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Matt Meredith, a third-year American literature and culture student, started an art-based Web-des

With blond curly hair and an alternative-band-meets-the-’80s kind of attire, Matt Meredith looks the exact opposite of the Web site designer stereotype. But three years ago, this self-proclaimed “computer nerd,” together with best friend Blake Machado, started a Web designing company called Corporate Green, which has earned him a certain level of notoriety and enough skill to warrant a commanding five figures per project.

Friends since the fourth grade, Meredith and Machado have always been able to work well together, having fun and making money at the same time. The two even manage to avoid the antagonism inherent in business so as to not put a damper on their friendship.

“We approach the same problem in different ways, so there’s usually a conflict in method but not in interest,” said Machado. “But we know that in the end, we’ll be better off by communicating, criticizing and meeting somewhere in the middle.”

Meredith, a third-year American literature and culture student, manages to keep himself very busy, running a business on top of going to school, a test of his time management skills and dedication to his company.

“During the school year I just do what I can, but this summer we just worked all the time. I basically lived at (Machado’s) apartment,” said Meredith. “It was very rewarding, but we still had our fun.”

Aside from the obvious financial benefits Corporate Green has amassed by doing projects for companies like Rooster Teeth, best known for its online shorts “Red vs. Blue,” both Meredith and Machado achieve satisfaction by outdoing the competition with quality and heart.

“Our motivation is more about improving the Web and doing a better job than we have to,” said Meredith. “For Rooster Teeth, we went above and beyond the contract and added a lot of cool features. We just want to make the web a better place, more innovative, easier to use and more fun, so we are always pushing the boundaries.”

The entrepreneurial duo plans to continue improving Corporate Green and expanding upon their clientele. For Meredith, this web designing company is something he would consider staying with for years to come because of all of the benefits he enjoys from essentially being his own boss.

“It’s nice because we get to make our own hours, and that way, if we want to take some time off to travel or whatever, it’s easy because it’s just the two of us,” said Meredith. “And it pays the bills, so we’ll probably do it for a while.”

Even with the added commitments that come from running Corporate Green, Meredith still finds the time to play in his newly assembled band, tentatively named “Dot Dot Comma.” Before this, he was in another band called “The Spin,” which played regularly at the Orange County venue Chain Reaction.

Meredith and Machado prove that looks can be deceiving and that the new generation of Web designers is not only innovative, but able to have a life outside the computer lab.

“The old computer guy stereotype is someone who sits in their parents’ basement, acne-ridden and devoid of all social skills,” said Machado. “But we are the new computer guy stereotype; we’re essentially normal, except we spend a lot of time in front of a monitor and embrace our inner nerd.”