About Matthew

Hi. I’m Matthew Matsuzaki. For a long time I was Matthew Smith, and a lot of the internet still knows me as @whale.

I’m a designer who came to the web through studio art, changing hex values and viewing source until things started to make sense. I grew up in the foothills of Colorado and have spent most of my career trying to make useful things feel more human.

I’ve designed for the Gates Foundation, the United States Postal Service, Fox, MIT, and Seth Godin. Along the way I built Squared Eye, helped start a coworking community in Greenville, and worked with Grok, Zaarly, Relay Foods, and Fathom & Draft.

In 2014 I started Really Good Emails, which grew into a company, a community, and UNSPAM. I also co-founded Bunsen, a brand studio for science and the people moving it forward. These days I lead brand at Ghost and make Wimp Decaf.

Recovery changed the shape of my life and the way I work. I care more about attention, usefulness, honesty, and leaving enough room for people to be people.

I live in Greenville, South Carolina, with Ako, our kids, and Mochi the dog. I take photographs, ride bikes, make coffee, and keep finding reasons to return to Japan.

Thanks for being here.