“Take risks and experiment, you never know what will work if you don’t try it.”

— BRADLEY PINKERTON

How did you first get into design? 

I fell into design straight after high school in 2009 studying my Cert IV at Central TAFE. At the time I wasn’t too sure if design would be for me but I always loved music and wanted to try and combine both to help musicians make album artwork or event artwork. 

During the end of that first year I wasn’t too sure if design was for me, all the other areas we studied overwhelmed me (I can never look at gouache paint again) so I took two years off and moved away to figure out what I wanted to do. 

After that time I came to the decision to give it another shot and returned to Perth and gave it another shot. The second time around I enjoyed to so much more and was a lot more engaged.

In terms of finding your first job after graduating, what worked best for you and how did you get your first graphic design job?

Emails and directly contacting who I genuinely liked made a huge difference in the way I approached looking for work. 

After graduating from Uni (I received Advanced standing from my TAFE Advanced Diploma) I was really eager to start working in the industry. Unfortunately I couldn’t secure a junior role anywhere in Perth, so I made a list of all my favourite design studios around Australia and contacted them all saying what I liked about their work and that I was available.  

To my surprise Studio Round from Melbourne replied and said they would be keen to have me come on for a few months to help out with the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival brand rollout. That was the shove I needed at the time to move and really push myself out of my comfort zone.  

For a few years after that I jumped around different studios, further developing creative thinking and learning the business side design before becoming entirely freelance and running my own studio.  

Tell us a little about your experiences since. Where have you worked? Where do you work now?

After my third studio job here in Melbourne I decided to go freelance and try to build up my own client list. I was working a bit on the side on smaller projects but wanted to dedicate all my energy to my own practice. 

Some of the best advice I was given for this was from a few other designer friends here who did the same thing. They went straight from University into freelance, but did a small business course provided through the government called NEIS. NEIS teaches you the basics of running a business and provides a base income for the first 9 months of you starting out. I picked up a few business practices through my previous studio work but not balancing books or writing a business plan which I learned through NEIS. That came in handy when trying to figure out what I wanted to offer people and how I could keep an income coming in.

I used those 9 months to contact people I admired and wanted to work with. Telling them that I was available for work and what I can offer. It was pretty ambitious and made me feel a bit out of my comfort zone but it helped to open those first few doors to ongoing work.

It was slow to begin with but after time more connections grew and I was being recommended for more projects. Currently I’m still freelance and working out of a shared studio with a few other creatives in different industries.

What project are you most proud of?

It’s hard to say what project I’m most proud of as each project brings something new to the table. What I like most about running my own business is meeting all different types of people. Musicians, artists, and creative directors. People I admire a lot and have respect for. 

Working on Harry Styles past two albums has been pretty wild though. I work closely with the whole team and it’s amazing to be involved in the entire process of creating the world that surrounds it.  

I’m proud that I’ve been able to work within an industry I set a goal for. It blows my mind a little bit but I’m super thankful. 

Advice for TAFE’s current students? And to future proof the design course at TAFE?

Right now is a perfect time to really be engaged and absorb yourself in design. Learn what you like and dislike. Take time to learn outside of design, so many other areas and industries can influence your work while studying. 

I also wouldn’t put too much pressure on getting everything 100% right. It’s better to make a mistake and learn from it rather than just coasting all the way through. Take risks and experiment, you never know what will work if you don’t try it. If you think you want to make it blue then make it blue and see. 

What I have learned from working in the industry is that if you’re a reliable designer (meeting deadlines etc) that speaks volumes and positive word-of-mouth recommendations spread. Start learning a time management system that works for you and meet your weekly deadlines. 

By third year I think it is also really valuable to not think of yourself as a student and start thinking of yourself as a designer. Put yourself in that frame of mind and treat your projects as if you’re running your own studio. 

To future proof the design course I think introducing new briefs that reflect the changing state of the industry is essential. Look to real-world examples designers face.. whether it be sudden client changes, proofreading or fee negotiating/pricing. These could help designers studying be a bit more ready for when they graduate.