Made by hand.
Built with intent.
I’m Mat Benson. Some of what I make you open in Illustrator. The rest you can pick up and hold. Brand identity, illustration and print design, plus custom work made by hand in leather and wood.
Design, illustration, and work made by hand
Published editorial design, brand identity for working businesses, and pieces built at the bench.
Voyageur Magazine Cover
Volume 43, No. 1 · Published
Tooled Leather Bracers
Cut, tooled & finished by hand
Blood & Ash
Printmaking in black and red ink
Anchored Spice Travel
Logo and business card design
Alice in the Moonlight
Editorial illustration for Voyageur
Vegvisir Shield
Basswood, hand-painted, buffalo leather
Published in Voyageur
I designed the cover for Voyageur: Northeast Wisconsin’s Historical Review, Volume 43, Number 1, and made the artwork that runs with the stories inside.
The Summer/Fall 2026 issue centers on Terror on the Fox and a pair of Fox River ghost stories. My work covered the cover design, including the type treatment, layout and composition, along with original digital illustrations for the features.
One studio, a wide bench
Whether it lives on a screen, a press, or a workbench, the process is the same: understand the goal, then make the thing well.
Brand Identity & Logo Design
Marks, typography, color and the rules that hold them together, built so your business still looks like itself in five years.
Illustration & Custom Art
Editorial illustration, portraits, pet artwork and original pieces, done digitally or drawn and painted by hand.
Print & Publication Design
Covers, layouts, business cards and printed pieces, all set up properly for press. I've run the presses too.
Custom Handcrafted Goods
Leatherwork and woodwork. Bracers, sheaths, shields, jewelry and one-off pieces made to order.
Custom Painted & Wearable Pieces
Instrument artwork, pins, keychains and wearables. Artwork made to fit objects people carry and use.
Web Design
Clean, readable sites built on the same principles as the print work: clear hierarchy, real typography, nothing decorative for its own sake.
Why a designer keeps a bench
Working with physical materials taught me things a screen never could. When you shape steel or cut leather, mistakes are permanent and every decision costs you something. You learn to think before you cut.
I bring the same thinking to design work. I care about precision and craftsmanship, but I also value the small imperfections that tell you a person made something.
How a project runs
Conversation
You tell me what you’re trying to accomplish. I ask questions until I understand it, not just what you want made but why you want it.
Concepts
I come back with directions worth considering, each with a reason behind it. No filler options padded out to look like choice.
Refinement
We narrow to one direction and sharpen it. Your feedback drives this part. My job is to turn it into decisions that work.
Delivery
You get final files in the formats you actually need, prepared for print or screen, with guidance on how to use them.
Have something in mind?
Tell me what you’re picturing. If it’s a logo, an illustration, a magazine spread or a shield, I’d like to hear about it, and I’ll tell you straight whether I’m the right person to make it.