We wanted to know more about the lifestyle of a Freelance Designer - so we tracked Anthony down for a chat to find out exactly what he has been up to! 

What have you been up to since graduating?

Graduation was back in April 2018 and funnily enough, I actually started working full time as a graphic designer with The Athlete’s Foot the day before so I ended up having to take my second day of work off. I work on a range of different things such as creating brochures, flyers and artwork for our franchisees, creating promotional material that goes inside stores all across Australia, designing and building emails, creating animations to promote shoes released by brands such as Nike, Adidas and ASICS, working on assets for the website and social media channels, building the advertisements you see on the sides of websites you visit and I also do a bit of photography which goes up on our social media and used in all other things we create.

Alongside full-time work, I am operating my own business called Get Noticed Media which I also ran during my time at JMC. I have poked my head into other business ventures but unfortunately, not everything always runs as smooth as you want it to. 

Tell us a little bit about Get Noticed Media and how it got started?

I started Get Noticed Media in early 2016 as a way to offer myself as a freelance designer to small businesses in my area. This followed nearly four years of design experience in which I worked as a designer on YouTube, creating channel artwork for personalities within the gaming community. Since then I have progressed from doing small graphic design jobs such as logos and social media posts to larger-scale jobs such as graphic design, website development, printing, social media management, photography/videography and our biggest item which is Digital Signage. I have a genuine passion for my business as I get to work with many unique businesses and individuals which allows me to learn new techniques for creating and designing work for my clients.   

What have been some of your personal favourite projects you have worked on as a designer so far?

I have been very fortunate to work on some amazing projects over the past few years with both big brands and small businesses. The projects I take on are diverse, examples being creating videos to promote new shoes from Nike, and creating a visual identity for the brands of small businesses. It is hard to choose a favourite project when you are working in an industry where everything is constantly exciting and fresh.   

When you started your course in design, did you think you would be doing what you’re doing now?

When I started the Design course, I had a slight idea of what the industry was like, but I didn't expect the diversity of the industry and the responsibilities of a designer. I get to experience two sides of the industry, one as a business owner and one as a designer for a major Australian company. It is so much more than just sitting at a computer, which I believe is a common belief of what the industry is like.  

What advice would you give anyone thinking about studying design?

The best piece of advice I got when I was just starting out and learning how to enter the world of design was to go completely out of your comfort zone, experiment and always explore. To make our mark as a designer we have to be unique and create things that would stand out if we put our work in a room with 50 other peoples work. Go out into the world and draw inspiration from the places you go, things you see and the colours that grab your attention. Take photos and create boards you can later come back to and use as a reference to create new things. 

What was your favourite thing about studying at JMC?

Studying at JMC was a great experience as it offered valuable opportunities to learn and expand on my skill set. The best experience for me was during the final trimester where we were given the opportunity to secure an internship. For myself, this was majorly beneficial as it was my introduction to the industry outside of uni and running my own business. In the short 6 week period, I was there, I was exposed to new ways to approach design problems, new strategies and tricks and tools to apply to my own business. Most importantly, it allowed me to expand my industry reach. Today, I still apply all the techniques I learnt during my internship in my own work, which shows just how great of an opportunity it was.