Luke Wilson_1

 Introduce yourself and what do you do? My name is Rory Madigan, I'm an aspiring photographer, qualified Graphic Designer and casual lecturer at Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga. How did you get started? I got my first real taste of graphic design when I was working on my Year 12 major project - I was producing a graphic novel and one of my teachers encouraged me to expand on that by developing marketing material and merchandise to accompany it. That led me to studying Digital Media at TAFE the following year and then acquiring my Bachelor Of Arts in Graphic Design through CSU not long after. But it was clear from an early age that I was meant to work in this field. I remember being given an assignment in Year 10 English that required us to create a magazine. I’m no writer, so I failed that assignment but my teacher said she loved my layouts and cover design. What are key tasks for Graphic design? Most of my time as a designer is spent producing work that centres around corporate identity, so I suppose my key tasks involve creating branding elements. I think as a graphic designer, half of your time is spent creating and the other half is spent recreating and liaising with clients and art directors to achieve the outcome they're looking for. How did you get your first job as a graphic designer? I saw an advertisement for a design position in the newspaper, applied for it, had the worst interview humanly imaginable and somehow got called back for the position. What do you love most about your job? I love being able to do something that doesn’t make me want to rope myself. It’s great to make money doing something I enjoy – it challenges me creatively and allows me to bring a little beauty into the world. What are the tools you use? Like most designers, I work predominantly in Photoshop, Illustrator & InDesign - I try to incorporate as much of my own photography into my work too though, so my Canon 7D comes in pretty useful too. I’m addicted to grids though. A lot of my work is really technical in it’s execution. I’m a bit of a perfectionist in that regard. What qualities does someone need to be a great graphic designer? You obviously need to be incredibly creative and passionate, but above all else I think you need patience. You need to be able to commit to working on projects for long periods of time, but more so, you need the patience to deal with clients and art directors who are constantly revising your designs. If you can't find a way to detach yourself from your work in that regard, I think you will struggle to thrive in that sort of environment. What made you choose to apply to Graphic design? I knew I wanted to do something creative, but I never considered myself a traditional artist. Graphic design is one of the fastest growing professions and there is always a demand for good designers. On some level, I always knew that's what I wanted to do, but when I was younger I didn't really understand or realise that "graphic design" encompassed all the things I was already experimenting with in my spare time. What were some of your most successful projects? Most creative/unique? Interestingly enough, the projects I'm most proud of are all projects I wasn't paid for. In 2010 I was asked to design a t-shirt for the Wear It With Pride national campaign. I love creating for causes, so during one of the Gaza conflicts in 2009 I worked on a poster design that aimed to raise awareness of the situation through guerrilla marketing - the design ended up in one of the Semi-Permanent books that year and then another design of mine was featured in 2nd Edition of the 2011 book. I like knowing that design can be used for good and not just to fill the pockets of large corporations. Have you ever had any negative experiences with clients/customers? If so, could you tell me a little about how you resolved them? Yeah, I've had my share. I think we've all had our share. You really just need to be as diplomatic as possible - sometimes it takes a lot of self-control to not explode. I think the most frustrating situations for me have been when I've been thrown under the bus for things I wasn't responsible for or had no control over. When I was working as a web designer, I received an angry phone call from a client, who was livid over the fact that one of our agency’s print jobs didn’t meet a deadline. I didn’t even know how to respond because I knew nothing about the print projects that were going on at the time. I explained that to her and she was really apologetic about being a colossal bitch, but those situations aren’t nearly as few and far between as they should be. Was networking with other people at all helpful when seeking clients? Absolutely. As they say - it's not what you know, it's who you know. You really need to get your name out there. Make as many contacts in the industry as possible. It has helped me get not only graphic design work, but work in other areas too. Do you prefer to work independently, or with a team? I'm equally happy working on my own as I am working in a team. Both situations can be great in their own ways. On one hand, I love having complete control over my work and knowing that I don't have to compromise my artistic integrity. But I also love finding other designers who complement my style and who I develop ideas with. I think when you work in a great team, you feel like you can achieve more than when you’re working on your own, second-guessing your capabilities. Do any prior customers come back to you for additional work? I've had a couple of clients come to me for additional work, but a lot of the freelance jobs I work on are one-offs. Website maintenance obviously keeps me connected with clients I've built website for, but it's less common with those I've developed corporate identity for. As a freelancer in Wagga, you don't necessarily get a lot of clients that consider graphic design a priority for their business, which is a shame. There’s actually a lot of talent here. What or Who are your greatest source(s) of inspiration? I'm inspired by anyone and anything creative. I spend a lot time just looking at cool designs on the web. Photographers that create captivating images. Films and motion graphics. Having taught and been a student myself at CSU, I have a large network of creative friends and just seeing the things that they come up with in and after they've their degrees can be really inspiring. It’s great to surround yourself and feed off the energy of other passionate designers. I love buying the Semi Permanent books each year because they’re just filled with amazing work by up and coming designers from Australia and around the globe. What do you think of your job? Right now I’m teaching exclusively, which I love. It gives me time to work on my own designs and experiment a bit more. While I am passionate about designing, I think unless you’re working with clients who value and understand the power of design, it can become a bit tedious. Sometimes you start to feel like a qualified chef working the deep fryer at McDonald’s. I think it’s really about finding the avenue you want to go down and focusing on projects that interest you and working with people that respect your vision. What kind of project will always be your favourite? I love projects that have a real purpose – that are bigger than just trying to sell products. I’m really interested in social/political issues and the way that graphic design can be used to draw attention to those issues. I love guerrilla marketing and infographics, they’re probably the 2 things I just can’t get enough of. I also love working on t-shirt designs – even if nobody buys my designs, I come away with a pretty kick-ass, one of a kind threads for my own wardrobe. What have you learned from mistakes on the Graphic design job? The most important thing I’ve learned is to not allow people to take advantage of you. There are a lot people that don’t take graphic design seriously and that don’t realise how hard creative people have to work to make money. They think a good logo takes 10 minutes to design and costs $50. I’ve had a few clients refuse to pay me for jobs. It’s incredibly frustrating. You come to a point where you simply refuse to work for free – even for family and friends. Never begin a design without a signed agreement. It seems drastic, but you need to protect yourself in those situations. What tertiary qualifications have you attained that related to Graphic design? I have a Certificate IV & Diploma in Digital Media and a Bachelor Of Arts in Graphic Design from Charles Sturt University. What are your other main hobbies when you’re not designing? I take a lot of photos, see a lot of musicals and try to travel as much as I can. It can be expensive but the inspiration you get from those experiences is priceless. I’ve recently started vlogging – I guess most of my spare time is taken up with other creative endeavours. I find it hard to sit down and watch TV or listen to music without feeling the need do something productive at the same time. Where do you see yourself in 10 years As a creative, there are so many avenues I could travel down and I really have so many interests I could end up anywhere. But I’d love to be designing for NGOs – working with organisations like Amnesty International or UNICEF on campaigns that mean something. I think Invisible Children and the KONY 2012 campaign has shown how powerful marketing can be, when it’s used for the right reason. I think the work those organisations do is amazing and they have campaigns to match. I’d love to shoot fashion photography too, I don’t know how realistic a dream it is, but I’d love for my work to end up in Vogue. And I’d love to keep teaching. I think it’s important to continue inspiring the next generation of graphic designers.

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