Matt Ralph
Matt leads the creative development and design process for all projects, and has more than 25 years of experience
in the graphic design field. He is a graduate of Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, with a B.F.A. in Communication
Design. He began his career as a designer in the communications office at the University of New Hampshire and
worked in several Boston-area design firms before establishing his own studio in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Matt’s
work has been cited by the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) and Council for Advancement and Support
of Education (CASE) among others. His work has also been featured in HOW and Print magazines, and several books
on contemporary graphic design published by Rockport Publishers. Matt follows Formula 1 and IndyCar racing,
and has even taken a few spins around the track himself during a weekend session at Skip Barber Racing School.
Probably best that he sticks to graphic design.
Diane Ralph
Diane has over 20 years experience working in the graphic design field and is involved in layout, project coordination,
scheduling and business matters. Prior to joining Plainspoke, she was the corporate Human Resource Information
System manager for Cabot Corporation in Boston, Massachusetts. She has a B.S. in Business Administration from
the Whittemore School of Business and Economics at the University of New Hampshire. Diane’s passion has always
been horses, a topic she can skillfully work into any conversation.
Portsmouth
Portsmouth, New Hampshire is a vibrant, funky little seacoast city within an hour drive to Boston, Portland,
Maine and Manchester, New Hampshire. Back in the day, Portsmouth was a thriving seaport and shipbuilding
powerhouse. Today it is known mostly for its working tugboat fleet and for claiming the most restaurants per
capita in New England. Portsmouth is often named one of the “best places to live” in various surveys and was
recently listed among “the most romantic cities” by MSN.com. Who knew?
Our Studio
Plainspoke is housed in a brick carriage house located in the heart of Portsmouth’s downtown historic district.
The 2,000 square-foot building dates back to the mid-1800’s and was originally constructed as a true “mews”
with arched stable doors that opened directly onto the street, where our orange doorway entrance is now
located. In 1997 we purchased the building and undertook a complete renovation. Original beams and some
of the brick walls were exposed and combined with an open layout plan and clean, contemporary design features. Back to top