“Inspire others with the designs you create and share them with the world…”

— ELLEN RODGERS

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

After working as a freelance graphic designer for a little while, I realised I wasn’t 100% satisfied with my career path. After a serious chat with my old lecturer, Brendan Hibbert, I decided to move to Melbourne and enrol in marketing at RMIT. After graduating in 2016, I started working at a marketing agency specialising in SME business buying, selling, and investing. I had the opportunity to provide marketing and graphic design expertise for more than 200 Australian and New Zealand franchises, licenced business operators and investment start-ups looking to break through and grow.

After 5 years in that role and helping the marketing agency grow into a thriving business, I was offered an opportunity to work in the wine industry back home in Perth. While my wine industry life was short-lived, I’m now upskilling myself in SEO and website optimisation at a marketing agency here in Perth.

How did you get your first graphic design job?

I didn’t technically find a job in graphic design; our graduating year was very tough, and the job market was brutal. I ended up freelancing via word of mouth.

What advice would you give to graphic design students studying at NM TAFE right now?

Persevere, and never let pride or fear get in the way. I enlisted the help of an agency to set me up with my first internship placement after graduation, and it worked out for me. They recognised my worth and hired me full-time within 2 weeks!

I have a personal motto: "To design is to inspire this life". It means inspire others with the designs you create and sharing them with the world.

What is post-pandemic Perth design in need of most?

An attitude adjustment! hahaha jks. As someone who lived in Melbourne for the entire pandemic, I can say there is more to life than there was before. It’s time to move on, refocus, start designing, and make the most of everything!

What do you think are the most important qualities in a graphic designer?

Someone who has an open mind, a sense of humour, and an insightful take on the world as we know it. A good designer is someone who can understand why a design may be labelled good or bad and build on it.

It’s not about who is better at this or that; it’s about your unique style, talent, and vision, so just run with it!

Please list some awesome new developments happening right now in the design industry.

AI design and bot content writing. We need to learn to work with it and adapt to changes in modern technology. The clients know it’s coming; they ask about it, so it's better to brush up on it and harness it.

Any further comments that may assist with our course and curriculum development?

International/interstate briefs. I am seeing more and more enquiries from potential international clients who want quality work at a fair price. Learning to create media and graphic design briefs for different countries and their unique cultures opens up a whole new landscape in this virtual age. Zoom meetings are a game-changer.

Also, explore more content-based marketing projects; the job market is often looking for graphic designers with marketing experience, and vice versa. Getting stuck into eDM template design, organic posts and meta ads, brand guide lines, website copy creation, etc. is key. My graphic design skills cross over with my marketing skills all the time.