Falling In Love With Graphic Design: A Digital Media Graduate’s Story

Social media team reporter Mindy Davies gets the lowdown on life as a graduate from aspiring Gold Coast graphic designer, Natasha Smith.

I first met Natasha a couple of months ago, when we started working together as part of the Griffith Social Media Team. She is a very down-to-earth, genuine, person, with an immaculate eye for design and detail. More recently I had the opportunity to sit down and ask her a few questions about her experiences here at Griffith as a Graphic Design student from the Griffith Queensland College of Art, so that I could share some insights with our readers.

Natasha is currently entered the ‘Be a Samsonite designer’ competition to create a fun look for their suitcases, and where she is currently placed in the top five of Australia. Natasha is donating $1000 to charity with $500 going to the Animal Welfare League of Queensland and another $500 to Friends of the Hound if her design wins. The voting process is super quick and easy so why not help a fellow Griffith student out! All you need to do is click here follow the link, click on “Vote Via Facebook” and you’re done!

Where did you come from and how did you get to where you are now?

My family left Australia when I was just 4 years old and I have been lucky to have travelled the world and experienced so many different cultures at such a young age.

I fell in love with Graphic Design when I lived in London during High School and that is a big part of the reason I am here now. I knew right away that this was what I wanted to do with my life.

After being away from home for almost 15 years, I thought it was time I headed back to Australia, but I didn’t know any of the Universities here, so I didn’t know where to go and especially where to study graphic design. Then I kind of stumbled across the Queensland College of Art here on the Gold Coast and I thought that this would be a pretty nice place to set up camp.

Three years later and I am now the proud owner of a Bachelor of Digital Media degree. It was by far the most brilliantly terrifying three years of my life and I would do it all again in a second.

What’s a good piece of advice you have been given, and who gave it to you?

There is a quote from Richard Branson, where he said “If someone offers you an amazing opportunity and you’re not sure you can do it, say yes – then learn how to do it later.”

I heard it around the time I was offered my first real Graphic Design internship with a big scary company. I hadn’t quite finished my degree and the things they wanted me to do, I had little to no experience in. I was quite frankly bricking it. To put it nicely.

I honestly think, that if I hadn’t read that quote, I wouldn’t have taken that internship and definitely wouldn’t even have tried to enter this Samsonite graphic design contest.

Nowadays, any opportunity I see, big or small, I go for it. I think young people worry way too much about failing when they should put that energy into wanting to succeed.

It’s like when you’re learning how to do a front flip on a trampoline and the voice in your head says, “NO! Don’t! You have no idea what you’re doing. You’re going to hurt yourself!”

Which I did. Several times in fact, but you have to block that voice out and just do it! Because one day you’ll nail it and it will be flipping awesome!

You have a day off to do anything you like, take me through your ideal day?

Firstly sleep… Any chance I get to have a sleep in, it’s happening, no questions asked.

I’d like to say I’d do something really cool like go for a surf or ride my skateboard down in Burleigh Heads, but I’m not that cool and I can’t do either of those things, even though I do actually own both of those things.

I mostly like to have a day to myself, as I like a bit of me time, where I can just sit in my pyjamas all day and eat a giant bowl of pasta!

So, my ideal day would be to do absolutely nothing productive and be extremely anti-social…, but now all my friends reading this know and I’m going to get a lot of angry messages.

If you had to summarise your life philosophy in just a few sentences, what would they be?

We make mistakes for a reason. That’s why “command Z” was created.

What makes you belong at Griffith?

The people I’ve met, especially through this design competition. The fact that there are so many people that are willing to help a total stranger is really cool. Whether it’s for a competition, buying second-hand textbooks or being asked for directions. I doubt you would get the same response anywhere else.

Help a fellow Griffith student out by voting for Natasha’s Samsonite suitcase design and get her into the lead. All you need to do is click here follow the link, click on “Vote Via Facebook” and you’re done! Remember, some of the prize money is being donated to the Animal Welfare League

Vote now & share – http://goo.gl/m6mgiM

Thanks! 🙂