We Tell Stories &
Design Lasting experiences

Love Solutions

We believe in doing work that matters because we have a genuine passion for helping clients see through to game-changing solutions.

Build Together

We believe we’re in this with you. We build on trust and work tightly with internal teams to understand how our team can make your team stronger.

Strategy first

We believe outcomes work if there’s a strategic focus. We will never design or develop something unless we unearth its strategic intent first. We help our clients new approaches.

Relationships Matter

We believe in the long haul. We’re proud of our shared success and we want to be working together for as long as you need us — and cheering you on every step of the way.

MG Leadership

Matt Mansfield

Matt Mansfield

Founder

Matt is the CEO of MG Strategy + Design; he leads projects and works hands-on with both clients and internal teams. Matt has held senior leadership roles for a few decades now. He’s a frequent speaker at design and storytelling events.

Matt has extensive experience leading content, design, multimedia, and product teams at CQ Roll Call, the San Jose Mercury News, and National Geographic. He taught as a professor and program leader at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.

Matt also serves on the leadership team of M. Harris & Co. in Chicago, which MG partners with in building a growing design practice.

As a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society for News Design, Matt was celebrated as a pioneer in information design, a lifelong volunteer, and a mentor to a generation of creative professionals.

From 2008-2013, he was a professor at Northwestern, serving as co-director at the Medill School in D.C. Ask Matt about his Medill students and he’ll proudly tell you what they are up to now. He’s also the co-editor, with NU colleague Ellen Shearer, of “Truth Counts: A Practical Guide for News Consumers” (CQ 2018).

Matt built USEnergyJobs.org, the annual report from NASEO and EFI, as well as two political magazines for Bloomberg. His recent project with the AFL-CIO and EFI resulted in a new brand and website for the Labor Energy Partnership.

Matt has worked with ESPN, NPR, RMI, the National Association of Latino Elected Officials, the American Academic of Pediatrics, the McCormick Foundation, the Pew Charitable Trusts, and many other clients. He and his teams’ work has garnered hundreds of awards, including World’s Best-Designed™ Newspaper, the Pulitzer Prize, Best of the West, and several National Magazine Awards. Contact Information Email: matt@mgstrategy.design Phone: 202.550.2297 Learn More

Jonathon Berlin

Creative Director

Jonathon is the creative director for MG Strategy + Design. As the company’s chief strategist, he works with MG team members every day to craft visual storytelling solutions. He’s been doing work like this for more than two decades.
Recent work has included art direction, animation, storyboards, graphics, data visualization, and experience design for the American Academy of Pediatrics, Chase, Energy Futures Initiative, Mission Possible Partnership, RMI, and McKinsey.

Jonathon oversees design work for M. Harris & Co. as part of MG’s partnership work in Chicago. He is also a visiting multimedia expert at the Discovery Partners Institute.

As the former director of content for data and graphics at the Chicago Tribune, a masthead-level position, Jonathon’s work has reached millions of people. This year, he was part of the Tribune and BGA team that won the Pulitzer Prize for reporting that exposed the failure of Chicago city officials to keep tenants safe from deadly fires in dangerous residential buildings,

His infographics work has been honored by Malofiej, SND, AIGA and Print. Before coming to Chicago in 2007, he worked at the San Jose Mercury News, the Rocky Mountain News, and The Times of Northwest Indiana. He was a Page One designer during The Rocky’s Pulitzer Prize-winning work covering wildfires in Colorado.

Jonathon has also taught infographics, data visualization, and human-centered web design at Northwestern University and Columbia College. He was president of the Society for News Design (SND) in 2012.

Jonathon and his wife have three kids. They live in Chicago, where he also spends time jogging, cooking, and building things with Legos. Contact Information Email: jonathon@mgstrategy.design Phone: 312.273.7314 Learn More

Kurt Cunningham

Kurt Cunningham

Digital Lead

Kurt is the digital lead for MG Strategy + Design. He is a celebrated innovator with a focus on fusing data-driven design with usable human interfaces. He has led digital product development for companies such as the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, Illinois Answers Project, Better Government Association, the National Consortium of Telehealth Resource Centers, ESPN, Northwestern University, and Red Ventures. Kurt has improved digital authority and engineered new site experiences for dozens of organizations and startups across the nation. Most recently, his work with MG has focused on building immersive digital destinations for nonprofits and non-governmental organizations seeking meaningful change and increased exposure for their efforts. He led the redesign of the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation website and the design for the Illinois Answers Project’s new digital experience — Illinois’ nonpartisan investigations and solutions journalism news organization. Kurt also led the redesign work for Dare2tri, helping that nonprofit organization with digital fundraising that reached $200,000 on the organization’s annual giving day, increasing conversion rates ever since and improving search standing along the way. Contact Information Email: kurt@mgstrategy.design Learn More

Scott Goldman

Scott Goldman

Founder

Scott is a partner and the chief financial officer at MG Strategy + Design, which he and Matt Mansfield founded in 2002. He is also the head of content for Service Titan.

Scott has directed content marketing teams at Angie’s List and USA Football, and he led news and design teams as a senior editor at The Washington Post, Indianapolis Star and Charlotte Observer.

He was Chief Marketing Officer for FinTech startup EveryIncome, and directed national news, sports and entertainment coverage at Advance Digital. Scott has spearheaded MG projects for Stanford University, Crain Communications, Aspire, and many others. Contact Information Email: scott@mgstrategy.design Phone: 317.345.5143 Learn More

Team: MG Collaborators

MG builds project teams from a trusted network of experts — people with the perfect skills to bring to life each thing that we make. We’re nimble and scalable. We believe in hiring the best folks for each engagement. We make awesome happen together.

Bethany Bickley

Design + illustration

Learn More
Chuck Burke

Data visualization + infographics

Learn More
BW Research

Research, data + analysis

Learn More
Aaron Castelo

Government relations + public policy

Learn More
Paige Connor

Customer experience design

Learn More
Ben Cunningham
Ben Cunningham

Storytelling, design + graphics

Learn More
Linda Eckstein

Information Design

Learn More
Hiram Enriquez

Digital marketing + media

Learn More
David Harrell

Writing + editing

Learn More
Alexander Helbach

Art direction, illustration + animation

Learn More
KarBel Multimedia

Design, data visualization + graphics

Learn More
Kenney Marlatt

Writing, design + photography

Learn More
Katie Nieland

Design, graphics + illustration

Learn More
Stephanie Redding

Design, graphics + illustration

Learn More
Courtney Semple

Writing + editing

Learn More
Liz Shields

Design + art direction

Learn More
Ryan Smith

Graphic design + editing

Learn More
Stacy Sweat

Report + proposal design

Learn More
Unrelated Studio

Design + web development

Learn More
Yuri Victor

Creative design + technology

Learn More
Kris Viesselman

Creative direction + content strategy

Learn More
  • 35+

    Team members available

  • 75+

    Combined years of experience

  • 40+

    Data visualization projects

  • 33+

    Campaigns created

  • 99+

    Projects launched

  • 99+

    Design awards

  • 25+

    Live events produced

  • 20+

    Years of board service

Multi-skilled experts

We work with nonprofits, associations, foundations and media to turn ideas into actions and inspire change. Our team combines creativity and design skills with deep subject matter expertise to produce transformative work.

Strategy

Branding

Content Development

Data Visualization

Design

Digital Development

Audience

Marketing