Profiles
Stephen Andrews - Deputy Head of College
Stephen Andrews was appointed as the first Deputy Head of Billy Blue College of Design in 2007. He commenced his career in education as a secondary teacher of Visual Arts in 1982, and continued in secondary education until 2003. During this time he held numerous leadership positions, such as Visual Arts Coordinator, Creative Arts Coordinator, Administration/Human Resources Coordinator, and Senior HSC Marker.
Between 2004 and 2006, Stephen worked as an Education Officer with the Catholic Education Office Parramatta, looking after areas such school review, registration, accreditation and development. At the start of 2007, he was appointed as Regional VET Coordinator with the same organisation.
Dave Agius – Action Scripting, Multimedia Design
Dave Agius is a Multimedia designer and programmer. He holds a degree (with distinction) in Communication Design and has over ten years experience in computing and digital media. He currently develops interactive interfaces at Holy Cow! Design and Advertising, creating online games, websites and CDROMS for a range of clients including Nikelodeon and Quicken Software.
Simon Alderson – Drawing, Illustration & Studio Skills, Multimedia Design
BA (Illustration) QLD College of Art
Simon has 18 years experience in design ranging from advertising, film and television, music industry and new media. He has worked extensively as an Art Director with most major record companies in Australia and received several ARIA Award nominations. Simon works freelance currently as Art Director and Designer for Advertising, New Media and Design Agencies. See Simon’s work at www.pixelbros.net
Damian Blaney – Film Editing and Production, Multimedia Design
Damian Blayney has over 14 years experience in animation, motion graphics and video production. He has produced work for clients such as ABCTV, Channel 9 and The Australian Museum, along with several Biotech and Architectural oganisations, in the visualisation of their products. With an extensive working knowledge of software tools such as The Adobe Production Suite and Softimage XSI along with Maya and FinalCut Pro Damian's experience across all areas of broadcast production give him a broad perspective on the entire digital video production process. Damian is currently researching a film project.'
David Briggs – Drawing
David Briggs started out in life as a young scientist, and obtain First Class Honours and a Ph.D.in Geology at the University of Queensland before a serious drawing addiction took over his life. He then studied at the Julian Ashton Art School in Sydney, where he was awarded the top drawing prize (the Dobell Scholarship) in 1995, and he accepted a teaching position at the School in the following year.
His teaching posts have included more than ten years teaching life drawing, artistic anatomy, the history of drawing, and lighting and colour theory at Ashtons, and six and a half years as the life drawing instructor for Disney in Australia. Despite his slavish devotion to his duties at Billy Blue, he continues to find time to draw, paint or study every day of his life.
Ian Brown – Packaging / Program Director, Communication Design
Business and Technician Education Council Certificate in Packaging and
Three Dimensional Design, Hallam University, UK.
Ian is one of Australia’s leading packaging designers. Originally from the UK, Ian worked for one of Europe’s leading packaging design consultancies, Siebert/Head designing packaging and corporate identities for Smith Kline Beecham, BP, Mars, The Ford Motor Company, Rank Hovis McDougall, Cadbury, Rowntree Macintosh, Proctor and Gamble and Texaco. Ian first came to Sydney in 1990 and worked with Gido Faber developing shampoo bottle concepts for Schwarzkopf, corporate identities for Austrade, Bonlac Foods and Tooheys Breweries and packaging designs for Nestlé Foods, Bayer Australia and Wattyl Paints. This was followed by a number of cartonboard projects with Stratagem before returning to the UK in 1991. After a year of lecturing in packaging and three-dimensional design at Hallam University, Ian came back to Australia and worked as a freelance designer before setting up Ian Brown Design. Clients include Fudge, TimeBank International, Wright Patton Shakespeare, Viridis Herbs, British American Tobacco, Optus and a number of advertising agencies and design companies.
Ravian Budde – Digital Technology
And thus, in the year 2001, the deep creative pits of Billy Blue School of Graphic arts did eject another young designer out into the bright, harshly lit world that is the Graphic Design Industry; his name was Ravian Budde.
The big wide world awaited and anointed him with further skills, knowledge, and experience through the rigours of the pre-press industry and the desperate, often lonesome (yet incredible satisfying) trials of a Freelance Graphic Designer (or Creative Mercenaries as I’d rather put it).
After a bought of worldwide travel adventures; which hardened his resolve and tested his faith, he did return to his place of origin, to pass-on his ideas, skills and experiences to future gaggles of Graphic Designers…
Maria Capsanis – Management
Bachelor of Education - Visual Arts Graduate. Certificate Marketing NSW University Sydney, Australia
Maria has 17 years industry expertise in the areas of business management, marketing management, sponsorship, sales management, sales promotion, event management, business communication and advertising. Her professional experience is in publishing, visual arts and galleries, finance, hospitality, government and education. In 1994 she founded her own consultancy, Consultant Rescue Service, assisting educational institutions, government authorities, small businesses and corporations with business management, marketing and specialised training projects.
Myles Conti
Myles has recently completed directing second unit on the upcoming feature film "Razzle Dazzle." He works as a freelance director and editor, and has directed over 30 television commercials, and edited close to 100. He has made a number of short films and animations, and is currently developing his first feature film "The Valley."
