Currently in transit. Perpetually designing.
With people. With spaces. With stories.
We believe design is not decoration — it’s presence.
It listens, reflects, and responds to the context around it.
Our work blends function with form, process with intuition, to deliver visual experiences that carry depth and clarity.
Whether in branding, space, or print,
we design for impact — not for effect.
CUSTOMER
SATISFACTION
YEARS EXPERIENCE
Interview
Inside the Studio
Inside the Studio
Design with a Face
What do you actually do?
I help people and ideas take shape — visually, symbolically, emotionally.
My work blends graphic design, art direction, storytelling and a touch of ritual. Whether it’s a brand, a website, or a tiny printed piece that ends up in someone’s hand, my job is to make it mean something.
My work blends graphic design, art direction, storytelling and a touch of ritual. Whether it’s a brand, a website, or a tiny printed piece that ends up in someone’s hand, my job is to make it mean something.
How did it all start?
It started with the need to see — and then to express.
From my early studies in decoration and theatre costume in Paris, to graphic design in Athens and Munich, to decades in advertising and publishing — I’ve never stopped being a visual translator. I grew up with Greek tradition, but looked outwards with curiosity. MatVat is the synthesis of that movement: inward and outward, classic and contemporary.
From my early studies in decoration and theatre costume in Paris, to graphic design in Athens and Munich, to decades in advertising and publishing — I’ve never stopped being a visual translator. I grew up with Greek tradition, but looked outwards with curiosity. MatVat is the synthesis of that movement: inward and outward, classic and contemporary.
What’s your design approach?
Empathy, layering, and intention.
Design for me is interpersonal: it listens before it speaks. I look for the “quiet meaning” in each project — and try to distill it visually. It’s never about being trendy. It’s about being right, for that specific moment, brand, person or place. And yes, sometimes, it needs to surprise.
Design for me is interpersonal: it listens before it speaks. I look for the “quiet meaning” in each project — and try to distill it visually. It’s never about being trendy. It’s about being right, for that specific moment, brand, person or place. And yes, sometimes, it needs to surprise.
Do you have a favorite kind of project?
Anything that asks for soul.
I love working with people who are passionate about what they do — restaurateurs, hoteliers, makers, thinkers, cultural institutions. I enjoy the mix: from a balsamic label to a monastery edition to a boutique resort website. Especially when the challenge is how to connect the unseen to the visible.
I love working with people who are passionate about what they do — restaurateurs, hoteliers, makers, thinkers, cultural institutions. I enjoy the mix: from a balsamic label to a monastery edition to a boutique resort website. Especially when the challenge is how to connect the unseen to the visible.
Why “MatVat”?
Because it’s me — but also more than me.
MatVat is my shorthand (Matina Vatavali), but also my visual alter ego. It’s where my work lives, breathes, and sometimes smiles. It’s a way to keep things personal, even in commercial contexts.
MatVat is my shorthand (Matina Vatavali), but also my visual alter ego. It’s where my work lives, breathes, and sometimes smiles. It’s a way to keep things personal, even in commercial contexts.
What guides your creative direction?
Patience and impression.
That’s my motto. Good design is not loud. It stays. It whispers something true and leaves a mark. You need patience to find that — and to allow for the right impression to emerge. Especially in a world of instant noise.
That’s my motto. Good design is not loud. It stays. It whispers something true and leaves a mark. You need patience to find that — and to allow for the right impression to emerge. Especially in a world of instant noise.
Do you ever stop designing?
No. And yes.
Sometimes I write. Sometimes I paint. Sometimes I just sit in silence, watching how light hits a surface. But I always return to designing — because it’s not something I do. It’s how I observe.
Sometimes I write. Sometimes I paint. Sometimes I just sit in silence, watching how light hits a surface. But I always return to designing — because it’s not something I do. It’s how I observe.
What’s your biggest visual strength?
Color. Always color.
I’ve had a thing for it since I was five — painting endless flowers, mixing pigments, trying to capture the world in watercolors before I had words for it. I studied drawing formally from the age of seven, but color became my native visual language.
It’s instinct now. I don’t “choose” color — I feel it.
Also, I photograph compulsively. Everything. Street corners, shadows, rituals, moments. It’s half journalistic, half poetic. I’ve built a huge archive of images that I often return to — either for inspiration or to share a thought through a photo (retouched or left raw, depending on the mood).
I’ve had a thing for it since I was five — painting endless flowers, mixing pigments, trying to capture the world in watercolors before I had words for it. I studied drawing formally from the age of seven, but color became my native visual language.
It’s instinct now. I don’t “choose” color — I feel it.
Also, I photograph compulsively. Everything. Street corners, shadows, rituals, moments. It’s half journalistic, half poetic. I’ve built a huge archive of images that I often return to — either for inspiration or to share a thought through a photo (retouched or left raw, depending on the mood).
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Missed deadlines
GRAPHIC DESIGN
MatVat
WEB DESIGN
VISUAL CONCEPT
Matina Vatavali
Interpersonal Design & Visual Meaning
Design is how I connect. Through image, symbol and experience — I give form to meaning, and meaning to form.
PERSONAL CONTEXT
DESIGN PHILOSOPHY
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WHEN WORKING TOGETHER
I’ve been cooperating with Matina for many years now, in several different projects. She is a talented Graphic Designer and Printing Expertise. Her ideas and imagination can deliver miracles in very short notice. She is very fast and eager to help with her great creativity, but also with her extended expertise regarding both designing and printing. Always a pleasure to work with her, because her tenacity, inventiveness and professionalism won’t let her give up until she delivers a perfect outcome. Furthermore, I would strongly recommend Matina not only for her high efficiency, but also for her pleasant character which is always a “plus” factor in cooperations.
Nota Karagianni
Marketing Department at Ideales GroupWorking with Matina, it was a wonderful, creative experience. I learned a lot about the design of a journal, since Matina is transmissible. I think Matina is very creative and likes a lot what she is doing. As a result, she wants to achieve the perfect.
Giannis Papadopoulos
Community Pharmacist, Retail and online pharmacy manager, Healthcare consultant, WriterIt was one of the best experiences in the field of design! Very informative and targeted framing and completion of what was requested! I highly recommend it!
George Koliomichos
Marketing ConsultantEvery year... but every year and every time we need her, Matina takes care of our restaurant menus! Thank you, Matina!
