PITTSBURGH — August 10, 2023 — Gatesman is proud to announce the promotion of Alex Hess to creative director. Since joining Gatesman in 2022, Alex has been an influential leader in elevating the agency’s creative energy, output and recognition.  

“During his first year at Gatesman Alex’s talent has been focused on amplifying design and this attention has led to agency expansion, talent development and client growth,” said Shannon Baker, president of Gatesman. “He’s consistently influenced the work, and improved it, demonstrating how indispensable he is to our clients and our teams.”  

Alex’s expertise in design, illustration, fine art and photography has supported clients and new business across a variety of industries, but it is his passion for education that helped add a new ACC and SEC University to the agency’s growing higher education practice. That passion also fuels his role as a mentor and an adjunct professor in graphic design at LaRoche University.

He joins fellow creative director Ian Young and VP, senior creative director Mark DiPietro as the agency’s new creative leadership. In the past year, Gatesman enjoyed its most successful awards-season showing yet, bringing in 16 awards including multiple ADDYs and recognition by Communication Arts. This new era of creative leadership also expanded the team with the hiring of two additional designers and a new junior copywriter. 

“At Gatesman, we value teammates who truly show up. Alex brings the fire every day and you can absolutely feel that in the work,” said Mark DiPietro, VP, senior creative director. “I'm thrilled to elevate him to a role that helps maximize his impact on the work, the team and the agency.

To hear more about Alex’s insight on visual creativity and how humans perceive design, read his latest blog post, Visual Perception: The Allure of Beauty in Design on the Gatesman website. 

For more information, please visit gatesmanagency.com or keep up with #TeamGatesman on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook or X (formerly Twitter). 

About Gatesman:

With offices in Pittsburgh and Chicago, Gatesman offers expertise in strategy/branding, advertising, public relations, social media, digital and analytics. Gatesman is a partner in AMIN Worldwide, an alliance of over 50 independent marketing agencies, and IPREX, a global communications network. Gatesman acquired Quest Fore in 2014 and Noble Communications in 2017.