23 Questions!

From humble beginnings designing the Girl Guides Newspaper at High School to the elite position of 'A-List', you have to admire the journey Renata has made. She's all very digital and that's why we like her. Read on!

What sparked your passion for design?
 It just happened! At high school I was designing the girls guide newspaper. 

How creative were you as a youngster?
Very! At school the only subject I had 10 of 10 was Arts.

Do you come from a creative family?  
Were they supportive of your desire to be a designer?
Not really. My grandmother used to paint. My family has always been supportive of me.

What sort of education and training have you had?
I did Photoshop, Page Maker and Corel Drawn short courses in 1997.
I have a degree in Graphic Design.
I have always been reading and trying to learn new technologies on my own.

Who did you want to work for when you first entered the industry?
I was dreaming about one day working with Steven Spielberg creating special effects.
        
Tell us about your first project and what do you feel about it now?
I will tell you about my first big project! It was for Bayer. I started my career as a producer. I was writing websites in pure HTML in 1998.  I developed one big website in 2 weeks. It was a contract role. After this one the company gave me another one, and another one... and I stayed working for them for a very long time. One day I realised that I was developing HTML websites for people that had Cyber Lions awards, they were the best web designers in the world. So I gained a lot of design experience producing all those different websites. After this job at Thunder House of Maccan Erikson I have always worked as a Designer. It was very good for my carrier.  

What is your preferred software to work with and what has been the greatest advancement in technology over the past 5 years? I love Photoshop. The greatest advance in technology is the Flash Software. It gives life to my designs.
 
What are the various mediums that you’ve worked with and is there any that you would like to explore? I've worked with a enormous variety of online projects. I really like photography which is a complement of my design work so I would like to explore a bit more of it. I also really like animations and visual effects so when I have time I'm always exploring new things that links to what I do.

Is digital technology going to eliminate the need for print?
I don't think so.

Whose work do you really admire and why?
No big names, I admire a lot of the people that worked with me. I like their work because they work hard to be creative and different, catching the client and making them happy with their innovative ideas and design.

Who has been the greatest person that you’ve ever had the pleasure of working with and what have they taught you? Hayden! He is a lovely person, has a very good design, very talented guy, he judge people's work with good sense. I think he likes working with me. He said he would work with me again.

What has been your greatest achievement so far?
Working for most of the companies that I wanted to.

How would you describe your work?
Clean, communicative and accurate.

What are your plans for the future?
Developing a website that I can get people visiting it very often so I can make money of online marketing and design.

What sort of company would you like to work with next?
Digital advertising agency where I could use all my skills

What is your opinion of Australian design?
Good. Eclectic and fresh.

What is the best/worst thing about being a designer in Australia?
I'm not quite sure yet.

In your opinion, what is the greatest challenge the Australian design industry has to face in the near future? Make people believe that digital is the future. So people should spend more with the online technologies and don't be afraid. 

What is your creative outlet outside of design?
Photography.

What is the best designed bar in Melbourne?
I like Cookies. They do a very well designed cocktail at the Cocktail Bar at the very end of the bar.

What are your top 5 websites at the moment?
I've just bought my iPhone. So have been using the internet on my phone and I love the Urban Spoon, Shazam, ATM Hunter, Free Wi-Fi and PhotoKast application. This last one I upload my photo and if people vote positive it keeps going around the world and I can see on a map where those people are from. 

What CD are you currently listening to and is it any good?
I love it. It is called Bob Marley! I have the full collection. Very relaxing!

If I was a font, I’d be...? Comic Sans

Do you need an A-List Artisan like Renata in your studio? Would you like to know more? Contact Charlie NOW!