He may be new to our chapter, but Dom Monte has been designing for a long time. He’s sharing his knowledge through our chapter’s Mentorship Program and also volunteers on our In-House Committee.

Tell us a little about yourself. What is your current job?
I am the Creative Director of the Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company, where I have worked for the last 13 years. I lead a small but powerful team of designers. Our work ranges from campaign pitches, branding design, video and motion design for both financial services and the collegiate sports world. I preach collaboration and exploration, both with my own work and the work of my coworkers. My professional experience has had me touch many different aspects of design and levels of creativity. I have worked as a production designer, design specialist, web designer, graphic designer, etc… I live in Devon with my wife and two children, and look for other ways to be creative when I am not in the office with playing with a camera and brewing my own beer.

How long have you been in the field? 
Since QuarkXPress 3.3 and Photoshop 3.0. I studied graphic design at Drexel University and graduated in 1998. I have been working in the field since then.

Why design? What inspires you to do the work you do?
That has certainly changed over the years. There has been an evolution in both my thinking, and design in general. When I first started it was to just simply create stuff that looks good, now it’s deeper than that. I enjoy telling stories through design. Whether it’s the page by page evolution of an annual report, or the story of a subject in a 15 second rugby video. Whether it’s showing the dedication of an athlete and how it relates to a corporate philosophy, or the potential empowerment of the viewer, the inspiration comes from the origin of the stories.

How long have you been an AIGA member?
I was a member in another city back in the very late 1990’s, but currently only since last fall (2015).

Why did you join AIGA? 
I attended the in-house conference last summer at the Navy Yard and was instantly hooked. I saw an organization that shared in the values I have as a designer in regards to leadership, collaboration, and the power of creativity. Where the field of design is not a competitive one, but a collaborative one. I signed up with a couple of weeks after that conference.

How have you benefited from your AIGA membership? 
You meet awesome people when you get involved (some of which you may have even gone to school with and never knew!). Whether it’s the mentor/mentee pairing, or the local leadership, they welcome everyone with their ideas and encourage everyone to get involved. The membership has great benefits to both in-house and self-proprietary designers, but it’s the people and relationships you will build by just getting out there cannot be beat.

What do you enjoy most about the Philadelphia Chapter of AIGA?
Again, it’s the people. The chapter leadership recognizes that there are many faces of a graphic designer and they are developing programs for all them. The opportunity to connect to others who you never knew existed—who are in the same situations as yourself—is priceless.

We’d love to tell our members about you too! Tell us your story.