CATC DESIGN SCHOOL
28
COURSE GUIDE 2014-15
COURSE GUIDE 2014-15
29
Graduate Spotlight
SARA SMITH
Designer, Little Peach Co.
With a background in public relations and
marketing, Sara was feeling the itch to upskill and further develop her eye for design.
A creative thinker for as long as she can
remember, she had always felt inspired to
document her experiences through imagery,
seek out new cultural experiences, and play
with hand-lettering. After moving to Brisbane
from the US and discovering CATC, Sarah
knew it was time to take her artistic urges to
the next level. As Sara explains, “I had taught
myself a little bit of Illustrator and Photoshop
and was soon picking up design projects along
the way. It wasn’t until I realized that design
was a true passion - and could be an amazing
addition to my marketing experience - that I
decided to pursue a design course full-time.”
Coming to CATC as an international student
gave Sara the chance to connect to a vibrant
creative community. She quickly made close
friends who inspired her and pushed her to
collaborate and think outside the box. She
says she also benefited from CATC’s career
preparation course and the close mentoring
she received from her lecturers. “I was guided
step-by-step about how to present myself in
an authentic way and learned all the nittygritties about entering the design industry
or starting my own freelance business.”
By the time Sara graduated she was
completely prepared for the next new and
exciting chapter in her life. “I left CATC
with a personal brand identity, a working
website, resources to create my own briefs
and invoices, work experience that led to
a full-time position, and most importantly,
the confidence to back myself. There’s no
doubt that CATC has given me a significant
competitive advantage in the design industry.”
Sara now works at Little Peach Co. – a
boutique vintage letterpress studio –
where she designs custom stationery
pieces and regularly explores the concept
that graphic design can make complex
messages digestible for everyone. “It’s
a unique challenge but good design can
seamlessly communicate. I cherish solving
these riddles in my everyday work.”
Sara encourages new students to immerse
themselves in life at CATC. “Some of the
events I attended really invigorated me and
helped me realize that you don’t have to ask
permission to be creative and create new
and interesting things. I discovered that
all the artists and designers I admire had
humble beginnings that required ridiculously
hard work and self-belief. It’s always so
inspirational to hear about those journeys.”
“ t’s a unique
I
challenge but good
design can seamlessly
communicate. I cherish
solving these riddles in
my everyday work.”
CATC DESIGN SCHOOL