Dominique Balie from The Halo Media Group

Meet the team: Dominique

Our meet-the-team series is for you to get to know our team members a bit more.


Hey Dominique, we'd like to get to know more about your role at Halo

What’s your job title?
Senior Designer and Researcher.

What sort of duties do you have at work?
Design campaigns and artwork such as posters, leaflets, PowerPoint Presentations, toolbox talks, brochures, etc. Research information related to a job, a client, or potential clients, write copy for clients as well as other Halo projects, and project manage Workforce Campaigns.

What inspires or excites you, and why?
Non-fiction books – I learn about the world around me, how people interact with each other and the history of why things and people are the way they are. Watching debates or talks on Youtube by influential people. Packaging at the shops inspires me, especially the beautiful alcohol bottles. Watching the news – preempting issues that will affect our clients and putting in place proposals to help them communicate with their staff. Countries – the different patterns or icons from around the world, e.g. Hieroglyphics, tribal or ancient patterns, traditional clothing, city skylines and buildings.

What is your #1 tip for your clients?
Your personal taste must not influence your brand – your personal likes and dislikes cannot dictate how your brand looks. We all have different personal tastes, and that’s why designers study so that commercially, we can advise our clients on industry standards, what works with various target markets, etc.

What’s your go-to productivity hack?
Asana – keeping track of where every job is in the system and what my tasks and deadlines are for the day, week, and month. I can then schedule my time around priorities.

What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received?
That I have excellent general knowledge.

What could you give a 30-minute presentation about with no advance preparation?
Countries of the world, the people who live there, what they eat, the history, etc.

What’s one professional skill you’re currently working on?
Editing my own copy – researching and writing copy is easier than limiting yourself to only a few words of importance.

What’s a work-related accomplishment that you’re really proud of?
9 years at Halo Media and becoming a senior research designer.

If salary weren’t a factor, what job would you do?
An anthropologist working at one of the world-famous museums, on an archaeological dig, or researching or writing about different groups of people.

Tell us more about you outside of work…

Where are you from?
I grew up in Westville, Durban. In my 20s I lived in the UK for a while. I loved living in another country and learning about the places and people.

Do you have a nickname, and how did you get it?
No. I don’t like nicknames, and rarely will I call someone by a short version of their name.

Colossus of Constantine, Capitoline Museums, Rome, Italy. Me for scale.

What wouldn’t we know about you, just by looking at you?
I met Nelson Mandela in 1996 the day before my 16th birthday. Got a happy birthday hug and kiss from him.

Cats or dogs (or neither?)
Cats (and rabbits)

What’s your favorite word in the English language?
Beautimous (not really in the English language, it’s a mash-up of beautiful and fabulous) I use it to describe something that is anything but beautiful and fabulous.

The best piece of advice you were ever given was … 
Read more. Don’t judge people.

What kind of music do you like?
European (especially Italian) pop, rap, rock, hip-hop, and dance music, but I love all kinds of music (from all the decades) and would listen to anything, except jazz and bluegrass.

Do you like travelling? If so, what’s the best place you’ve ever travelled to?
I love travelling! My favourite place is Italy, every region is like going to a different country with a different history, food, people etc. But also Mauritius, as I’m half Mauritian travelling in Mauritius is more of a family affair and a history tour.

What’s your guilty pleasure?
Food-wise, buffalo mozzarella, anchovies and truffle oil – although not together. Purchase-wise, buying books, whether from a second-hand shop or buying online. TV-wise watching Tribal People Try on YouTube.

Are you able to keep a secret?
Yes, but I prefer not to be told any!