New Mattrunks website
And there it is! This time it’s official — mattrunks is truly evolving.
But first, since some of you were probably expecting it, I want to clarify that this new version doesn’t bring a lot of new tutorials — yet. The development of this new version took a huge amount of time, and all my efforts were focused on building it. New tutorial recordings will begin next week, and I fully intend to make up for lost time!
Now that that’s clear, let’s talk about the real new stuff!
Graphic Redesign
What’s most striking at first glance is the complete change in the site’s identity.
Everything has changed — and it was about time! The previous design dated back to 2009, and longtime readers will remember that I’m not usually one to wait that long. ;)
New Logo
The new site logo was designed by the brilliant Claire Coullon, who works at Op45. The old logo had become cold and too rigid. This new one brings freshness while remaining professional — and I’m very happy with it. Thanks to her for the great work:
New Ergonomics
The old site wasn’t built for e-commerce. Things weren’t always clear for new users — or even for members. So I spent several weeks designing a detailed, functional mockup of every page to make the user experience simpler and more enjoyable.
You’ll have to tell me what you think — both logged in and logged out!
New Design
Beyond the logo, the entire site design has been revamped. It was created by the talented Theoze, art director at Colorz, who also designed the previous version.
This time, countless small details were added, improving clarity and usability at the same time. Personally, I love change — and I’m really, really happy with this new design. I hope you’ll like it too!
Thanks again to Théo for the fantastic work — it was a pleasure to collaborate with you again. :)
Illustration
The beautiful homepage illustration (in logged-out mode) was created by Dorian, better known as Nairone. I asked for something that represented creativity and movement — and I think he nailed it! Thanks, man. :)
New Features
You’ll likely discover them as you explore the site, but here are the main new additions:
Members
A new “Members” page is now available from the main navigation, allowing you to easily search for members by city, skill, or profession. It’s quick and super handy if you’re looking for a motion designer to collaborate with. ;)
New Pricing
Several updates have been made to the payment pages, both for premium subscriptions (now in one step) and deposits for purchasing source files.
Premium subscriptions now start at €9/month (instead of €15), but without the video download option. That option remains available at the same price as before, but only for the annual plan at €90.
Deposits now start at €10 for those who prefer to buy individual premium tutorials.
English Version
The entire site is now available in English. You can switch between languages using the selector in the header. This might not mean much to French speakers, but it’s one of the site’s major evolutions — and one of the most time-consuming tasks due to the sheer number of elements to translate.
Thanks to Dominic Pons for his excellent tutorial translations.
Persistent Login
It might sound minor, but it was one of the most annoying things on the old site: having to log in every time! That’s finally fixed — you’ll stay logged in automatically. It was about time!
Authors
Whether on tutorial pages, blog posts, or contests, authors are now much better highlighted. This goes hand in hand with the arrival of new instructors, which I’ll talk about below.
And Many More
That I’ll let you discover for yourself right now!
New Instructors
I’m thrilled to announce that three new instructors have joined the site. Two of them have already published one tutorial each, which you can watch right now.
Please be kind — these are their very first tutorials! Expect more from them in the coming weeks, along with new ones from me very soon.
- Fcome — Will publish tutorials on 3ds Max and After Effects
- Donald Simonet — Will handle Cinema 4D tutorials
- Pierre Magnol — Will create tutorials combining After Effects and Cinema 4D
Custom Development
My friend Grafikart handled the integration and development of this new version.
And what a job! He started completely from scratch — building the back office, the custom CMS, and the front end using the latest technologies.
I can’t express how much admiration I have for him — he genuinely impressed me. To put it simply, nothing scares him, and nothing stops him. Not even my unpredictable requests or frequent changes of mind. I was probably one of his worst clients — four hours a day on Skype for two months straight! I don’t know how he didn’t go insane.
But the result speaks for itself. The site is even richer than I had hoped, and Jonathan managed to bring all my ideas to life. Huge thanks to you for all the hours spent on this project — it was a real pleasure working with you on this redesign.
If you want more technical details about the site (CakePHP, jQuery, Compass, i18n, etc.), I recommend reading this article or waiting for Grafikart’s recap on his blog.
And Now?
Well, now that all this is done... it’s time (finally, some of you will laugh) to start seriously filling the site with new content! Starting next week, I’m firing up Screenflow again for new After Effects tutorials.
In the meantime, I hope you’ll enjoy this new site! See you soon.
To my grandfather
About the author
I am the Founder of Mattrunks. I work as Creative Director and Motion Designer in my studio. I also create video tutorials to share my passion of motion.