Matt Linzer

Close-up of a man with red hair, beard, blue eyes, wearing a black shirt against a black background.

Photographer
Leonard Martin Hughet

A smiling man with a beard and short, curly hair, wearing a blue T-shirt, posing against a dark, textured background.

My career has taken an unconventional path—from professional dance to design leadership to an MBA in Design Strategy—but the common thread has always been helping people and teams perform at their best.

Guided by curiosity, empathy, and systems thinking, I enjoy connecting people, processes, and ideas to move work forward. Today, my work sits at the intersection of design, strategy, and operations. Whether I'm developing scalable content systems, facilitating collaboration across teams, or helping organizations navigate change, I'm most energized by creating the conditions that allow great work to happen.

  • 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
    Public Speaking
    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

A man in a black shirt and pants is mid-air in a dance or gymnastic pose with colorful hot air balloons in the sky behind him, near a grassy area and trees.
Two dancers performing on a dark stage, with one supporting the other in a dramatic pose.

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…

CROSSWORD Puzzle DESIGNER

Wall Street Journal

New York Times

New York Times

Wall Street Journal

Trailing Behind

Nov 14 23

It’s Going Down

A Little Drink

Tue 10/03/23

Tue 11/14/23

Sun 12/31/23

Thu 02/29/24

Close-up view of a digital display with the word 'STRIKE' in white capital letters and a blue diagonal line crossing the display.

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

Des jours sans raison… by Nathalie Orselli @orsellinathalie . . . . . . #curation #inspiration #art #photography #design
Memory that never fades. by Patricia Geagea @entredeux.official . . . . . . #curation #inspiration #art #photography #design
Rose Garden - Night III by Burcu Korkmazyürek @burcu_korkmazyurek . . . . . . #curation #inspiration #art #photography #design
Emotions. by Diango Hernandez Torres @diango.hernandez . . . . . . #curation #inspiration #art #photography #design
🍳🍳 by Charlotte Laboyrie @charlot_t__e . . . . . . #curation #inspiration #art #photography #design
Tangerine 🍊 by O Terawat @oterawat . . . . . . #curation #inspiration #art #photography #design
Summer Bouquet by @neikadesigns . . . . . . #curation #inspiration #art #photography #design
Strangers In The Night by Daniel Chen @danielchenart . . . . . . #curation #inspiration #art #photography #design
La sfida by Nieves González @nievesgonnzalez . . . . . . #curation #inspiration #art #photography #design
Daim naturalisé, lasers. by Bastien Cuenot @bastiencuenot_ . . . . . . #curation #inspiration #art #photography #design
Yohaku by Studio Brasch @studio_brasch . . . . . . #curation #inspiration #art #photography #design

TREVOR LIFELINE VOLUNTEER

Part of living is giving. Volunteering as a Trevor Lifeline Crisis Counselor offers the chance to lend an ear, offer support, and show care to LGBTQ+ youth navigating the challenges they face in our world in hopes to create a brighter future for generations to come.

If you can, please donate.