my design career.

     Design has always been an integral part of my life as I was growing up because both my parents worked in the fashion industry. It only seemed natural that I would develop my creative talent as I grew older, and this was evident in the classes I took in primary school. I always loved art: drawing, painting, sketching and was never without my colouring pencils. This all began from the way I was raised. However in high school, my classes became more academic and I neglected my creative side. After four years, I realised what I really wanted to do, and it was some form of design where I could let out my creative spirits.

     As a child I was open to the world of fashion design as my mother was a seamstress. She would make seemingly scraps of material into beautiful garments and I was mesmerised. She had worked for leading fashion labels such as David Jones, Manning Cartell, Kirrily Johnston and many other smaller Australian boutiques. I remember as a child I would sit in her workroom and use scraps of material to make my own clothes for my dolls and teddies. I was the kind of child that could be trusted with scissors and needles because I learned the techniques from a young age. Coupled with that, my father also worked in the fashion industry for over ten years, with leading swimwear brands such as Speedo and Seafolly, so I was constantly surrounded by fashion design.

     I saw from a very young age that the design process is more than the average person believes it to be. There are many steps taken, and many areas are revisited in order for the creation of a final product. It is both tedious, but rewarding. I believe it was sometime during high school that I decided I wanted to be a designer of some sort, so I started researching the types of university courses out there. Industrial design was something new to me, I hadn’t heard of anyone who had done the course earlier, but when I read the course outline I was intrigued. I loved the idea of recreating products to make them more aesthetically pleasing and being opened to a world of different materials.

     Industrial design was only offered at a handful of universities, and I already had my heart set on entering UNSW from a young age. Thus the choice to study industrial design at this university wasn’t a very difficult decision to come to. However when the course began, it was nothing like my expectations. Fundamentals in particular dissolved all prior beliefs to what a designer was, and I believe all the students started on a fresh and even slate. Thus far, the course has been engaging and interesting, I’ve enjoyed all my units and I’m looking forward to what the others bring.

     The future is something that I’m anticipating. I believe industrial design isn’t my only option, and I’m looking forward to embracing other branches of design as well. Graphic design has also been an interest of mine for some time now, and I think that it’s worthwhile to invest some time into studying that as well. The only thing I know now is that I do want a more hands-on career and will embrace design, albeit the late nights and designers-block.