Matt Linzer
My career has taken an unconventional path—from professional dance to Visual Design into design leadership—but the common thread has always been helping people and teams perform at their best.
Guided by curiosity, empathy, and systems thinking, my work sits at the intersection of design, strategy, and operations. I’m someone who can identify a problem, develop a strategy, design a solution, and figure out how to make it work. Whether connecting people, processes, and ideas, developing scalable systems, or helping organizations navigate change, I’m most energized by creating the conditions for great, thoughtful work to happen.
Currently, I’m a brand designer at Eli Lilly, where my role has expanded to include leading other brand designers, developing training programs, improving creative workflows, and coordinating across internal teams and external agencies.
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Design Strategy
Creative Operations
Systems Thinking
Facilitation
Change Management
Leadership
Public Speaking
Brand Systems
Content Strategy
Research & Synthesis
Design Innovation
Graphic Design
Art Direction
Content Strategy
Identity & Branding
AI
Operations
Storytelling
Sustainability -
Adaptability
Collaboration
Communication
Consistency
Critical Thinker
Curiosity
Discipline
Empathic
Equanimity
Flexibility
Funny
Inclusion & Diversity
Ingenuity
Intuitive
Listener
Observation
Tenacity
Wit/Wordplay -
Art
Bodies/Movement
Building
Cooking
Crosswords
Dance
Fashion
Fitness
Meditation
Music
Spa Culture
Tennis
Theater
Travel
Long before moving into design, I studied dance at The Juilliard School and, for over a decade, performed in numerous dance companies around the Bay Area.
In 2026 I received an MBA in Design Strategy through the DMBA Program at California College of the Arts.
Prior to that I earned a BA in Performing Arts from the LEAP Program at St. Mary’s College of California, and later completed The Professional Program in Graphic Design through UC Berkeley Extension.
I also do a lot of other stuff…
FRAMES OF MIND
A few things I’ve Imagined, seen, made, and captured along the way.
The Dream, Part i & ii
the dream represents an exploration of fashion, art, photography, and creativity, blending the fantastical with the natural world in two parts
My challenge was to expand the limits of my artistic abilities, express my unique voice and talents through art direction, photography, and artistic fashion, and create a series that embodies artistic creativity and exploration.
FASHION DESIGN — ART/CREATIVE DIRECTION —PHOTOGRAPHY & EDITING — STYLING
Mark Hames, Model / Grasan Kingsberry, Model
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After completing the 12-week course The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, I embarked on a personal exploration to define my identity as an artist.
I used AI-generated images as a jumping-off point, drawing inspiration to bring fantastical fashion pieces to life. I envisioned designs incorporating color, texture, skin, metal, and sparkle, juxtaposed with natural landscapes. Part I was set in the desert and mountains, while Part II explored the ocean and meadows.
I sourced existing garments and unconventional materials, including rope, metal O-rings, and leather strapping, refurbishing and adapting pieces or crafting new ones from scratch. I styled hair, makeup, and accessories, selected locations, and photographed and edited each image. In Part II, I further explored photo manipulation, adding another layer of design to the series.
Photography
A few favorite moments and places I’ve captured along the way.
CROSSWORD Puzzle DESIGNER
Wall Street Journal
New York Times
New York Times
Wall Street Journal
Tue 10/03/23
Tue 11/14/23
Sun 12/31/23
Thu 02/29/24
Strike/fancy
Delivering curated content daily on Instagram to spark awe and inspiration. Essentially, it's about sharing cool stuff I discover, find fascinating, and draw influence and enlightenment from that I want to share.
Please follow, if it should strike your fancy. @STRIKEFANCY
