Matthew Novak

Creative Director

2023 – Present

SodSolutions is a cutting edge Ag/SaaS company developing products to increase productivity, organization and output in the outdoor industry. My role as the Creative Director is to oversee the look and feel for all of our business units as well help lead a team of designers, copywriters and developers through quarterly and bi-monthly sprints to ensure operations are working in a constant incremental improvement mentality.

Creative Director

2013 – 2022

As the Creative Director at an ever-growing church in North Jersey Matthew is tasked with partnering with the Lead Pastor and Executive Pastor to craft insightful human-driven designs that connect both a congregation of Christians as well as reaching out into culture at large to captivate and pique interest. Matthew leads a small team of employees as well as a large stable of talented freelancers and volunteers to deliver products from published books, microsites, in-person large-format creative, and more.

Interim Chief Creative Officer

2020 – 2021

as the Interim CCO of Christian Planner, I was not only tasked with re-branding and voicing the company but also managing domestic and overseas contract artists while partnering with the CEO, CFO, and CMO to present, protect and push forward consistent look and feel through the launch of new products and updating evergreen products in the CP catalog. During my time at CP, I oversaw the successful first launch of the company's only apparel line to date as well as a number of new product offerings.

Partner // Creative Director

2015 – 2019

Traverse Co. Started as a web design company focused on small businesses and young creators and has since then blossomed into a boutique agency that serves companies in the outdoor segment. Traverse is most recently responsible for creating content for Big Agnes and the Digital launch of the newly founded MyTrail Co e-commerce site. As the partner and creative director I am responsible for overseeing the look and feel of all design & cinematography as well as partnering to create photo vignettes and crafting stories that bring clients' products into the lifestyle arena.

Digital Art Director - West Elm

2013 – 2014

• Managing a team of 8 designers from junior up to mid-level • Art Direction for all digital products including a redesign of ecomm site • Maintain seasonal point of purchase look and feel inside the digital space via banners and emails • Work closely with Art directors from Photo & Catalog departments to create cross-team artwork that would serve the company in all avenues

Designer & Animator

2012 – 2013

Bon Appétit is one of the largest food magazines in America, and one of Condé Nast’s most popular publications. My role at Bon Appétit consisted of creative design of the monthly tablet version of each video. This task was split between myself and one other designer, while we managed a small team of production artists. In addition, I was solely responsible for all the animation content in each issue.

Visual Design

2013 – 2013

I am currently working with Spotify as a visual design consultant working on a number of projects from in-house project branding to merchandising, and design. Most of the work involves custom vector based illustrations and concepting from start to finish.

Journalism

Graphic Design

Skills: Communication

EMPIRE CTV & OTV SPOT

TL;DR Project: OTT & CTV Campaign Client: Green Industry B2B Role: Creative Director Budget: $28K Results: 9.5x ROI, 4M+ impressions, 20% lead conversion The Challenge A niche green‑industry client needed to drive high‑quality leads from decision-makers in landscaping, horticulture, and environmental services—audiences who seldom engage with traditional digital advertising. My Role & Approach As Creative Director, I led the full lifecycle of the campaign—from strategy to deployment—with a modest $28,000 budget. I collaborated with a small cross-functional team and external production partners to: Define precise audience segments by job function and geography using OTT/CTV platforms Craft a 15‑second and 30‑second spot, blending documentary-style storytelling with product benefits Ensure brand consistency by applying our visual identity, tone, and key messaging Optimize targeting and frequency based on mid‑campaign performance insights Outcome & Impact Achieved a 9.5× ROI: Every dollar spent generated $9.50 in tracked B2B contract value Delivered campaign exposure across 4 million+ impressions within targeted local markets Captured high-quality leads (qualified RFPs) with a 20% conversion rate from first contact to proposal Empowered client’s marketing team with new retargeting segments and creative best practices for future OTT campaigns

LaunchPad Brand Creation

LaunchPad is a new tech startup aimed specifically at easing breakpoints in many of the workflows of the outdoor service professional. While it is s highly technical SaaS it also needed to feel at home amongst many small business owners and operators. The simplified icon harkens back to the heyday of space excitement on the East Coast of Florida, while a clean custom typography rounds everything out to meet the user where they’re at. As the creative director for this Sod Solutions property, I was also tasked with creating a full library of usable images without relying on photo crews and seasonal troubles that often accompany outdoor service location-based shoots. I was able to leverage my career experience in the professional photography space to use Mid Journey to supplement our need for a massive photo library, keeping costs (and headaches low) while delivering stylized assets that matched the Tone & Voice document I created to launch a cohesive visual and written language.