From Aircraft to Artboards, Meet Our Fall Graphic Design Intern

Nice to meet you, Matthew! What’s your story?

I'm from North Carolina. My dad was in the military for about 28 years, so we lived there for most of my life. When I was 21, I was dabbling in school, but eventually decided to make my way into the Air Force where I was an aircraft mechanic for seven years. When I got out in 2018, I wanted to see more of the West coast and that’s how I ended up in Reno. I started school the next semester, and I am now a senior at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) and set to graduate in May 2025.

Did you always know this was the career for you?

Since I was a kid, I’ve been interested in art. I remember during the winter, I’d wait for my mom before school and draw in the frost on the car windows. Drawing was my hobby — I drew a lot of dragons and took inspiration from cartoons and video games. 

I always knew I wanted to do something art related. I just didn't know if I wanted to do it as a side gig or as an actual occupation. So I took my time after the military, trying my hand at different things before deciding what I really wanted to do. I was about two years into a computer science degree when I realized I wasn't going to get rid of that itch to do something art related as my career. So I settled into graphic design and it was the best choice I could’ve made.

Why Estipona Group?

Having moved here only a few years ago, I wasn’t familiar with many local design agencies, but my advisor had great things to say about Estipona Group. She mentioned Stephanie and Edward and said it was a great group to work for. When I decided to start researching, I really liked what was on the website. It seemed like the quality of material was good, and I liked the size of the company. I also wanted to be doing something that had an impact, which I feel I’ve been able to do here. 

After starting here, I realized how passionate each person was for the company as a whole, and I appreciated that Edward went over each value with me during our first call. It was obvious from the start that this would be a great environment to work in. It's not just about banging out the projects as quickly as you can — there’s a certain moral standard and it's a good one to have.

What skill are you itching to learn or improve?

Having a coding and digital media background, I’d love to develop my knowledge and skills in user interface and user experience for app and web design. I’ve been learning about Figma since I’ve been at Estipona Group and that’s been huge. I was already planning on learning it, so this has been a great opportunity to get some real world experience while learning the program itself. I like the idea of figuring out how to use design to improve function on the user end. Plus, we use phones and websites so much, it’s a great area to lean into. 

Time management is one of my current weaknesses, so I’m working on improving my decision-making and gut instinct to make calls. The amount of time you're allotted in school versus the professional environment is hugely different. Having the independence to trust my instincts and then having my work reviewed internally gives me the opportunity to practice my decision-making and learn how to do better next time.

Favorite travel bug spot?

I traveled a bit around Europe with a buddy when I was stationed in Germany. It’s a tossup between Switzerland and Ireland, but I think I'd pick Ireland. Switzerland was gorgeous, but there’s something unique to the island feel that Ireland has. And the scenery was incredible — just rolling green hills as far as you could see. 

We went to Dublin first. We checked out the city, did a couple whiskey tastings and got to see some of the places where they filmed Game of Thrones. We met somebody while we were in the hostel, and he offered to drive us up to Belfast. We met his friend, who was a flask maker, and he gave each of us a personalized inscribed flask.

If I could go anywhere else in the world — I've been to Okinawa, but I would love to visit mainland Japan. I also want to visit Iceland, Australia and New Zealand.