Being a newbie in the Graphic Design Industry

In about 2013 I had finished studying graphic design and because I was in Esperance, where there were no design studios at the time, I wanted to see how real graphic designers worked in the city.

My first contact was through my tutor from Tafe. I made an appointment and was extremely pumped to be going to check out my first design studio. It was amazing! Pine coloured floorboards, stylish furniture and lots of natural light. It was an open-plan office with lots of space. She showed me around and I looked through some of their client work which was next-level amazing. We had a very funny moment when I showed her some of my work and she commented on my colour choices in a logo being too bright. I replied by saying well I think of it like when I am cutting someone’s hair and they ask for a mullet and I try and talk them out of it but if that’s what they ask for that’s what I give them. She totally laughed out loud and I didn’t know what to do! Ha ha ha it still makes me laugh. I’m sure she will always remember me now, the country hairdresser that decided to change her career to be a photographer and graphic designer. I was very grateful for the experience.

My next meeting was not quite the same. A family contact knew a graphic designer that owned a design firm in the city and set up a meeting so I could go in and see their studio. When I arrived I got a weird vibe and the staff didn’t even look at me. Of course, I bounced in and was super excited and my bubbly self. I decided I needed to tone it down a bit and sat politely in the office.

We chatted and I had a USB with some of my work. I told him I was a photographer and I was also interested in marketing. He looked at my work, asked about my qualification (certificate 3 in graphic design and printing) and bluntly told me he would never employ me. He only employs designers with a degree. Oh and he told me to go and read some books on graphic design. To say I was gutted was an understatement. Yes, I cried but I did make it to the car before the tears started coming down.

The reason I wanted to share this story is that moment in time I was devastated. I was only really there to meet people and ask a few questions about the industry. I walked out with a newfound determination to prove him wrong! I can totally be a photographer, graphic designer and marketer. Because that is what I want to do! My friends and I made a hashtag that we used when someone put us down and told us we couldn’t do it #@#*youphil

Back then online businesses were only just starting and to design something meant either Microsoft or learning the complex programs like Adobe. I often think of this moment and how it made me so determined to not only prove him wrong but also learn as much as I could and share my knowledge with people that are just starting out. We are so lucky to have Canva and now so many options to be creative without needing to pay the high prices.

I now teach other people graphic design and photography and guess what? I did a heap of marketing courses too so I also share that knowledge. I believe in people and aim to help them to succeed. This experience taught me what I didn’t want to be as an industry leader or person. We all have to start somewhere and having these setbacks makes us stronger and more capable of succeeding.

"Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another steppingstone to greatness."

Oprah Winfrey