Last time, we declared Project Strategist Jenn Green Big Nerd of the Month, but who reigned supreme this month? Drumroll please…

The honor goes to Mobile UX Designer Matt Raufman! When Matt’s not creating rocking user mobile experiences, he’s designing hoodies for our team—a daunting task, to say the least. The only thing that inspires more Nerd passion than coding? Hoodies. Matt, you’ve done us proud.

We sat down with this hoodie master so we could find out just what makes him so awesome.

Big Nerd Ranch: Congratulations, Matt! It’s quite an honor to be named Big Nerd of the Month. You’re a great designer and we feel lucky to have you on the team. Will you start off by sharing how you ended up at Big Nerd Ranch?

Matt Raufman: I’ve gone the web-y, market-y route in my career. I’ve worked at a couple of small agencies in Atlanta, at Wieden + Kennedy in Portland, and most recently at WebMD. There were some bumps in the road along the way, maybe even an all-out U turn, but I’m glad I’ve arrived.

BNR: We’re glad, too! But the Big Nerd Ranch work culture is a bit different from agency life. Tell us why you love your Big Nerd family…

Matt: I really do love working at Big Nerd Ranch. I think this is due mostly to the people and the culture. Our company is full of smart, kind and truly interesting people. And there’s a unique culture here, one I haven’t experienced anywhere else I have worked. It is very positive, values kindness and hard work, and allows you the freedom to work on your own terms. I’m rather introverted and sometimes I just need the ability to seclude myself and hammer out some work, and I love that I can do that without folks raising eyebrows.

BNR: Clearly you fit in well—you’ve got some cheerleaders who deemed you nerd-worthy to win this honor. We’ve got to know, what’s the nerdiest thing you’ve ever done?

Matt: This is a tough one! My wife said I should talk about the time I cancelled a date with a girl to play D&D. In my defense, we were in the middle of a campaign, and I recall it being more of a rescheduling than a cancellation. She was that girl, of course, so everything worked out all right in the end.

BNR: We hope you made it up to her by taking her out for a good meal! Speaking of food, we hear you’re quite the food expert. Do you have any signature meals we should know about?

Matt: I love to cook when I have the time. I have a really good recipe for keftedes (Greek meatballs), which we like to serve with tabbouleh. So good. I just bought a book on fermentation so I’ve been doing some experiments with that, along with some pickling.

BNR: Yum! While we’re picking your food-lover brain, what are your favorite Atlanta restaurants we should try?

Matt: The Iberian Pig is the absolute greatest. For something more low-key, I can’t say enough good things about Argosy.

BNR: You’ve sure made this a mouth-watering interview. One last thing before we let you go: what are your must-have tech gadgets or apps of the moment?

Matt: I’m not hard to please. In fact, I’m still riding high on the iOS 7 wave. Installing it was like getting a brand new iPhone, without having to buy any hardware. I’m not the kind of guy who has to have the newest, shiniest gadgets and technology. I like the truly useful stuff. My most-used app is probably Wunderlist. I can make a list for anything, and it’s so satisfying to hear that scratching sound when an item is ticked off the list.

BNR: That is a good feeling, isn’t it? And now you can check off that you were Big Nerd of the Month!

Matt: I still can’t believe I was nominated. I really believe this is due to some sort of clerical error.

BNR: Not a chance. Let the rest of the Nerds assure you of your reigning nerdiness! Congratulations again, Matt!

Think you’ve got what it takes to become a Nerd? Check out our open positions and apply to join the team.