Matthew Manos is the founder of verynice, a design strategy practice that gives half of its work away for free to nonprofit organizations. verynice’s clientele includes Apple, Google, UNICEF, NASA and the American Heart Association. Manos also served as inaugural chair of the Los Angeles Creative Advisory Board established by former Mayor Eric Garcetti. At the Academy, Matthew serves as Associate Dean; leads a robust portfolio of industry-facing initiatives that challenge students to develop projects in response to complex problems faced by individuals, communities, organizations, and society at-large.

Matthew has served as a guest lecturer at business accelerator programs, colleges, high schools, and universities around the world. With Apple Education, he created content and training on strategic foresight and creativity for 690 K-12 schools spanning 36 countries. Matthew has also served as a Founding Curriculum Designer for the Iovine and Young Center (IYC). Part of a nationwide effort to re-imagine high school, IYC is a public high school curriculum that integrates design, technology, and entrepreneurship. 

Called “crazy or genius” by Forbes, and named one of seven millennials changing the world by the Huffington Post, Manos’ pioneering work in the fields of design and social enterprise has inspired thousands of practitioners to engage in socially and environmentally responsible business. An author and editor of numerous books and toolkits on design strategy, social innovation and creativity, Manos regularly speaks at institutions and events across the globe. His work and ideas have also been featured in numerous print, online and broadcast venues including Fast Company, MTV, Wired, Inc., and Business Insider.
Manos holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in Media Design Practices from ArtCenter College of Design, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Design Media Arts from UCLA. Prior to his current teaching appointment at the Academy, Manos was a teacher at the Strelka Institute in Moscow, an adjunct professor in the Master of Business Administration in Design Strategy at CCA, and an adjunct faculty member at the ArtCenter College of Design.

Manos, M., Comix from the Heart, American Heart Association; Editor (2020-)

Manos, M., Chatterjee, S., Alnosayan, N. (2022). Models of Impact: A Methodology and a Toolkit to Generate Sustainable Business Models. In: Drechsler, A., Gerber, A., Hevner, A. (eds) The Transdisciplinary Reach of Design Science Research. DESRIST 2022. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 13229. Springer, Cham. (2022)

Manos, M. “Challenge-Based Learning: Rethinking Approaches To Capacity Building For Teams”, Forbes Magazine, June 1, 2022. 

Manos, M. “How 2020 Is Ushering In A New Era For Corporate Social Responsibility”, Forbes Magazine, April 17, 2020

Manos, M. “The Year of the Responsible Brand”, Forbes Magazine, 2020

Manos, M. “Equity, Listening, and the Transference of Power", Journal of Leadership, Accountability and Ethics (JLAE), 2019 (reprint)

Manos, M. “Equity, Listening, and the Transference of Power”, Association for Design Innovation Management (ADIM),  2019

Manos, M. “How To Manage Your Time Doing A Million Things At Once”, HOW Magazine, 2019

Manos, M. “How to Know if Your Idea is Worth Pursuing”, HOW Magazine, 2019

Manos, M. “How Creatives Can Stick to Those 2019 New Year’s Resolutions”, HOW Magazine, 2019

Manos, M. “8 Design Leaders Set New Year’s Resolutions”, HOW Magazine, 2019

 Manos, M. “‘Design for Good’ Pioneer John Bielenberg”, HOW Magazine, 2018

Manos, M. “Tomorrow’s Design Stars”, HOW Magazine, 2018

Manos, M. “In-House Design Spotlight: Sheharazad Fleming”, HOW Magazine, 2018

Manos, M. “How to Build a Partnership That Works“, HOW Magazine, 2018

Manos, M. “How to Define Your Value Proposition”, HOW Magazine, 2018

Manos, M. “How to Write a Mission Statement For Your Brand”, HOW Magazine, 2018

Manos, M. “Hajj Flemings on Design, Civic Innovation & Crushing Digital“, HOW Magazine, 2018

Manos, M. “Spotlight: Maksim Karalevich”, HOW Magazine, 2018

Manos, M. “Peripheral Branding: A Methodology for Disruptive Branding”, HOW Magazine, 2018

Manos, M. “How to Design a Model of Impact”, HOW Magazine, 2018

Manos, M. “12 Design Leaders Set New Year’s Resolutions”, HOW Magazine, 2017

Manos, M. “New Models Let Creatives Design How They Work”, HOW Magazine, 2017

Manos, M. “6 Emerging Technologies That Designers Should Watch“, HOW Magazine, 2017

2015    Pushing the Press/Typecraft Library, A+D Museum (Group Exhibition)

2015    Barker Block Resident Exhibition, Los Angeles (Group Exhibition)

2015    Translation for Co-conspirators, DAC Gallery, Los Angeles (Group Exhibition)

2015    KAB 15th Anniversary, Bordeaux France (Group Exhibition)

2014    Culver Center for the Arts, UC Riverside (Permanent Collection)

2013    Portals, Venice Art Crawl (Group Exhibition)

2012    4 Hours Solid, ArtCenter Wind Tunnel Gallery, Pasadena (Group Exhibition)

2012    It’s a Wrap!, KOP Gallery. Breda, Netherlands (Group Exhibition)

2011    View Source, Think Tank Gallery (Co-Curator)

2011    Impractically, Practical, Take My Picture Gallery (Curator)

2011    MADE UP: Design’s Fictions, ArtCenter Wind Tunnel Gallery (Curator’s assistant)

2011    CHEERS, Wind Tunnel Gallery, Pasadena (Group Exhibition)

2011    In/Conclusions, Wind Tunnel Gallery, Pasadena (Group Exhibition)

2011    Moving Beyond Cars, A+D Museum, Los Angeles (Group Exhibition)

2011    4 Hours Solid, ArtCenter Wind Tunnel Gallery, Pasadena (Group Exhibition)

