Matter Stories: Benjamin Osheyack, Communications Designer

Tell us about yourself. (Where are you located, what is your career journey, and what brought you to this industry? )

I live in Brooklyn, NY, and I've been here for about 8 years. For most of my time in NYC, I've freelanced within an incredibly broad range of projects and industries, designing ad campaigns, toys and games, credit cards, restaurants, and food halls until just before the pandemic. In October 2019 I became the Senior Designer at Convene, a luxury co-working space operator, where my specialties in brand design, hospitality, and physical space activation were put to good use. Convene was the first time I encountered Matterport's product, as they had digital twins created for all of their co-working locations. Come 2020, I was back to freelancing due to the obvious downturn in Convene's business and connected with Matterport on a contractual basis, which became full-time shortly thereafter. 

What excites you most about your role?

Every week at Matterport brings new challenges and objectives that require you to constantly reset your expectations. For me, working at Matterport provides two major factors that make everyday rewarding:

1. My direct team.  I am fortunate that I get to work with a group of absolutely excellent people every day. They are whip-smart problem solvers who on their own are superb, and together are irreproachable. We have the benefit of trusting each other to competently handle our areas of business and pass the baton when ready. We can give each other constructive feedback without the notion of it being personal. And whenever one of us is unable to deliver, we can ask for help and know that it will be handled.

2. My work.  Throughout my time here, my role has morphed significantly to satisfy our business needs. I design and project manage requests for my team, which primarily supports our marketing efforts, but also develops our brand system, hardware and packaging, internal conferences, and web. Getting to work on a wide array of projects makes every project a new creative challenge, and puts me in touch with folks in every department of Matterport.

Tell us about your biggest accomplishment or favorite project at Matterport? What was it, were there any challenges, and how was it successful?

One of my favorite projects at Matterport was getting to redesign the packaging for our flagship camera, the Pro3. After a year on the market, our teams wanted to reduce the environmental footprint of the packaging while elevating the brand experience. We were able to achieve this by first reducing the amount of materials used, and moving from plastics and styrofoam to recyclable paper materials wherever possible. Through reducing the overall packaging size, we are able to increase the number of cameras on a commercial shipping palette. This resulted in fewer overall shipments, lowering the CO2 emissions associated with Pro3. The new packaging also features a sleek, elegant design that is easier to unbox, improving the first impression and user experience for the camera.

Are you involved in any programs such as EMERGE, Matterport Cares, ERGs etc., if so why? What’s been a memorable experience?

I have been helping to lead our small in-person initiative to meet up with coworkers in-person in the NYC area on a semi-monthly basis. While working remotely is unbeatable, it's stark how much faster communication can happen in person, and getting to know folks from across the organization is valuable in and of itself.

Do you have a favorite digital twin or a twin that resonates with you? Which is it and why?

Puri Anyar Kerambitan - It's a huge, beautiful space to explore that highlights Matterport's ability to transport its users across the globe to faraway places.