WorldSkills Australia Nationals – Brisbane 2010 – Web design

When Blake was 14, he picked up a copy of photoshop and that was the start of his love of graphic design. At first it was just a hobby, building his first website at 14 years (it was a personal website about him playing the guitar). However, a year ago he decided to take it seriously and so he did some freelance work. After completing the HSC last year, he enrolled In a web design course at TAFE.

Blake says that his trade has gone from a hobby to a passion. He is passionate about the internet and what it has to offer the world. He says it's not just a geeky thing, it’s a good way to make a living

His parents have an embroidery business and his brother is a graphic designer, Blake thinks this influenced him a bit.

Blake has mainly been working on MySpace website for some Australia’s leading metal bands.
He also runs his own clothing label, ‘The Last Fathom’. It’s street wear (mainly t-shirts at this stage) with a key message of ‘be passionate’. Blake believes that a lot of creative people are hesitant to create because of the fear of being criticized. He has collaborated with artists from around the world (who he has met through his web work for bands) to design the clothing and is about to launch the new version of his website (thelastfathom.com).

Blake started his Certificate IV last year and is just finishing it off now whilst also doing a diploma. He says his decision on what will happen next in his career rides on how he goes this weekend, if he gets to go to London, he will look to getting a job to get further experience.

Blake has known that he was going to Brisbane for the past year but only has had time to properly train over the last few months. At the moment, he is focusing on a module that he didn’t know much about before.

Overall, Blake's Attitude is win or lose, he has given it his best shot and he got the gold medal at the Regionals so feels that's good enough for his CV.

Now the comp is over and Blake has secured first place and is off to London. He will start looking into potential jobs and moving forward with arms wide open to new experiences. Well done!