High End designer’s path to billboard success
AFTER 34 years of working in the Graphic Arts industry, Dubbo’s Justin Farrell still gets a kick out of seeing his creations on retail shelves, billboards, magazine ads or on corporate uniforms.
The High End Design owner and graphic designer has made a name for himself as a talented and in-demand graphic designer who, with his expertise in the industry, has grown his business with clients across the country.
Mr Farrell began his career in 1988 through a four-year apprenticeship.
“I was always good at art and I was always interested in magazines and advertising,” he said.
“A few people I knew growing up where I came from on the Central Coast were graphic designers which inspired me to enter the field.
“I really wanted to work in advertising and I got a job in Sydney in 1988 as an apprentice graphic reproducer working on magazine advertising, packaging and print design. I later came to Dubbo to work for Hannan Print in 1997.
“These days you can do a TAFE course, starting with a Certificate III in Design Principles... a Certificate IV in Design Principles, then a full Diploma of Graphic Design. There are also private RTOS that offer diplomas (such as Billy Blue College of Design or Shillington College).”
For Mr Farrell, one of the perks of his career is the diversity of his daily work.
“No job is ever the same,” he said.
“I do a lot of logo and branding design, then usually design the client’s signage for buildings and vehicles, printing, stationary, uniforms and websites. This gives the business a consistent look and feel to build the brand recognition.”
Over the decades, there have been a few changes within the industry, with more “Crowd Sourcing” websites offering design services from offshore designers, often from impoverished countries, who charge less.
According to Mr Farrell, these designers are not only less qualified, but also don’t know “how an Australian-based business should be communicating to an Australian audience and therefore their work produces little results”.
“Unfortunately, some Aussie businesses are attracted to the cheap price but they rarely see a good return on their investment,” he said.
“My advice when it comes to branding your business: if you don’t value how you present your business to the Australian marketplace – the marketplace won’t value your business.”
Those suited to a career in graphic design must not just have creative skills, and be adept at “drawing, problem solving, maths, advertising and salestype skills”, but must also be able to “part with their babies” when they deliver their final product to their client.
“(Aspiring graphic designers) can start with a Certificate III, which will hopefully give them a good understanding of the software we use and some good design principles, and if they’re really interested, they should look at doing the Diploma or at least the Certificate IV. TAFE NSW offer these courses and there’s also private RTOS such as Shillington College,” Mr Farrell said.
“With today’s social media, a lot of these graduates are able to get a good handle for social media within businesses as well.
“They can be employed somewhere with these design skills to do inhouse advertising, posters and managing social media and websites.”
Aspiring graphic designers can practice their skills with a subscription to Adobe Creative Suite, by watching Youtube videos, or through online training through institutions such as the Australian Graphic Design Association.
“Sometimes (graphic design) doesn’t suit people who are extremely creative and can paint, draw and sculpt, because there’s a lot of difference between art and design,” Mr Farrell said.
“Art is more about what the artist wants, and design is all about what the client wants. A lot of artists find it hard to switch to design for this reason.
“You’ve really got to manage people’s expectations and manage the stakeholder’s attitude to the design process.”