TANK

Chris Butcher | 1.06.2010

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A few weeks ago I had the privilege of taking part in the Beacon Foundations Student Ambassodar Conference. Over one hour we were given the floor to talk to six groups of 25 students for eight minutes. Kinda like speed dating for career information. The goal; share with them a story of how you came to be here today.

This is a great question to ask when you meet a designer (as well as any person) as it will open you to how varied all our journeys are. A simple question, a challenging one to answer in the time given and one I am asked often by students.

I thought I’d capture some of those insights over a couple of posts, not because I think I’m particularly special, but to show how the path to becoming a graphic designer can take you in many different directions.

So how did I get here?

My road here started drawing trucks and dinosaurs in preschool. Long trucks that ran across sheets and sheets of the old perforated computer paper my mum brought home from work. In high school inspired by television shows like The X Files, I dreamt one day I would become the astrologist that first discovered life from another world. Or perhaps I could have become a cricketeer, and played for England against the Aussies at Lords. Or a pilot, a rockstar, the list went on…

All this time, however, I drew. I loved drawing and those trucks had now become landscapes of tall pine forests, shattered by a beam of light emerging from a night sky to abduct a fearful silhouette and take them away to another world. These biro sketches progressed into portraits of guitar legends like Mark Knopfler and images from movies and comics like The Crow or Wolverine. I loved comics. I loved the energy captured in the pages, and I loved the story telling that created an entire universe.

Then came the time to select subjects for my final two years. A daunting task, as it seemed that what I chose at that point would determine my future. This was a lot of responsibility to place on a 16 year old. And after putting all my preferences down towards the sciences, it was suggested to me that perhaps I should take out art subjects as well. My art teacher at the time made a point of saying, “Chris, you could have a great career in the arts.” I remember I found this perplexing (thinking artists only make money when they were dead), but she had a very valid point to add, “You are a talented artist and passionate about what you create. You can use your love of drawing, to create amazing imagery for others.” The term Graphic Designer was introduced to me and it suddenly dawned upon me, I could get a job doing the work I really loved…

And that is how I came to be here, writing this blog post today, and not off searching the skies for alien life. Stay tuned for Part 2 which looks at the uni experience.

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