A GUIDE TO INTERN ROLES
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Who we are Australian Red Cross is a member of the
Each day innocent people live with conflict
International Red Cross Red Crescent
and the indignity of discrimination. Each
Movement with millions of members and
day Australians need blood to help battle
volunteers operating in over 189 countries.
cancer. Countless lives lost could be saved
Our Movement’s mission is to prevent or reduce human suffering, wherever it is
through first aid. We are the keepers of the Geneva
found. Our Fundamental Principles guide us
Conventions or the ‘laws of war’; we talk to
in this mission.
military, governments and militants alike.
We provide relief in times of crisis, care
We are guided by Aboriginal and Torres
when it’s needed most and commitment
Strait Islander communities to create,
when others turn away. Red Cross is there
together, sustainable solutions with a new
for people in need, no matter who you are,
determination.
no matter where you live. The Red Cross Red Crescent Movement
We train people in first aid, motivate the next generation to make their community
helps tens of millions of people around
a better place and with the help of half
the world each year and here at Australian
a million Australian blood donors, we
Red Cross, we care for local communities in
save lives.
Australia and further afield. With millions of volunteers worldwide
And we are committed to supporting our Red Cross partners in Asia Pacific,
and thousands of members, volunteers
helping them build strength in their own
and supporters across Australia we can
communities. We are in it for the long haul.
reach people and places like nobody else.
Red Cross is there for people in need, no matter who you are, no matter where
Commitment when others turn away Red Cross is there for people in need, regardless of nationality, race, religious beliefs, class or political opinions. We are impartial, neutral and independent. 2
you live.
Our principles Humanity
Independence
The International Red Cross and Red
The Movement is independent. The
Crescent Movement, born of a desire to
National Societies, while auxiliaries in the
bring assistance without discrimination to
humanitarian services of their governments
the wounded on the battlefield, endeavours,
and subject to the laws of their respective
in its international and national capacity,
countries, must always maintain their
to prevent and alleviate human suffering
autonomy so that they may be able at
wherever it may be found. Its purpose is to
all times to act in accordance with the
protect life and health and ensure respect
principles of the Movement.
for the human being. It promotes mutual understanding, friendship, co-operation and
Voluntary service
lasting peace amongst all people.
It is a voluntary relief movement not prompted in any manner by desire for gain.
Impartiality It makes no discrimination as to nationality,
Unity
race, religious beliefs, class or political
There can be only one Red Cross or Red
opinions. It endeavours to relieve the
Crescent Society in any one country. It
suffering of individuals, being guided solely
must be open to all. It must carry on its
by their needs, and to give priority to the
humanitarian work throughout its territory.
most urgent cases of distress.
Universality Neutrality
The International Red Cross and Red
In order to continue to enjoy the confidence
Crescent Movement, in which all Societies
of all, the Movement may not take sides
have equal status and share equal
in hostilities or engage at any time in
responsibilities and duties in helping each
controversies of a political, racial, religious
other, is worldwide.
or ideological nature.
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What you’ll be doing As an intern in the graphic design team
design principles and a good eye for
you’ll be working closely with the senior
grid structure in the day-to-day work
in-house designer and the brand manager.
you’ll encounter.
You’ll also be working with other graphic
We work with both PC and Mac desktops
designer interns and communicating with
using the Adobe Creative Cloud applications
our clients (who are mainly Red Cross
and some MS Office apps. A working
employees and volunteers). You’ll also be
understanding of the basics of these
liaising with supplier professionals, such as
platforms and applications is important.
printers and other external designers. The work of our small graphic design team
You’ll need to feel confident in using all the basic functions with Adobe InDesign,
is to produce the visual communication
Photoshop, Illustrator and Acrobat. You
products of Red Cross; these frequently
should be actively looking to improve your
cover both print and digital projects.
skills level with these applications.
You’ll be work in the Sydney office
You love of design, right?
We are located in St. Andrews on level 3,
It probably goes without saying that you
464 Clarence Street, Sydney CBD.
love design and collaborative engagement.
St. Andrews House is centrally located
The experience you’ll gain from Red Cross
directly behind St. Andrews Cathedral and
will provide additions to your portfolio.
next to the Sydney Town Hall on George Street, Sydney CBD.
You will be working collaboratively with the senior designer and other graphic designer interns. You’ll need to
What you’ll need to be able to do
feel comfortable with asking questions
You’ll need to commit to a minimum of
whenever you get stuck. You should be
at least three months. Red Cross uses a
able to communicate freely both within
formal induction to the function of the
the design team and with clients on their
organisation and our humanitarian work.
projects. You’ll need to be able to give
You should have a thorough knowledge of
things a go in furthering the development
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of your design skills and in problem solving
white-space is important in overall
design challenges.
viewing aesthetics.
Who you’ll be working with
Brand guardians
The design team has one in-house senior
A large range of Red Cross graphic devices
designer, as well as using a number of
(such as logos, icons, etc) are used in layouts
external designers and agencies. You will
for print and electronic media. These adhere
need to develop your understanding of
to brand guidelines (such as minimum size,
print and web jargon, and of the technical
placement, etc) that you’ll be the ‘guardian’
requirements, in order to communicate
of, to help us maintain consistency wherever
clearly with other professionals.
the Red Cross brand is seen.
We have a simple, but important structure
The overall range of design work is
for the backup of all work, using a file
broad and is used in creating newsletters
naming convention that assists in returning
and magazines, brochures, EDMs and
to design jobs many months down the track.
advertisements for both print and the web. Finished artwork and designs are produced
Having a designer’s eye
for both inward-facing clients as well as for
You’ll need a sense of style, placement
the general public. In addition, we prepare
and proportion of text and images starting
image designs for corporate identity ,
with a properly formed grid. Having a good
exhibitions and advertising.
knowledge of typography, and its use in page layout hierarchy is important for the
Some of your tasks:
story-telling function of design.
• Talking to clients and helping them
Applying typographic principles to the
to fill out the Creative Brief to get a
body of the text can make all the difference
clear understanding of their visual
between reading pleasure and an eye-
communication requirements;
straining experience. Cropping photographic images correctly and clever use of
• Developing designs based on the clients’ requests in the Creative Brief; 7
• Drafting conceptual designs or ‘roughs’ that might be used as a starting point; • Designs need to be prepared using
Getting involved The graphic design team is involved with brand and identity strategy; digital and web-
comprehensive layout elements; this
based design; preparing graphic elements
means creating properly labeled style-
for television, film and computer graphics;
sheets, layers, and adhering to the job
exhibition design; booklets, brochure
file naming convention used by the
and magazine/newsletter design; and
design team members;
advertising and illustration.
• Using techniques to colour correct and manipulate photography, edit vector
Other personal requirements include:
objects, and create other computer-
• being creative and imaginative;
generated imagery;
• understanding colour and form;
• Identify communication problems and develop visual solutions; • present design concepts to clients; • being flexible on design concepts; • prepare designs for print or digital
• being able to work to deadlines; • being able to communicate clearly; • having a general appreciation of marketing goals and effective design; • an ability to work as part of a team.
publication and signage; • design exhibition banners for advertising or educational purposes; • follow through on production stages, including arranging printing.
Contact: Timothy Hartridge Senior Graphic Designer St Andrews House, Level 3, 464 Kent St SYDNEY NSW 2000 Tel +61 2 9229 4172 | Email thartridge@redcross.org.au
www.redcross.org.au