Alex Pineda

Creative Director

Alex is the Creative Director at Matrix Group (AKA “Branding Guru”). He brings more than 20 years of award-winning experience in interactive media to his role here. With a background in usability engineering, advertising and media arts, he is responsible for Matrix Group’s user-centered design practice. His primary focus is to understand our client’s organizational goals, brand and the needs of those they serve, and then translate them into immersive and compelling designs.

Alex is also a professor at the San Francisco Academy of Art University Graduate School of Media Art. The guidance and leadership he provides young designers as an educator complements Alex’s work at Matrix Group. His courses include Creative Concept Development, Design & Usability and Interaction Design.

Prior to joining Matrix Group, Alex was a creative director and co-founder of The Retina, a cross-media design firm whose clients included Intel, Nike, Fox, Qwest, David Bowie, Compaq and Computer Associates. He has also directed design for APB News, Fox/Newscorp, and Quokka Sports. Other clients have included major brands such as Microsoft, Disney, MCA records, UBS/BurbankGroup, University of California – San Francisco, Columbia University and Polivec, among others. He has won Webby Awards for his work on TV Guide, the Olympics, and CNET, in addition to numerous other awards, such as the Communication Arts Interactive Design Awards for his work on the Olympics site and Whitbread.org.

Alex holds a BFA in New Media Arts from the San Francisco Art Institute, and an MFA from the School of Computer Arts, Academy of Art University.

Fun Facts About Alex

  • He’s one of the few “real” foodies at Matrix Group
  • He is a huge fan of Anthony Bourdain
  • He’s Joanna’s younger brother