We recently connected with Matthew Washausen and have shared our conversation below.

Matthew, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Innovation comes in all shapes, sizes and across all industries, so we’d love to hear about something you’ve done that you feel was particularly innovative.

One of the most innovative accomplishments I was able to achieve within my role as a graphic designer has been being the Creative Director for my work’s (Kranzberg Arts Foundation) music festival, Music At The Intersection. Not only was I in charge of all the social and printed graphics for the festival but I also designed stage banners, entrance signage, street signage, and engagement signage. I was able to have over 8,000 people each day, over a two-day period, experience the branding I helped create for this festival.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Matthew Washausen is an artist born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. From a young age, he found himself performing in various local bands and is passionate about creating artwork to represent these groups. This began his design journey and led him to attend the University of Missouri-St. Louis, where he received his bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design in 2017. As a graphic artist, the range of his work can be reflected by his love of all styles, especially the blending of fine art techniques with digital manipulation and distortion. He is currently the Creative Director at the St. Louis non-profit organization the Kranzberg Arts Foundation, as well as a freelance graphic designer.

In his free time, he is the vocalist and designer for his post-metal band, KODIAC.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

For me, the most rewarding part about being a creative is being able to put my emotional thoughts and feelings within my work in hope that I can help be a part of a bigger picture. If my work is not speaking to events, memories, and feelings within my life then I am using this same energy toward creating visuals that have a larger impact within my local community. Whether it be event flyers, social graphics, or ad designs I am helping to push a larger narrative of the amazing members within my community hosting these events/communities get together. My design work is helping unite people through visuals and text.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

What helped me build a solid reputation within my freelance work has been my commitment to projects, overall positive attitude/energy, and heart, My word is my bond with clients and I go above and beyond to make those people first within my priorities. By helping clients achieve their dreams I am able to achieve my own as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: mwashausen.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/mwashausen
• Facebook: facebook.com/mwashausen
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-washausen-460a58b4/

Image Credits
All artwork is created by Matthew Washausen (mwashausen.com)