23 questions!

Meet the Brisbane team's latest stand out Junior Graphic Designer Erin and find out what puts her on the brink of big things to come!

What sparked your passion for design?
I went to a great school and was given the opportunity to study an elective for art, which included graphic design. After a few weeks playing around with Photoshop and being able to create cool and interesting patterns and realised I could do it all day and never be bored.

How creative were you as a youngster?
As a child I danced and played the flute in a concert band, I also joined the choir. I always loved art class in kindy and used to stick more than paint on my paintings, leaves, flowers.

Do you come from a creative family?
My family are all sports fanatics as was I through high school. My mum’s family all played instruments and love to dance and sing when partying.

Were they supportive of your desire to be a designer?
It was my mum who suggested the idea of putting my creativity to good use and become a graphic designer. My family are very happy for me and are always positive I’ll do well. My brother is a marketer so he is very supportive and we often brainstorm concepts together.

What sort of education and training have you had?
I studied at Design College Australia for 2 yrs full time 4 days a week. DCA is an industry based University, I worked to times lines, had more than 4 projects on the go and was graded by a panel of well known advertisers, photographers, and illustrators for all pit briefs and assignments. I graduated in 2008 with a Certificate 11 in design, Certificate IV in communication design and an Advanced Diploma in graphic design.

Who did you want to work for when you first entered the industry?
I wanted to work for a small magazine street press magazine company, Scene, Rave, Timeoff. A small inlet into the editorial world so that I could get a taste of working in a team in a fast paced and creative environment.

Tell us about your first project and what do you feel about it now?
My first project was a small brief to create a stationary suite for a women’s boutique shop. I still quite like the design and can still clearly see the concept however I am pleased to see that compared to my work produced today I have greatly improved but its always a nice reminder that I haven’t lost my creative groundings.

What is your preferred software to work with and what has been the greatest advancement in technology over the past 5 years?
I think the Adobe suite is the greatest software ever created; you can do so much with just one of those programs. The greatest advancement in technology would have to be with out a doubt the Apple Mac.

Is digital technology going to eliminate the need for print?
There will always be a need for print, people like myself will always read books and refer to newspapers and manuals for information rather than a screen.

Whose work do you really admire and why?
I don’t have a particular person in mind, I love to look at the designs in magazines and publications, like Desktop magazine, ID Magazine, Design is Kinky, Semi-Permanent and the list goes on.

Who has been the greatest person that you’ve ever had the pleasure of working with and what have they taught you?
I have been very fortunate to have studied and worked with the director of Design College Australia, Clinton Harvey. Clint is not only my mentor but also a great typographer and philosopher of design. Clint taught me to be tough he said “don’t get emotional when a clients says change it”. This small piece of advice is what makes working in the design industry much more enjoyable for me.

How would you describe your work?
My work is different. I like to research layouts and image treatments and create something that incorporates a bit of both in my own quirky style, very free and colourful, flowing lines and playful type, layouts.

What are your plans for the future?
I plan to be in Melbourne, Sydney or Brisbane in an editorial environment working in a fun and creative design team having a great time creating interesting layouts and playing with type.

What sort of company would you like to work with next?
My dream is to work for a magazine company, in the editorial design team where the fun never stops…. Specifically Madison magazine or Cosmopolitan both are situated in bustling Melbourne.

What is your opinion of Australian design?
Australian design is doing great for such a short life and I expect it to keep growing.

What is the best/worst thing about being a designer in Australia?
The best thing about being a designer ……you get to mess around with cool stuff, creating quirky, funny posters, magazine layouts, lots of bright colours and the newest technology toys, paper stocks…to me its like being in the grown ups kindy garden, It never gets boring. The worst thing is the competitiveness always biding to be the best to be the one who’s designs is put out there for the world to see.

In your opinion, what is the greatest challenge the Australian design industry has to face in the near future?
The biggest challenge is to keep up with the European concepts and technology. Always creating what hasn’t been seen or thought of before.

What is your creative outlet outside of design?
Dancing, I love to dance hip hop, funk, jazz …what ever really it’s my way of letting loose and being creative in my own right, I’m pretty fashionable so I get creative with my clothing and am always changing my hair styles.

What is the best designed bar in Melbourne?
There all pretty cool but I’d have to say Chill On Ice Lounge is a pretty funky bar.

What are your top 5 websites at the moment?
facebook
hotmail
designiskinky
ADGA
madisonmag

What CD are you currently listening to and is it any good?
I am currently listening to Ministry of Sounds Chill Out Sessions and yes its great, Its like there’s a constant beat in my head.

If I was a font, I’d be...?
If I were a font I’d be Helvetica, its clean and organised yet has the potential to be extremely creative and interesting. Best of all every one loves me

For Erin's current availability, contact Phil NOW in Brisbane on 07 3333 1833