2011    OFFWORLD, New Wight, Los Angeles (Group Exhibition)

2010    IRL: In Real Life, EDA, Los Angeles (Group Exhibition)

2010    MATTER, New Wight Gallery at UCLA (Co-Curator)

2010    Art in the Senate, Murphy Hall, UCLA (Permanent Collection)

2009    WE ARE, New Wight Gallery, Los Angeles (Group Exhibition)

2008    Then + Now: Activate LA, EDA, Los Angeles (Group Exhibition)

2008    Blue Morph, Fringe Gallery, Los Angeles (Group Exhibition)

2008    Center for the Study of Political Graphics, USC (Permanent Collection)

2006    Monumento: 872, China Town, Los Angeles (Group Exhibition)

2006    MXD.MSSGS, New Wight, Los Angeles (Group Exhibition)

Over the past decade, Manos' work and ideas have been featured in hundreds of news/media/print/broadcast venues. The following is a selection of highlights from the press and media attention over the years.

Currey, Mason. "Matthew Manos on Giving Half Your Work Away for Free." Core77, September 8, 2015. https://www.core77.com/posts/40562/Matthew-Manos-on-Giving-Half-Your-Work-Away-for-Free. 

Currey , Mason. "Designing Disruptive Business Models." Core77, December 15, 2015. https://www.core77.com/posts/44203/Designing-Disruptive-Business-Models.

Scott, Ryan. "When You Don't Know How To Be Disruptive." Forbes, January 14, 2016. https://www.forbes.com/sites/causeintegration/2016/01/14/when-you-dont-know-how-to-be-disruptive/?sh=5c0952824253. 

Scott, Ryan . "Crazy or Genius? Giving Away Half Your Work." Forbes, October 23, 2014. https://www.forbes.com/sites/causeintegration/2014/10/23/crazy-or-genius-giving-away-half-your-work/?sh=46a3a0a4427f.

McGraw, George. "Sometimes Profits, Like Patents, Are Meant to Be Shared." Huffington Post, November 4, 2014. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/sometimes-profits-like-pa_b_6098202.

Swanson, Karin. "7 Millennials Who Are Too Busy Changing The World To Take Selfies." Huffington Post, January 5, 2014. 

McGraw, George. "Why Non-profit Design Should Be Free." Huffington Post, December 12, 2013. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/why-nonprofit-design-shou_b_4426977. 

In 2021, Manos was appointed as chair of the Los Angeles Creative Advisory Board established by former Mayor Eric Garcetti. In 2020, Manos' company verynice was named one of the best UX practices in Los Angeles by Expertise.com. In 2013, the Taproot Foundation awarded verynice with the Golden Root Award for leadership in the pro-bono movement alongside a humbling group of businesses which included Disney, Deloitte, and Union Bank. In 2016 and 2018, verynice won a “MakeChange” Award for “People’s Choice of the Year.” In 2014 and 2018, Manos and verynice received recognition from Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti for the company’s unparalleled commitment to pro bono service for local non-profit organizations. verynice is also included in the “GameChangers 500” list, known as the “Fortune 500” of the social enterprise world. In addition, he has been nominated four times for Forbes 30 Under 30 list. In 2011, Manos was awarded the Thesis Scholarship from ArtCenter College of Design, a $10,000 award for academic excellence. In 2010, he was awarded the Chancellor’s Service Award upon graduating from UCLA in recognition of his pro bono service to local organizations and student groups.

As an educator and public speaker, Manos has delivered lectures, facilitated workshops, and exhibited work in 19 countries, including two TEDx talks. The following is a select list of venues/events he has been invited to:

ArtCenter College of Design: Launching at a Time of Uncertainty 

CENTRO University, Mexico City: Super Random | Conversación onlive con Matthew Manos 

European Cross Innovation Conference: Building a Creative Mindset with Play 

Notre Dame University: Social Enterprise for Four Changes 

School of Visual Arts, NY: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sh5iz6YUzjk&t=2636s

TEDxCMU (Carnegie Mellon University): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HigiAXs9d2w

The Futur with Chris Do: Conscious Capitalism & Working With Non-Profits 

verynice, is a design strategy practice founded by Manos that gives half of its services away for free to non-profit organizations. With a portfolio of work that has reached millions of people across the globe, verynice’s client experience spans 1,000+ brands including the American Heart Association, Apple, the City of Los Angeles, Disney Imagineering, Google, and the United Nations. One of the first examples of social entrepreneurship in the design services industry, verynice launched with a mission to alleviate expenses for nonprofit organizations while increasing access to design for all. Since its founding in 2008, the company has been able to displace nearly $50,000,000 USD in professional services through its groundbreaking pro-bono and open-access initiatives. 

Models of Impact is a role-playing and ideation game that simulates the process of launching a social enterprise. Taking the shape of detailed facilitation instructions and a comprehensive glossary of impact and revenue models, Models of Impact is designed to engage people with as diverse an array of models as possible. The resource has been used by 100,000+ practitioners, leaders, and students in schools and organizations across the globe. Manos is the creator of Models of Impact and has personally facilitated the experience with 40,000+ people in 15+ countries.

Comix from the Heart is an ongoing initiative that experiments with the genre of Graphic Medicine and is part of the Nine Panel Project. Developed in partnership with the American Heart Association, the project matches storytellers with artists in a workshop setting to create a single page, nine-panel comic about a healthcare experience. To-date, the project has published three volumes of Comix from the Heart. The project has involved a diverse community of 80+ patients, doctors, researchers, and artists from across the globe in the creation of these comics; each comic is reviewed by American Heart Association science and medical experts for accuracy.

Faculty

Subscribe to our Newsletter