Freelance Design — Matteo's Portfolio

02 — How a Brief Works

The questions that start every project

Before any design work begins, I need to understand exactly what the client is working with and what they are trying to achieve. These are the questions I ask at the start of every engagement.

1

What type of graphic do you need?

Stream overlay, profile panel, banner, business card, or something else. Knowing the format shapes everything that follows.

2

What should it be themed around?

Specific games, color palettes, characters, images, or a general aesthetic. This is where the personality of the design starts to take shape.

3

What does your setup need?

Do you need a webcam cutout, a chat overlay area, banner notification space, a follower or subscriber counter? Each inclusion changes the layout significantly.

4

What aspect ratio does your gameplay run at?

Games run at different ratios — 16:9, 4:3, and others. The gameplay window has to be sized correctly or the whole layout breaks in practice.

5

When do you need it?

Understanding the deadline lets me set expectations and plan the work properly. Once everything is confirmed, I give a final quote before starting.

03 — Client Commissions

Work made for real streamers

The pieces below were commissioned by clients and used on their actual streams. Each one was built around a specific brief, iterated with the client throughout the process, and delivered when they were satisfied with the result.

Client Work — Evan, Convention Business Card

A business card designed for a client who was traveling to Japan to attend anime conventions and wanted something to hand out to people he met. The brief called for bold typography, Japanese text, a vibrant color palette, and references to his favorite characters and online communities. The result works as both a personal introduction and a piece of graphic design that reflects his personality and interests.

Client Work — Evan, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Stream Layout (In Use)

A stream overlay themed around Xenoblade Chronicles 2, designed for a client who runs speedruns of the game. The warm amber palette reflects the game's visual identity, with sections for a webcam, live timer display, and split tracker. Shown here in actual use during a live speedrun session.

Client Work — Brandon (King Caineghis), Fire Emblem Stream Layout

A stream layout designed for Brandon, who streamed under the name King Caineghis. The layout is themed around Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, featuring the floating island world of Tellius as a background scene with a decorative nameplate element inspired by the game's UI style.

Client Work — Brandon (Orchestrated Chaos/King Caineghis), Xenoblade Chronicles 1 themed layout with a custom unique monster designed nametag.

04 — Personal Stream Graphics

Where the skills were built

Before taking on client work I designed graphics for my own stream. These pieces gave me the space to experiment with different visual styles, game themes, and layout approaches. They are also where I first discovered what I actually enjoy about this kind of design work.

Personal — MD Twitter Banner

A promotional banner designed for my own Twitter profile, themed around a Xenoblade character with a high-contrast dark background and bold typography. Includes social handles across Twitch, Twitter, and YouTube presented in a clean, structured layout.

Personal — @MD__XC Xenoblade Chronicles: Future Connected Layout in Use

One of my personal stream layouts shown in active use during a Xenoblade Chronicles: Future Connected speedrun. The layout includes a webcam zone, follower and subscriber tracker, and a live split timer panel on the right side for tracking segment times during a run.

Personal — @MD__XC Stream Layout

A stream overlay for my own channel featuring an anime character and a blue and cyan color palette. Designed with zones for a webcam, follower counter, and subscriber count, with character artwork integrated into the layout structure rather than simply placed on top of it.

Personal — Torna: The Golden Country Stream Layout

A layout themed around Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna, using the game's distinctive gold and dark palette. Features the game's official branding, character artwork, and a follower goal bar integrated cleanly into the overall composition.

Personal — @MD__XC Hollow Knight Layout

05 — Reflection

What six years of client work teaches you

Running alongside my education since 2019, this freelance work has given me something that classroom projects rarely can: real clients with real preferences, real feedback, and real expectations. Every piece of work here was made for someone who was going to use it, show it to their audience, or hand it to a stranger at a convention in Japan.

The biggest thing I have learned is that the brief is everything. The more clearly you understand what someone actually wants at the start, the less time you waste on things that need to be redone. The questions I ask before starting a project have become more refined over time, and so has my ability to read what someone means when they describe a feeling or an aesthetic rather than a specific design direction.

This work also keeps me connected to the community I design for. Being an active part of the gaming and anime streaming world means I understand the context behind every request in a way that an outside designer simply would not. That shared context makes the work better.

Designing for clients taught me that good design is not just about what looks right to you. It is about understanding what feels right to them, and being willing to stay in that conversation until you get there. That instinct carries into everything else I do as a designer.

Freelance work

Type of Work

Clients

Timeline

Tools

Approach

Built around what each person actually wants

The questions that start every project

Work made for real streamers

Where the skills were built

What six years of client work teaches you

Matteo’s POrtfolio

Contact

Freelance work

Type of Work

Clients

Timeline

Tools

Approach

Built around what each person actually wants

The questions that start every project

Work made for real streamers

Where the skills were built

What six years of client work teaches you

University of Guelph OpenED Open Learning and Educational Support

Matteo’s POrtfolio

Contact