Matt Dorfman is a designer, artist, and Art Director for the New York Times Book Review, having previously served as the Art Director for the New York Times Op-Ed page. Dorfman also operates his one-person office specializing in culture-centric projects and storytelling under the name Metalmother, a choice inspired by a Guided By Voices song that notably lodged itself in his head throughout most of his twenties.
His portfolio is extensive, having collaborated with high-profile clients such as The New York Times, Serial, Fresh Air with Terry Gross, The New Yorker, Penguin, Pantheon, The Washington Post, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Knopf, Random House, New York Magazine, Vintage + Anchor Books, New Directions, The Atlantic, Playboy, Time, Vanity Fair, Esquire, Scribner, Verso, and W.W. Norton, among others. Matt Dorfman’s contributions to the field were recognized with the Richard Gangel Award for Art Direction from the Society of Illustrators in 2022, underscoring his influence and excellence in art direction.
Matt Dorfman’s work has been featured across various platforms, including It’s Nice That, The Biblio File Podcast, NY Times Book Review Podcast, NPR, AIGA Eye On Design, The Weird Show, Wired, American Illustration, WAMU, and Print Magazine. This widespread recognition highlights his impactful designs and illustrations that resonate with a broad audience. Furthermore, he has engaged in speaking engagements and shared his expertise at institutions and forums like ADC, Blue Cadet / AIGA Philadelphia, SOI/SPD, DSVC, Type Director’s Club, and the Syracuse University Illustration Symposium.
Dorfman has designed covers for a variety of notable books. Some of his work includes Blink by Malcolm Gladwell, So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson, and The Secret World of Oil by Ken Silverstein.
