GSM chats with Josiah Rees, 2020 Gold Pin winner at Best for student graphics. We ask the question…. What’s it been like transitioning from study to the ‘Real World’?
Kia ora, I was born and raised in Ōtautahi, Christchurch, with a designer for a dad, Dad introduced me to InDesign at around the age of 14. Some of my earliest designs were the cover of my year 10, school leaver’s magazine and a logo, or two. Some of which my dad included in some concepts for his clients. From then on I was set on design and it was a natural progression for me to study at Ara.
From Study to Studio
Graduating in 2019, with a Bachelor of Design, I started as an intern at Strategy the week after our final exhibition. The following month they offered me a full time role.
COVID then hit and we went straight into working from home. Safe to say, it’s been a pretty hectic start to life outside of study.
Transitioning from study to work has been an interesting challenge. Being creative for 8 hours a day was especially hard. You go from having complete creative control, working when you feel like it, to a 40 hour week, often executing someone else’s ideas. There’s certainly more pressure and less time.
Always Learning…
In saying that, working has allowed me to learn from other designers, improving my skills far beyond where I started. Learning how to tell a story, and taking the client on the journey, has been a critical part of my growth. Now, more than ever, I can say that I love design!
As a junior designer in a small team, I appreciate the opportunities this gives me —like being significantly involved in some projects. I’ve also had my fair share of finished art and HTML banners which, while not as fun, has given me a chance to develop my technical skills.
When I started at Strategy, I was frustrated with a sense that my work wasn’t living up to my expectations. Over the last year, I’ve tried to have a bit more grace for my shortcomings, pushing myself to learn something small every day. I still ask questions. I’ve learnt that it’s better to ask for help/input than to rely on my own limited experience.
I remember as a student reading interviews with local designers and thinking ‘shoot, these guys have got it all together’. One year in, I’m still waiting to feel like that and I’m not sure if it’ll come anytime soon. I thought that once I had a job I wouldn’t struggle with comparison, but I don’t know if it will ever go away completely— not letting it get to me has been a bit of an ongoing journey.
Apart from that, this last year has consisted of acquiring a coffee addiction, learning the importance of file management, discovering new type foundries, transitioning to a wacom tablet, always making the logo bigger and generally having a good time.
Winning Awards
Taking home a few awards last year was certainly a highlight. Winning gold at the Best Awards for A Font for Christchurch was a pretty unreal feeling. It was humbling to have my work up there on show alongside studios and designers I’ve admired for so long. Getting the chance to be in the archive of New Zealand design was a big motivator for me. Every so often, I have to pinch myself that it’s actually happened. I owe a lot to my mentors who encouraged me to enter.
The exposure from the Best Awards has opened up some exciting opportunities, including requests for my typeface (from the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra and architectural magazine Here issue 5) and mentoring from some leading designers. The recognition has also encouraged me to draw more type and in the process, discover how much I’ve yet to learn. I was pretty chuffed to also get some good results at the Australian Graphic Design Association (AGDA) Awards. Seeing my work appreciated beyond New Zealand has been particularly special.
I’m grateful for all the opportunities and guidance that I’ve had. If I was to sum up everything that’s helped me it would be to make time for the design that you love to do, listen, be kind to yourself and others, and get into a good sleep routine (still working on that one).
To see more of Josiah’s ‘Font for Christchurch’ project click here.
A Font for Christchurch
Designed by Josiah during his third year of the Bachelor of Design (Visual Communication) degree programme at ARA in Christchurch, this project took a number of awards including a Gold Pin at Best (2020).
The judges described the project as ‘Positive, fun and approachable, encapsulating the character of the city into a typeface seems simple and easy but takes a lot of thought and hard work.’
