Today we’d like to introduce you to Kyle Poff.
Kyle, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was born in Lubbock, Texas and went to school for painting, but slowly began to realize that I needed to jump headfirst into Graphic Design because everything I was seeing in some way correlated to designing my life the way I wanted it, whether it be the clothes I wore, the music I listened to or the drawing styles I swapped in and out of. Everything was coming down to how is it designed? /who designed it? So I went to design school for Graphic Arts at the University of North Texas in Denton, just outside of Dallas. This program was so strenuous for everyone involved and it had to be, so that you could mold yourself and your work into something greater.
I worked at a really amazing design firm in Dallas called Tractorbeam, Then around 2006 I decided to jump ship for VSA Partners in Chicago. After about 6 years there I then moved into the Leo Burnett agency, and began a role as a Design Director under Alisa Wolfson.
In 2009, I began officially taking on work under the name Monument Partners. We specialize in creating Brand Identities, Packaging, Brand Strategy, Illustration, Hand Lettering. We are currently operating as just two people: me and my wife Julia Curry. Almost every single job we receive, is from a referral from someone else we’ve done business with, which is great because we haven’t ever had to scout for work. And oddly enough, most of the projects we take on are outside of Chicago for some reason. We are always seeking opportunities to collaborate with Chicago businesses, yet somehow our clientele come in from New York, California, Hong Kong, San Francisco.
Our name comes from the idea that anything you create should be a foundation for the next step. Live for tomorrow, not only for today. Do something important that can be seen or heard for many many years to come.
Has it been a smooth road?
One of the biggest struggles of being a principal of a design firm, is being able to let people know you want the same exact things they want. Many people you interact with seem to be under the assumption that, as designer, you will want to stretch an idea into a point of view for a completely incorrect audience or bend and manipulate it, so that it can become trendy and ‘’viral for the sake of being viral’’. Everything a client perceives as important, is what we to bake into the very essence of the final product.
Another struggle I think would be convincing people they are good at design. Many people I come across will think they are too old or too young to understand how design works. The beauty of design is that every single person, every age, designer or not, has a rudimentary mastery of design basics already hardwired in themselves, they unfortunately sometimes just don’t realize it. At times, the hardest part can be convincing them to embrace it and realize how many elements of daily life are created by a designer, just like themselves. On the flipside it’s important to acknowledge how many things around us are created by someone who wasn’t paying attention to care for what they were actually trying to accomplish. It’s an act of generosity to trust your soul and what it tells you to create. It’s up to all of us to uncover those moments in time and discover what they mean and why they were created.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Monument story. Tell us more about the business.
What I’m most proud of is the connections I make with people. Each day brings a different interaction, that can potentially grow and blossom into an amazing relationship.
Five years ago, I got an email from Jonathan Grahm of Compartés Chocolatier (a chocolate guru in Los Angeles) who told me he had be designing his own truffle patterns and chocolate boxes, but noticed my work on The Dieline and wanted to start small together for a rebrand. It turned into a dream job. Over the last five years we’ve done some amazing work together and he has been very very inspiring. Getting a client that really loves to push the boundaries and limits of design, is such a rush. He’s literally not scared of anything I convinced him to really ‘’hit print’’ many times over.
Another amazing connection I’ve had the pleasure of being a part of, is Hillrock Distillery in upstate New York. Started by a guy named Jeff Baker, who hired Dave Pickerell as his Master Distiller from Maker’s Mark and Whistle Pig fame, together they have been crafting amazing tasting Bourbons and Rye’s. We started from the ground up, with a new logo, and bottle design, and moved on to website design and special edition releases that are coming out every month. The best tasting stuff. A great partnership.
I would say what sets us apart from others is that we strive to create work that you’ve never seen before. I want to carve a hole that when someone sees what your service or product is, they immediately recognize the brand, and they don’t associate it with anything else they’ve ever seen before, it’s a tall order but it’s our personal Brand Value that we strive for day in, day out. People love playing the “This looks like that” game, and so do we and we want to stump you.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
The idea of Luck can be a powerful tool to concentrate on as a concept. I sometimes don’t really believe it occurs in everyday life the way people think it does. I believe in karma by bringing wonderful things to life and passing good vibes onto everyone will keep you on top. It’s a good regimen to wake up every morning and make it an effort to achieve the goal of helping life for others through your work. Some professions are easier to believe in that than others. I’m not a veterinarian, a priest or a social worker but by being a designer that creates work that will inspire each industry and by taking on positive projects that I believe in I hope that enlists the good karma I think it does — The world now needs that thoughtfulness now more than ever.
The intentional forgetfulness that sometimes luck might not exist is powerful I think. It helps you notice patterns that are around us for certain reasons and helps us realize if they are problems in need of a solution or if they are positive reinforcements that can keep us lazy and habit prone. I would say that every time I have something good or bad happen, I do look around and ask “why me?”
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I think artificial intelligence will be a huge game changing chunk to grapple with, hopefully automated logos and designs won’t play a part of that, but designing for the digital age means keeping up with what’s happening around you. I thought 10 years ago that books and magazines would drastically drop, but I almost feel like I see them more now than ever, being able to design with less is one of the most important tenants to keep in mind. Isn’t it annoying when you see something that has 3 or 4 wraps or boxes around it when I really just needed a hang tag and a security strip?
Contact Info:
- Website: kylepoff.com
- Phone: 773-428-2591
- Email: kylepoff@gmail.com
- Instagram: @kylepoff
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