Graphic Design
– Welcome to the fastest growing discipline in the creative industries: Graphic Design. –
Graphic Design is the art of visual communication and problem-solving using elements such as typography, layout, signage and illustration. Whenever you walk down aisles of packaging, browse through an awesome website, use your smartphone or admire a great sign, remember that a graphic designer played a part in that. The demand for User Experience (UX), web and motion graphics designers are the key drivers for the future of this industry. The designers of the future need to offer strategic design thinking for clients and complete project solutions. A designer can transition into roles such as: interaction designer, design strategist, sustainable designer, augmented reality designer and virtual interaction designer. We are training the designers of the future for what many leading international industry creatives are predicting to be a ‘creative economy’ that will be at the intersection of culture and technology. Our course outlines and units have been carefully crafted to focus heavily on the practical nature of design and replicate a real design workplace by using industry-standard Apple Mac computers and the Adobe Creative Suite, among others. Our educational outcomes have been refined by industry panels consisting of local Perth and national studios and agencies and are approved by members of the peak industry representative body, the Australian Graphic Design Association (AGDA).
CERTIFICATE IV IN GRAPHIC DESIGN The umbrella of Graphic Design covers many diverse career possibilities – Corporate and Branding, Packaging, User Experience, Web/Interface and Environmental signage design to name but a few. We like to refer to our Certificate IV as the ‘foundation’ course which aims to provide a broad understanding and experience of the graphic design discipline and is weighted approximately 50% digital and 50% traditional. We concentrate on solid software skills using industry-standard Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign in an environment that replicates a real industry setup. Our lecturers are hands-on and always present to help as the entire course engages in learning activities such as tutorials, design briefs and class discussions. Some units concentrate on an introduction to web and interface design, which are greatly expanded upon in the Diploma and Advanced Diploma courses, while other units cover conceptual and creative thinking skills.
Graphic Designers are communicators, we do this through images and words. Our industry demands a mastery of typography and in the Certificate IV we start this journey by having fun combining digital techniques with traditional letterpress to learn the basics. Our industry also demands drawing and sketching skills to convey concepts to clients and fellow designers and the Certificate IV drawing unit lays the foundation for further development in digital illustration in Diploma and beyond. Design is a process that combines elements such as layout, colour theory, harmony, contrast and balance into a workable solution whether it be a logo or an app interface and our concept development and ideation units have these foundation skills covered. The Certificate IV course certainly equips you with the skills needed to enter the Diploma of Graphic Design.
DIPLOMA OF GRAPHIC DESIGN At the diploma level you develop advanced software skills in Indesign and Illustrator and use them to design annual reports, corporate identities, packaging and other press-ready artwork. The Diploma also provides in-depth exposure to web design using WordPress, user interfaces, an introduction to game graphics using Unity and the UX Design (User Experience). You will also learn 3D modelling using Trimble Sketchup to assist in visualising packaging, signage and concept art and bring them to life with Octane renderer. We continue our explorations into concept development, creative thinking, online social media advertising and digital illustration using Corel Painter. We run several live briefs with external clients, mainly not-for-profit organisations, to replicate real client experiences. From this you will also learn about the business aspect of graphic design in the Freelance Cluster – client liaison, copyright/intellectual property, invoicing and networking.
ADVANCED DIPLOMA OF GRAPHIC DESIGN This is where it all comes together. The Advanced Diploma is regarded as being ‘industry-ready’ and the goal of this course is to develop a stunning portfolio which culminates in the end-of-year grad show. Our grad show is the highlight of the year and is attended by industry stakeholders, many of whom are alumni who are now leading the industry. The Advanced Diploma course splits into two streams – User Experience Design and Illustration. This means that although everyone does the common core units there is the opportunity to specialise in electives. Our industry consultation outlines the demand for illustrative design as well as a more User Experience/ User Interface approach. Take your pick and we will assist you to bring out the best. Once again at this level we integrate with live briefs with real clients. An example of the high standard of work our students produce is our involvement with the International Society of Typographic Designers (ISTD) where our students have won international awards and our participation in Award School. We also host the annual AGDA folio review where feedback is received from industry members in how to best structure your portfolio. In addition to this we conduct industry visits and host guest speakers who shed light on the latest trends in our industry. Make no mistake, this course is demanding, but the rewards are far greater. Many of our graduates who enrol into a Bachelors of Design and receive advanced standing at all Western Australia universities. After completing North Metro’s Advanced Diploma of Graphic Design you’ll be fully equipped with the skills needed for a role as a Graphic Designer.
