt it no longer cut the mustard.
“What we’ve been trying to do is refine our offering, offer a complete service, and build a partnership with our clients. We're now focusing on having less clients, but really getting to know them and working with and alongside them rather than for them.”
It’s a bold approach but one that often pays dividends. Matt also explains how they stand apart with the structure of the company.
“What I've found is that you can offer a full digital service, but without all the overhead as an agency. What that means for clients is that we can scale up and scale down the team, bring in specialisms and skills as and when we need them. So, then the clients are only paying for the skills at the time that they need them.”
The networking hub of C4DI
That approach has come naturally through being based in C4DI, where Matt has been since the early days of being a freelance graphic designer.
“I was one of the first members here, downstairs. I started as a freelancer in the co-working space, building up our client base.”
Mattix has gone from there to having an office and a small team and he says they’ve benefited from the co-working space and community at C4DI. It “allowed us to add all these different services and strings to the bow and the social aspect of the community is something that we've really enjoyed as a team.”
Like many before him, they’ve ended up getting work simply from sitting next to someone and he also credits the opportunities he’s got through being a member here.
“Giving presentations to the likes of Boots, for example, has been really good for opening up connections. It's been a good hub for us and a great platform to start our business and thrive and get to where it is now.”
As for what’s next? "We want clients that are ambitious and want to grow with us, and us with them."
"Once we get stuck in, there’s a real value in the process of learning about and understanding the business and as that continues we essentially become an extension of their team."