An illustration of a row of oversized, colourful cookbooks leaning against each other on a yellow background. A tiny silhouette of a person walks beside them, dwarfed by the scale of the books. The spines feature titles including “100 Days of Real Food”, “Super Baby Food”, “Dinner – The Playbook”, “The Family Dinner”, “Dinner: A Love Story”, “Super Nutrition for Babies” and “The Family Cooks”.

Innovative editorial work by designer and illustrator Matt Chase

Words: Maisie Skidmore
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Date: 14 January 2015; Work
Graphic Design
Illustration

Presenting Matt Chase, the editorial illustrator living and working in Washington DC, who can transform a wishy-washy concept into a solid hunk of imagery with a snap of the fingers. You’ve likely seen his work already without knowing it – maybe in the New York Times, on the cover of one of Douglas Coupland’s novels, or perhaps in the Wall Street Journal if you’re that way inclined.

Whether it be working alongside art directors to turn the Twitter logo into a version of the Rorschach test for a piece in the MIT Technology Review about social media and personality traits, or toying with typography to illustrate the etymology of the word “liberal,” Matt has the practical knowledge and the sleight of hand to bring concepts to real and recognisable fruition. He’s kind of like the chameleon of the creative world, fully aware and in control of his talent and thus able to adapt it to the environment in which it will be shown, which is one hell of a skill.

A cardboard box covered in colourful, playful shipping labels. A blue band wraps around the top and sides, reading “DON’T HOLD ME TIGHT HOLD” and “DO NOT LEAVE UNATTENDED”. Other labels include “PERISHABLE FEELINGS”, “INTENTIONS MAY BE HAZARDOUS” and “PRIORITY SEXPRESS”. — Above
Matt Chase: Relationshipped: Interpretation of modern relationships and the extent to which people advertise (intentionally or otherwise) their fears, desires and insecurities

Above

Matt Chase: Lead image and accompanying spot for a GOOD feature about soda, caffeine and addiction, art directed by Josh Neuman

Two red and white striped straws stand upright in a clear plastic drink lid. The straws and the lid's indentations create a stylised, smiling face against a bright yellow background. — Above
Matt Chase: Lead image and accompanying spot for a GOOD feature about soda, caffeine and addiction, art directed by Josh Neuman

A symmetrical black ink blot on a white background. The abstract shape resembles a butterfly or a mask with jagged, splattered edges. — Above
Matt Chase: MIT Technology Review, Twitter and personality traits, art directed by Colin Jaworski

A collage of a green paper factory silhouette against a white background. Two rolled joints stand upright as smokestacks, with a hand-drawn cloud of smoke drifting from the tips. — Above
Matt Chase: The environmental effects of high-output grow houses, for the MIT Technology Review, art directed by Colin Jaworski

Four torn strips of white paper are layered on a yellow background. Each strip features the word “Liberal” in a different black typeface, ranging from gothic to sans-serif. — Above
Matt Chase: For the New York Times Book Review about the origin of the word Liberal, and its evolving definition as a left-leaner, art directed by Nicholas Blechman

An illustration of a rake pushing a cluster of small red and blue dots across a grid. A larger, denser pile of the same coloured dots sits to the right. — Above
Matt Chase: For the New York Times Upshot about skewed poll results, art directed by Luke Shuman

A collage on a pink background shows three pieces of crumpled white paper. The top piece is cut into the shape of a cat's head and reads “gato”. Below it, two smaller crumpled balls of paper show fragments of the word, resting above a simple line drawing of a person's head. — Above
Matt Chase: Piece for the Wall Street Journal about learning foreign languages with images rather than word-for-word translations, art directed by Keith Webb

An illustration of a row of oversized, colourful cookbooks leaning against each other on a yellow background. A tiny person walks beside the books, which feature titles including “Super Baby Food” and “The Family Cooks”. — Above
Matt Chase: For NYT Magazine about women who either don’t feel comfortable in the kitchen or simply don’t like to cook

The cover of a book featuring a pink halftone illustration of a hand giving the middle finger. Bold black text over a yellow dotted background reads “Worst Person Ever: A Novel by Douglas Coupland”. — Above
Matt Chase: Douglas Coupland, Worst Person Ever, art directed by Jaya Miceli

A book cover with a pale green background and bold yellow text that reads “WORST. PERSON. EVER.” Small, crude line drawings of various objects, including a T-shirt, a television and a middle finger, are scattered around the words. Below the title, smaller text reads “FKNG A NOVEL” and the author’s name, “Douglas Coupland”. — Above
Matt Chase: Douglas Coupland, Worst Person Ever, art directed by Jaya Miceli

The cover of a book with a bright yellow background. An illustration shows a palm tree growing out of a toilet, with the title “Worst. Person. Ever.” and the author “Douglas Coupland”. — Above
Matt Chase: Douglas Coupland, Worst Person Ever, art directed by Jaya Miceli

A yellow book cover featuring a simple blue smiley face with a red frowny face taped over its mouth. Torn strips of white paper carry the title “Worst. Person. Ever.” and the author “Douglas. Coupland.” — Above
Matt Chase: Douglas Coupland, Worst Person Ever, art directed by Jaya Miceli

Further Info

www.chasematt.com

About the Author

Maisie Skidmore

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Maisie joined It’s Nice That fresh out of university in the summer of 2013 as an intern before joining full time as an Assistant Editor. Maisie left It’s Nice That in July 2015.

Innovative editorial work by designer and illustrator Matt Chase

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