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Russ Goodman Creative Director Reaktor, New York City
2008 GRADUATE
It has been a long time, so it’s difficult to know what TAFE didn’t prepare me for, plus I was too ignorant to pay attention to during my course.
Learning that this friction requires some empathy to do great work is key. I think I had a bit of a bratty attitude about clients and co-workers.
It might be because I really wanted to be a graphic designer in a studio, but I don’t know that I was aware of all of the different roles design can play in industries outside of offering design as a service, in a studio or agency setting. I wasn’t aware of the great work done by inhouse teams, publications, and the different roles available in different sectors. There are a lot of opportunities for designers to really shift the needle for a company and I didn’t pay attention to that if it was getting taught.
A somewhat simplistic division of skills are production design skills, the ‘what’ and ‘how’ you do it, and thinking and rationalising skills, the ‘why’ you should do it. In time a new designer should be developing skills on both sides of this simple dichotomy. Design is largely about inductive reasoning in complex situations. It’s OK to need to talk to people and ask the dumb questions, and acknowledge that you don’t have the answers. To act as if you are above this is to ignore
– Design is largely about inductive reasoning in complex situations. – There has been a lot of movement in understanding users, and human-centered design. I didn’t entirely grasp how design and mass production techniques delivered value to the businesses that we serviced. Being able to think like the client thinks about their business, and find ways to help them reach their goals and agree on the path to success. In fact, understanding that our clients provide goods or services, upkeep a brand, evolve their company etc. In my mid 20’s those things weren’t on my radar at all. I really didn't have a clue that creating and maintaining working culture is easily the most effective way to get great, rewarding work done. Especially for working with people I don’t have a natural chemistry with. Designers often have a bad attitude towards hierarchy: seniors, managers, clients and production partners.
the reality of the situation, which is to set yourself up for failure. Even the most experienced designers turn up with a learning mindset and have the humility to openly grow their understanding. New designers are probably really smart and enthusiastic and have learned a lot, and that’s going to be really impressive for your clients and employers. No need to think you have all the answers upfront; figuring that out properly can be done in billable hours. Also, don’t be an asshole. Just don’t. I’ve tried it out a few times. Even if you get away with it for the intended period you needed to, someone always notices, and it always comes back around. Plus, you get older and that shit lingers in your dreams.
– Russ Goodman
2018 Advanced Diploma Graphic Design Graduates maincoursegrads.com
Jorden Allen-Barr 78/79
Damian Almond 80/81
Adam Bubalo 82/83
Aldo Byanthia 84/85
Alexandria Davis 92/93
Lauren Dexter 94/95
Grace Diianni 96/97
Taliah Draman 98/99
Bagus Bramantya 106/107
Chantelle Jones 108/109
Ryan Jones 110/111
Yasmin Kamsani 112/113
Michael Crause 88/89
Zia Dadis 90/91
Emily Dunne 100/101
Oakley Fletcher 102/103
Ahmad Hasan 104/105
Tuyen Le 114/115
Ivy Lim 116/117
Mitchell McPhee 118/119
Hello, pleased to meet you.
