We recently connected with Matt Dawson and have shared our conversation below.

Matt, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I went to college for Graphic Design and I wouldn’t be as successful without learning the design fundamentals & principles from that experience. However, I truly learned from doing. We weren’t taught design software in our curriculum and were completely on our own in navigating the Adobe landscape. This was also before online tutorials and the wealth of information we have at our fingertips now. So, it was complete trial & error. I’d spend hours on an ancient Apple laptop trying things out, learning how tools worked, and figuring out my working methods. Outside of college projects, I’d give myself projects. I was constantly designing… something. This immersion was my true university. I look back on some of those projects and can still vividly remember parts of the process and how I’d approach things entirely differently now, but that’s because I’ve continued learning and growing as a designer. Looking back on old stuff and seeing your development arch as a designer is incredible. It can also make you cringe sometimes.

Software skills & knowledge are one thing, but the most essential skills a designer can have are the fundamentals & principles of design. Sure, I use software everyday, but I’m constantly employing those valuable design disciplines that come from learning the basics about design itself. It’s easy now to hop into a program and learn how to do things, but I see a lot of newer creatives skip the fundamental process. I think it’s part of the immediacy of our society now, but knowing WHY you’re doing something is equally (if not more) important than knowing HOW.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Music was my introduction to design. I started my career making some truly laughable flyers, press-kits, and album art (but we all have to start somewhere, right?). I was hooked, though. I immediately changed my major in college and went all in. After graduating, I took whichever jobs I could get. I worked in-house for a publishing company, worked for advertising firms, worked at design agencies, and finally began working for myself. Through all of those experiences, I realized that my passion was in branding & identity design. At whatever point in my career that I figured that out, I began fine-tuning that skillset.

I began designing under the name Stay Gray Ponyboy and (silly name aside), I’m fortunate enough to have had a lot of success in building a name for myself in the logo design world. It’s 90% of my work these days. Helping clients build identities is an important & meaningful role for me. A logo is often a viewer’s first impression of a company. There’s a lot of weight in that and I take that responsibility seriously. I hear that I have a style, but I honestly can’t see it – perhaps I’m too close to it, but people come to me for that style. I’ve been lucky enough to build a following on Instagram, which helps get a lot of eyes on my work. It doesn’t always translate to projects, but it’s often what people cite when they tell me how they learned about my work.

As any designer should, I put a lot of passion into my work. Details matter. Craft matters. I feel that that’s evident in my work and I’m proud that clients can trust me to deliver for them.

In addition to my career as a designer, I’m also the founder of a creative conference here in Austin, Texas called Crop. It’s truly a labor love, but my passion for bringing people together & building community through shared interests is second only to design. We’re gearing up for our 10th event this upcoming April.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

As I mentioned earlier, I love that we have so many online inspirational & educational resources now. I would’ve LOVED to have that as a younger designer. My “Pinterest” back then was folders (good old-fashioned MacOS folders) with images I’d saved that I found online of logos I liked or designs I vibed with. I’d reference those for projects or I’d have a ton of bookmarks. Having online outlets now such as Pinterest, Instagram, etc is so much easier to see relevant interests.

And as far as learning… You can literally learn most any design skill you want from a quick YouTube or Google search. Even as a seasoned designer, I leverage it constantly. I can’t imagine the skills I’d have now if it were a resource back when I was still a fresh, young designer. Haha.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

It sounds cheesy, but it’s just a genuine love for design. I live & breathe it. If you know me, you know how important it is to me. That love keeps me going as a creative. When I got my first design job in college, I had an art director that scared the hell out of me. Not because they were harsh, but because they had no passion left. There was a bitterness that shocked me. I was questioning whether or not I was in the right field. Is this going to happen to me? Am I going to hit a wall and stop evolving? It was then that I knew I never wanted that to happen. I never wanted to stop growing as a creative. That and my love of design have kept that fire lit for me.

That love for design has been a driving force behind producing our creative conference, Crop, too. Bringing creatives from all across the world to celebrate design and learn with 300 other amazingly talented people is the epitome of passion. As a producer, it’s incredibly rewarding to provide that space for people.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.staygrayponyboy.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/staygrayponyboy/
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/cropcons/