20 October 2020

Graphic Design profession in Canberra?

| ozmick
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Hi, I’m a former Canberra resident (Flynn, Scullin) and I’ve been living in Greece for the last 21 years. I’m sure that if you haven’t been living under a rock on an island somewhere you probably have some inkling of how bad things have gotten here recently with the outlook for the near future being bleaker still.

I’m thinking very seriously of moving back to Canberra but I’m quite out of touch with what the job scene is like in my chosen profession of Graphic Design.

I’m interested in finding out if there is any way to communicate with design studios, advertising companies and newspaper or magazine publishers other than just checking the regular job-hunting sites from this end. If the nature of the profession there is anything like it is here in Athens then jobs may be secured by word-of-mouth as much as by public advertisement in the market place.

Any advice for a homesick Canberran that might help point me in the right direction?

If you’re looking for more information on graphic designers, check out our article on the best graphic designers in Canberra.

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zllauh said :

This is an interesting thread !

Are there any freelancer graphic designers in Canberra ? Would be keen to know as we would like few Brochures designed .

Not sure about any freelance graphic designers in Canberra, but you could give Paper Monkey (http://www.papermonkey.com.au) a try, they have an awesome portfolio.

This is an interesting thread !

Are there any freelancer graphic designers in Canberra ? Would be keen to know as we would like few Brochures designed .

There has been huge cut backs and redundancies in the industry. I know some people personally effected. You may find yourself in the right place at the right time, but I don’t like your chances of being able to easily pick up a job here. Good luck though!

Good luck on the move back ozmick.

Oh, and I’ll get in first before everyone else: Can you make the logo bigger? 🙂

Hi Ozmick
Sorry, worst possible time to be coming to Canberra for graphic design work, as the public service is on tight rations for at least the next two years!
To make things more difficult, several government departments are now operating “panels” so they don’t go out to tender in the marketplace, just amongst a select few companies. Most of those panels are actually compulsory, so a public servant can’t go further out to call for quotes. It’s difficult for a design company, particularly a small one (because they require insane indemnity insurance) to get on the panels, and they are only thrown open every couple years.
Unless you’re prepared to brave private enterprise in competition with dozens of other hungry graphic designers, your best bet may be to go on staff with one of the graphic design companies that gets lots of lucrative contracts from the gubmint. I suspect Brisbane or Perth might be more lucrative … where Australia’s dollars are at the moment.
Good luck in your quest!

Holden Caulfield11:38 am 04 May 12

ozmick said :

BTW, thanks “Holden Caulfield” for the tip about “Design Emergency”, I wasn’t aware of them and they very well may be able to help.

Jennifer knows the local industry pretty well. At the worst you’ll get some great advice, at best you’ll get a job.

Holden Caulfield11:37 am 04 May 12

Deref said :

Holden Caulfield said :

Accessible…Word docs

A new oxymoron!

Haha, quite.

Sadly, it’s a reality (along with PDFs) facing designers in this town in a reasonably big way.

Holden Caulfield said :

Accessible…Word docs

A new oxymoron!

Jivrashia said :

gertel said :

Hmm – homesick for Canberra or just our standard of living? 21 years is a long time to then get homesick enough to return. I was a mess after a 3 month vacation!

The first thing that came to my mind after reading OP was “Economic refugee?”.

Economic refugee in my own country? I spent half my life there growing up as a fourth generation Irish/Anglo Australian so I hardly feel like a refugee…
My settling in Greece and having a family has kept me here for all these years and while I’ll be the first to admit that I have plenty of reasons to want to leave Greece now because of the unbearable economic situation here, Canberra is not the closest or even most economically viable choice I have. I want to return there simply because of all the places I have lived in the world, it is the one I most identify with – period.

BTW, thanks “Holden Caulfield” for the tip about “Design Emergency”, I wasn’t aware of them and they very well may be able to help.

gertel said :

Hmm – homesick for Canberra or just our standard of living? 21 years is a long time to then get homesick enough to return. I was a mess after a 3 month vacation!

The first thing that came to my mind after reading OP was “Economic refugee?”.

Holden Caulfield2:25 pm 03 May 12

You could register with Designemergency, if you haven’t already.

Get on Google and find the types of businesses in Canberra you’d like to work for. Make personal contact with them (phone, email, skype etc) and tell them that you’re moving back to Canberra and want to see what the Graphic Design market is like.

Have handy your portfolio and resume and send it through to them so they can see your work.

That’s a start in getting your name and work out there and potentially landing a job.

All the best!

Holden Caulfield1:15 pm 03 May 12

Get up to speed on Accessible PDFs and Word docs and you’ll be set, haha!

Hmm – homesick for Canberra or just our standard of living? 21 years is a long time to then get homesick enough to return. I was a mess after a 3 month vacation!

VYBerlinaV8_is_back10:55 am 03 May 12

You need to use whatever networks you have back here to try to find some leads.

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