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MONTE MEAD
CULTIVATOR ADVERTISING AND DESIGN
Monte Mead graduated from Colorado State University in 1987. He worked at a design firm in Fort Collins CO for eight years before moving to a Denver advertising agency, Barnhart/CMI. There Mead met his four future partners at Cultivator Advertising and Design. The titles on Mead's various business cards have gone from "graphic designer" to "art director" to "design director," but, he says, "I've never noticed a difference in what I was doing. So, now we don't have titles. In a firm of our size, everyone needs to be strategic, creative, conceptual and accountable."
Was graphic design your first career path?
On my sixth grade report card, there was a handwritten note from the art teacher, Mrs. Tweedel, expressing my adeptness in art. If only it had helped me with my multiplication tables.
What talents do you wish you possessed?
I wish I could draw better. In college I drew every day and I did alright. Now I just hire out or cobble stock together to get what I need. But the people who can really draw, I admire.
When you have a deadline, do you start right away, wait until the last minute or switch back and forth between projects?
Creative adrenaline works best when the FedEx deadline is approaching.
Which project in your portfolio are you most proud of?
The Wyoming Tourism campaign that Tim Abare (a current Cultivator partner) and I worked on was pretty successful, because the client believed in the strategy and footed the bill to hire the right people to produce great ads. I just put the pieces together (illustration, typography, copy, etc.) and got recognized for it. It is the one campaign that I have hanging on my walls at home.
We've also had a long relationship with Breckenridge Brewery in Denver, and I am proud of their entire design portfolio. That also led to New Belgium Brewing in Fort Collins CO, who called us to help freshen their packaging and logo and now their print ads, POS and branding. Among their many brilliant qualities, New Belgium gives all of their employee/owners a bike after a year's worth of service. After we worked with them for a year, we got bikes as well. And, needless to say, we have a fully stocked refrigerator.
Where do you turn for inspiration?
You have to go to the classics. Seymour Chwast. Reid Miles and the Blue Note album covers. Back when every letter was typeset, cut out and placed on a board, there was an extreme attention to detail and composition. They were true artists.
What is your worst habit?
I decide what music to play at work, because I have the speakers. We have no walls, so sound travels. Sometimes everyone but me is wearing headphones.
What role does "green design" play in your work?
Working with New Belgium Brewing has increased our attention to being green in every aspect of our lives. It's in their DNA, and it's infectious.
Should graphic design be an instrument for positive social change?
Design can add validity to social awareness. Cultivator did a campaign a couple of years ago, when the Colorado drought was at its peak, to keep people aware of the danger that forest fires present. It was primarily pro bono, and we had several vendors offer their services because they liked the cause and really liked the design and strategy.
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