Meet Matt Titone | Designer, Co-Founder of ITAL/C + Indoek, Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Matt Titone and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Matt, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I had worked numerous jobs within the creative industry: from being a designer at smaller design studios, to an art director at advertising agencies, to a creative director at a production company. There were things I learned from each studio or agency, and things I liked about each role, but ultimately the shoe never quite fit. I wanted to have my own studio where I felt more in control of the style of work we’d do, the design process, and the type of clientele. It took a lot of groundwork and planning before “opening” ITAL/C in order to clearly define and communicate that vision and attract the kinds of projects that would satisfy our criteria, thus building a body of work we were proud of eventually.

What should our readers know about your business?
ITAL/C is a multidisciplinary creative studio founded by myself and Ron Thompson, we are like-minded designers with a shared visual aesthetic and values for a more collaborative and streamlined process. Our work is not defined by medium or clientele, in fact, diversity in approach and projects is something we pride ourselves in. The studio specializes in building brands from the ground up and in leading established brands in new directions.

On the other hand, we also have a “sister brand” called Indoek. Celebrating coastal creative culture, Indoek presents a curated perspective and aesthetic to the surfing lifestyle. Born out of a passion for aquatic activities and a frustration with an industry that tends to misrepresent them, our goal is to elevate surf culture and champion the creative personalities who have shaped it over the years. We started as a blog (back when that was a thing), then evolved into a publisher of original content, we’ve dabbled in unique product collaborations, and our next chapter is now a physical space that serves primarily as an art gallery and creative hub in Ventura County, California.

Both businesses feed into each other. In the past, we’ve treated Indoek as sort of a fake client for ITAL/C. Whenever client based work was slow, we’d pour our spare time into creating projects for Indoek. In turn, Indoek would act as a new business tool for ITAL/C — potential clients would be drawn to the Indoek projects and want to work with the design studio behind them. Now Indoek has grown beyond the “passion project” phase and is starting to be more successful as its own brand.

Both ITAL/C and Indoek have faced many challenges over the years and have weathered many high and lows. It sounds cliche, but it has been a marathon not a sprint for us. We have taken a lot of calculated risks over the years, but never bit off more than we can chew. Slow and steady is our mantra.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We love Ventura where our gallery is located. Here are a few local recommendations we always throw out there to visitors: – Black Hole Skate Shop
– Singing Sun Coffee
– Chapter 11 Surf Shop
– Findings Market
– Harvest Cafe
– Frontside Cafe
– Ventiki
– Dexter’s Camera
– Taqueria Cuernavaca
– Timbre Books
– Patagonia Flagship Store
– Jolly Oyster
– Topa Topa Brewing Co.
– TAQUERIA TEPATITLAN

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I owe much of my success over the years to my friend and business partner, Ron Thompson. Ron and I have managed to weather all sorts of ups and downs with owning a small design studio over the years. I am so thankful to have such an even keeled partner who is insanely talented, reliable, shares a strong work ethic, and is aligned on our goals and vision for our business.

Website: https://italic-studio.com/

Instagram: @italicstudio

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/2997634/admin/feed/posts/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ItalicStudio