Graphic Design Alum Uses Versatile Background to His Advantage

Graphic Design Alum Matt King ‘09 melds his background in design and in various industries to his advantage. Using his multitude of work experiences, including in retail, advertising, art and more, he proves that your college degree is just the stepping stone for your life in the workplace.

When it comes to his current position as Brand Art Director for Publicis Media, Matt King ‘09 did not take the linear path—and he’s pleased with that.

“I get really bored and things are kind of dull if everything is really good. Challenge makes life interesting,” he says.

King didn’t intend to work in so many different environments when he came to York College as a first-year student. He always knew he wanted to do something artistic—but whether that would be as an art teacher or designer, he wasn’t sure. “I didn't really have an idea of what I wanted to do. I just wanted to work with my hands,” he explains.

King decided to give York a try, as he had scholarships, was a swimmer, and was intrigued by the art education program. Guided by his brother’s influence and encouragement, however, he decided to try design. An initial typography course led King to declare a Graphic Design major and a concentration as well.

“Once I sat in on my first typography course and I found out that it's an art form of letters, this idea of communication as art hit me like a light bulb,” he adds. “I totally got it, and it just became massively impactful in my life—how you can communicate using letters and also achieve beauty.”

King attributes his time at York College to giving him a “toolbelt” of different skills and abilities that can be applied across a multitude of professions. One of the most important tools on that toolbelt for him was business acumen, and more specifically, skills in branding and visual identity—an aspect of design that’s especially relevant for him now.

“I like that there was a tasting of things that you could go into—specifically, what resonated with me even today is visual identity, which is your logo, your website, maybe some marketing materials, things like that, and then also branding, and when I say branding, zoom out even further,” he explains. “Branding is inclusive of visual identity, but it also is the business position—it becomes more about the business and its goals. And I like that it gives more meaning to certain initiatives that you're trying to promote, and the cool part about all this was once I realized I wasn't bound by industry. I thought that was really cool.”

King took this to heart. When he graduated from York College in May 2009, he started freelancing with a small advertising agency not far from where he grew up in New Jersey. After that, he took a salaried job with a medical advertising agency near the Jersey Shore, and worked there for three years until he decided to freelance again. He moved to New York.

“They call it permanence—where you freelance and you're basically a regular employee except you’re freelance. You're coming in every day, nine to five, handling stuff,” King adds. “I ended up working at a bunch of different places, a PR firm, a Broadway-specific agency, and then I did a branding studio.”

From there, King started freelancing in 2013 at Ann Taylor, where he worked for two years until they hired him full-time. Then, he decided he wanted to work in the world of startups, so in 2018, he left Ann Taylor to start his design studio, Witty Noggin, full-time. Additionally, he cofounded a medical cannabis dispensary startup, Woah Flow, which was just recently acquired.

"The world of startups was incredible. I couldn't pay for an education that fast,” he says. “You have to make decisions. You have such responsibility on your shoulders. You've got to move the dial. There really isn't anyone above you to ask. You only have the people that are with you. You're operating with just with your wits, knowledge, and relationships."

He worked in startups until June 2022, when he became the Brand Art Director for Publicis Media.

All of these experiences, King surmises, allowed him to find what he truly enjoys doing, and figure out where he wants to be in the workplace. He wouldn’t have gotten to figure that out had he not worked in so many different environments, he says.

“If I were back in college I would say, concentrate on not just my interest in design. I was a bit of a design nerd; I liked design for design. I wish I had focused more on what kind of hobbies I liked, what kinds of things I find really interesting,” he adds.

For students who aren’t sure what they want to go into after college, King has some advice.

“Don't limit yourself to a simple path. Be willing to stay at home, save money, invest, that's definitely something that's really important,” he says. “When I did this startup, it was sweat equity. Sweat equity is when you invest blood, sweat, tears, and time. If this interests you, go for it. You have the ability to recover. You have the ability to take your time with it. If you go slower, if you take your time, and if you really learn things, you will be able to plant seeds and see them grow.”