Matthew Clark, is an internationally-recognized and highly awarded creative director and designer based in Vancouver, Canada. Founder of Subplot Design Inc., he is also an author, mentor, and public speaker known for his opinionated (amusingly?) take on branding, design, and the world of marketing and advertising. He is also a drawer, painter, and sword-play-dance-party-pantomime dad and husband.

Matthew took a circuitous route to design. Prepping in high-school for a medical career, he sat on the fence by enrolling in both advanced biology and studio art before fully switching to a fine art major with concentrations in psychology and literature, and he graduated with a bachelor’s degree (with honors) in fine arts in 1992 from the University of British Columbia. Having already started a one-man design firm in 1989 during university, Matthew joined DDB Canada’s design division, karacters, in 1994, moving up the ranks to Associate Creative Director, focusing on consumer, packaging, and retail design. Almost 10 years in, Matthew left DDB with fellow ACD Roy White and founded Subplot in 2004.

Matthew’s passion and commitment to breakthrough creativity has been recognized in over 200 local, national, and international design shows and publications, including Graphis, New York Festivals, Mobius Awards, ID, Good Design Awards, Graphic Designers of Canada, Advertising and Design Club of Canada, Lotus Awards, Lurzer’s ARCHIVE, London International Advertising Awards, and Pentawards. Matthew’s work is also part of the permanent collections of the Chicago Athenaeum Museum and the Design Exchange.

Matthew is an accredited professional member of the Graphic Designers of Canada; contributes regularly to industry publications including Applied Arts, Design Edge Canada, and Marketing and Strategy magazines; and is a frequent portfolio reviewer, design awards show judge, and public speaker on design and branding.