In Year 10, Melissa hoped to be a cartoonist, or get into caricatures. But, when steered toward Graphic Design for Work Experience, she discovered her passion for that industry, and since, she’s never looked back. She landed a job at the company where she did work experience, and won Gold recently in the Sydney National Worldskills 2008 Competition.
Melissa Guiney works as a Graphic Designer and Production Manager. “I’ve got a pretty rounded job, anything from designing to admin, and also organising print and distribution …but it’s majority design.”
“A general day is predominantly designing. We get anything from logos to brochures, bulletins, newsletters, organising print for any jobs that are organised. It could involve getting briefs form clients, organising a job, works in progress, quoting.”
Melissa finished Year 11 and then began her appenticeship in Graphic Design. She’s since got a Certificate III in Graphic Printing. “Throughout high school I did art, media, graphics, multimedia. I’ve always been drawing when I’m supposed to been paying attention in class.”
She loves the variety in her work – “Getting a chance to be creative, do a new job every day, be particularly restless, express craziness thought work.” She laughs. But, as with every job, there are challenges. “Challenges are probably meet clients briefs, you can probably do a brief 70 million ways, what a client needs and how to meet in the best way. How to do something in their budget constraints – you could do a job for days.”
Melissa heard about the Worldskills Competition through her apprenticeship. “One of our teachers’ is a representative of WorldSkills.”
The Graphic Design section of WorldSkills was four modules, three days of competition, eighteen hours. “It involved designing logos, redrawing logos, a mobile phone, retouching work, technical work as well. It also had packaging and menus as well. A wide variety.”
“It was challenging trying to do everything the time we were allowed. Apparently we were meant to have 21 hours, but it was cut to 18. My computers kept crashing, and some people didn’t finish all the work.” Melissa says. “You can’t have any reference ideas to get ideas. You kind of don’t want to hit that wall where you come blank.”
However, it was a great experience for Melissa to meet judges and people who have been in design from longer, and learn from them. “It was good to be classed as one of the better apprentices in Australia.”
Melissa won Gold and the National Competition at Worldskills. “It was very surprising! I didn’t expect it all – it a big shock, It was excellence, a great achievement, a great to get acknowledged.”
If she gets chosen as part of the Skillaroos to compete in the International Competition in Calgary, Canada, she’s got her training plan already worked out. “I’m going to be training with Sarah ones from RMIT – and we’re going to Taiwan for a pre competitor mock up – and maybe Singapore and Hong Kong. In Taiwan it will be against the Taiwan International Competitor.” For the mock-competition, they’ll be drawing on competitions from past International Competitions. She also wants to gain a well-rounded skillset for the competition, and work on her Packaging design skills, by working with a Packaging Design Company.
“I’m used to having deadlines at work. And we didn’t have much time in the competition. It was a great help. A lot of the work that I do at work was in the competition. Definitely a bonus!”
But Melissa has plans outside of WorldSkills International Competition in 2009. “Hopefully I’ll be getting my business up and running outside of here. And teach graphic design at RMIT or TAFE or something. I’d like to learn more skills, travelling and work overseas.”
And the most surprising thing about Graphic Design, Melissa says, is that it’s really everywhere. “I didn’t realise how much design has impacted on the world. A lot of people look around and don’t realise they’ve been looking at design.”
What personal qualities do you think are needed for Graphic Designers?
Be organised, be able to handle pressure and timelines really well, be creative, have good computer skills, be driven, want to learn, be good at dealing with clients and customer service … mainly [dealing with] the pressure and the timeline.
Do you have any advice for people entering the industry?
Just do your research, get as much information about courses and what work is available. If you know that’s what you want then go for it, don’t let anything stop you or put you off it.
[photo courtesy of the WorldSkills Australia National Competition Medal Winners Gallery .]
