The surprising links between comics and branding

Writer and author Mat Groom shares the story behind his parallel careers in branding and comic books, including the unexpected connections between the two and his thoughts on the rise in side hustles

As senior storyteller at Australian branding studio For The People, Mat Groom writes for a broad set of brands and organisations. Most recently he’s overseen a narrative-led visual identity for an independent Sydney coffee shop, a regional branding project for Tasmania’s West Coast and a new brand voice for the Women’s and Girls’ Emergency Centre – which offers shelter and support to women at risk of domestic violence and homelessness.

For four days a week he helps companies uncover the stories they want to tell, and the words they want to tell them with, but on the fifth day Groom switches to his burgeoning career as a comic book author. Although still a rising voice in the field, he’s published his first comic, Self/Made, through Walking Dead publisher Image Comics, as well as contributing to Marvel Comics’ The Rise of Ultraman and DC’s Crimes of Passion.