Matt DeFrain

Matt DeFrain is currently the creative director at Grant Design Collaborative, where he has played a pivotal role since joining in 2000. His work has been featured in AIGA 365, Communication Arts, STEP, Contract Magazine, Graphic Design USA, HOW, Interior Design, Metropolis, and Print. DeFrain's design achievements include two IIDA Creative Excellence Awards, two Best of Show honors at GlobalShop for exhibit design, and Best of Show in AIGA Atlanta’s SEED Awards, the Southeast’s premier design competition. His contributions also helped Grant Design earn the prestigious 2023 GOOD DESIGN Award from the Chicago Athenaeum Museum, recognizing innovation and design excellence. Additionally, his award-winning exhibition work for MUZAK was published in The New Trade Show Design by International Publishing Group. DeFrain served on the AIGA Miami Board of Directors from 1997 to 2000.

Shortly after high school, DeFrain’s juxtaposition of graphic design and fine art merited attention from Flint, Michigan’s Downtown Development Authority. Putting his renegade graffiti to good use, the city retained DeFrain to spray paint murals on their waterfront amphitheater. Matt went on to graduate from Western Michigan University with a Bachelor of Science in Graphic Design. In his spare time, Matt can be found challenging himself at CrossFit or creating fine art. DeFrain’s fine art assemblages are represented in several art galleries and have been recognized with a Best of Show in Chattanooga, TN, and honored by the American Craft Council with an Award of Excellence.