HEY THERE ☻ I'M DUSTIN MATTAIO MARA ⛟ A TYPE AND VISUAL DESIGNER ♛
HÅfa adai + Salut
I'm Dustin Mattaio Mara — a visual and type designer whose passions and work explore the intersection between language, culture, and typography.
I graduated from the University of Washington with a Bachelor of Design in Visual Communication Design (cum laude, with excellence) and Bachelor of Arts in International Studies (cum laude).
After graduation, I briefly moved to New York to work as a product design intern at Lippincott. Following that stint, I returned to Seattle to be a designer at Studio Matthews.
In an effort to shift my career closer to my passions, I moved to Paris and went back to school. I attended the TypeParis program, learning the nuance of type design. I left Paris with a type diploma (with distinction) and a new international outlook on design.
Since then I've been working on setting up my own practice, TAIO TYPE. Our mission is to break away from the type industry's exclusive domain of boring old white men. By focusing our collaborations with people of colour, queer-identifying, and women we are committed to designing solutions that resonate with individuals who, like us, pursue excellence and embrace diversity.
I'm currently searching for freelance or contract positions in type or visual design. Reach out!
Accolades + FEATURES
2x Award of Excellence, Typography — Communication Arts
Silver Cube, Typography via Typeface / Font Systems — Art Directors Club
Bronze Cube, Typography via Typeface / Font Systems — Art Directors Club
5× Certificate of Typographic Excellence — Type Directors Club
3x Shortlist, Typography — Communication Arts
Ranked #1 Designer — Young Ones Awards
Ranked #11 Overall Creative — Young Ones Awards
Dean’s Medal Nominee — UW College of the Arts
Husky 100 Nominee + Selectee
Natalie Malone Graduating with Excellence Award — UW SOAAHD
Kenneth L. Striker Design Award
Oarsman of the Year — Everett Rowing Association
— — —
4× Feature — The World’s Best Typography
3× Feature, Global Exhibitions — Type Directors Club
Interview — Global Visionaries
Best of Cargo — Cargo.Site
Studio Feature — Designer Daily
Commencement Speaker — UW SOAAHD
Interview — Steady State Network
cHEERS
View my uni work and Husky 100 story here.
Visit the TAIO TYPE website or my read.cv.
Contact me via hello@taio.ooo.