Kate Byrne 86/87
Nathanuel Messina 120/121
Laura Moore 122/123
Ryozo Motomura 124/125
Anthony Musca 126/127
Tim Prouse 134/135
Isaac Redway 136/137
Andrew Reid 138/139
Thierre Rovero 140/141
Daniela Torquete 148/149
Samuel Wee 150/151
Erica Welsh 152/153
Imogen Wieske 154/155
Mtho Ndebele 128/129
Layni Nolan-Gray 130/131
Michael Overbeek 132/133
Arvin Seiler 142/143
Lauren Shields 144/145
Naomi Tong 146/147
Nancy Ye 156/157
Jorden Allen-Barr jordenab.myportfolio.com jordenab@gmail.com @gutless_jim 78 / 79
Damian Almond damian.almond23@gmail.com
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Adam Bubalo adam.bubalo@gmail.com @adambubalodesign 82 / 83
Aldo Byanthia aldogeybeltavares@gmail.com @byanthia.design
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Kate Byrne kater.o.byrne@gmail.com @spindlygreens 86 / 87
Michael Crause michaelcrause.myportfolio.com applecrause@hotmail.com @appleart.designs 88 / 89
Zia Dadis ziadadis.tumblr.com ziadadis@live.com @littledeersunshine
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Alexandria Davis alexandriadaviswork@yahoo.com @exploitingwickedart
Lauren Dexter laurenjessicadexterschool@gmail.com @missymoophotos 94 / 95
Grace Diianni gracediianni.design gracediianni@gmail.com @gracediianni 96 / 97
Taliah Draman taliah.draman@gmail.com @taliah.yd 98 / 99
Emily Dunne emily.louise.dunne@gmail.com @designed_by_emily 100 / 101
Oakley Fletcher ocpfletcher.com ocpfletcher@gmail.com @ocpfletcher 102 / 103
Ahmad Hasan ahmadhasanx.com ahmadhasan9006@gmail.com @ahmadhasanx 104 / 105
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Bagus Bramantya bagusbramantya199@gmail.com @bgs_bramantya
Chantelle Jones chanjonesshi@yahoo.com @shiroanne21
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Ryan Jones ryanjones67@hotmail.com @rhynodon97
Yasmin Kamsani yasmin.kamsani@hotmail.com @studioysmn 112 / 113
Tuyen Le lt21419808@hotmail.com @barophobia
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Ivy Lim flickr.com/myteamvy myteamvy@yahoo.com
Mitchell McPhee mitchmcphee29@gmail.com @mitchmcphee29 118 / 119
Nathanuel Messina nathanuelm1997@gmail.com @mezziel97 120 / 121
Laura Moore lmoore.artdesign@gmail.com @lauramoore.design 122 / 123
Ryozo Motomura r.motomura0602@gmail.com @ryozo_0602
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Anthony Musca anthonymusca.com anthony.l.musca@gmail.com @anthonymusca
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Mtho Ndebele ndebelemthokozisi@yahoo.co.nz @young_kvmi 128 / 129
Layni Nolan-Gray lolayna8@gmail.com
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Michael Overbeek michaeloverbeek.com overbeek.michael@gmail.com @michael.overbeek
Tim Prouse prousetim@gmail.com @timprouse 134 / 135
Isaac Redway isaacredway@gmail.com
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Andrew Reid andrewreiddesign.com andrewreiddesign@gmail.com @andrewxreid @overtime_design 138 / 139
Thierre Rovero rovodesign.com thierremr@hotmail.com @rovo_design 140 / 141
Arvin Seiler arvinseiler@gmail.com @arvin_s_designs
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Lauren Shields lauren-shields.com laurenshields-design@outlook.com @laurenshieldsdesign 144 / 145
Naomi Tong nhjtong@gmail.com @nhjtnhjt 146 / 147
Daniela Torquete danielatorquete.com danielatorquete@gmail.com @danielatorquete 148 / 149
Samuel Wee samuelweedesign.com samuel@samuelweedesign.com @samuelweedesign 150 / 151
Erica Welsh howlingbarn.com ewelsh@howlingbarn.com @howlingbarn 152 / 153
Imogen Wieske imogenvioletw@gmail.com @imogenvioletdesign 154 / 155
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Nancy Ye nancyozoh123@gmail.com