Kimberley Crofts – Typography and Design
Whilst completing a Bachelor of Design (Visual Communication) at UTS in the early 90s, Kimberley began working for Mike Chandler at Face The Type Workshop, then Australia’s pre-eminent typographic house. Soon after completing her degree she began a nine-year tenure at de Luxe & Associates, and was senior art director on the redesigns of major newspapers and magazines both here and in Hong Kong. Recently Kimberley has been working as a freelance designer. Her clients include Company B (Belvoir St Theatre), The Australian Film Commission and the Sydney Symphony.
Danielle De Andrade – Communication Design
Danielle studied and worked in South Africa before moving to Sydney in 1998. Now a partner of Naughtyfish Design, Danielle has extensive experience in brand identity and communications, publication design, environmental graphics and packaging. Danielle launched a handbag range called ‘The Monday Project’ which is an extension of her love of packaging design.
Desiree De Klerk – Publishing
As designer and teacher, Désirée DeKlerk has been working internationally as a visual communicator for over 20 years, creating and presenting courses that illuminate these skills in her students. Amongst others, she has designed for: The Australian Museum; The Swedish Tobacco Company; Heineken Nederland; Doubleday Book Publishers; Hanimex; Saatchi & Saatchi and the Total Design Bureau in Amsterdam. Which led to extensive experience with logo & corporate identity design and communications, publishing and packaging design, and exhibition design. Ever fascinated by colour and shape, Désirée has created beautiful fabrics and unique wearable art pieces for dancers and celebrities.
As her own client, she now launches her own projects from concept to completed product, recently publishing a book of graphic symbolism, encapsulating profound philosophical meaning about the nature of being. Désirée is working towards completing her Masters in Design & Sacred Geometry.
Nick Donkin – Stop-motion Animation and Character Design, Multimedia Design
Dip Film & Television Swinburne (VIC)
Nick Donkin has spent the past 18 years manipulating rubber puppets in small dark studios, creating weird and funny eye candy for commercials and music videos through his company, Flying Gherkin. His award-wining body of work includes everything from the classical beat literature of William Burroughs to dog food commercials.
See Nick's work at www.flyinggherkin.com...
Paul Devonshire – Packaging and Design
Since gaining his diploma in Graphic Design from Brunel Technical College, Bristol in 1984, Paul has worked for a number of leading design companies, both in the UK and Australia. His area of speciality is brand packaging design, with experience in both graphics and structural design.
He has been in Australia since 1990, and has run his own design business - DeMo Design Consultants for the last 10 years - in the role of Design Director. He has experience with project management, design & brand implimentation, and still maintains a hands-on approach to his work in Adobe illustrator and Photoshop.
Rodney D’Silva – Animation and Illustration, Multimedia Design
Old but attractive animator: Been in animation for about 30 years but not over the hill yet.
Qualifications Certificate 4 in Assessment and Workplace Training and 30 years of animating, directing and everything else needed to run my own business which has done T.V. commercials, T.V. series and anything animated. Have now gone digital saving trees (by not using paper) with a wacom tablet and Flash to animate.
Jonathan Gunawan – 3D Design, Multimedia Design
Masters of Design Science, Digital Media - University of Sydney
Jonathan is the co-director of Luminous Media and holds a Masters Degree in Design Science Digital Media from the University of Sydney. A refreshingly animated character in many respects, Jonathan carries with much of his life into his work - that is animation and production. Highly skilled in the creative mediums of 3D animation, video production and graphic design, he has won numerous awards and film festivals for his work. He has also lectured at other schools such as the University of Technology Sydney.
Simon Harris – Computer Rendering
Since gaining his diploma in communications from Richmond upon Thames College, London in 1979, Simon has had a variety of roles including copywriting, storyboarding, Graphic Designing and Illustration. He now works as a Computer Illustrator, which incorporates traditional illustration and design skills into computer technology. His work now includes manga-style magazine illustrations, icons for the Sydney Morning Herald, animated screen savers for Nokia mobile phones, animated interactive Christmas cards for HP Compaq computers, photo-realistic images for Sydney Olympics and NRMA, as well as more traditional coloured pencil illustrations for P&O resorts, and of course storyboards and visuals using a combination of hand drawn line and computer colouring.
Carol Hudson – Typography and Design
Master of Design - UNSW College of Fine Arts
Carol Hudson has more than 20 years experience working with some of Australia's most prominent design companies. Carol now runs a design practice (Carol Hudson Design) with projects that largely include printed media, identity design, retail design, web-based design, book design, packaging and 3d design. Over the past 8 years she has been able to share her passion and knowledge of typography and design by teaching at both UTS and the UNSW College of Fine Art.
She is currently working toward a Master of Fine Art and re-igniting her passion for paint and fine art, and exploring the possibilities of integrating art with a design practice.
Kuen Kam – Design (Swinburne)
Kuen has over 18 years experience in the design industry specialising in advertising, packaging, corporate IDs and publications. In 1993 he started Jellyfish Graphics, a Sydney based design studio. He has since worked with both local and international client including Australian Youth Orchestra, NIDA, Microsoft, Panasonic and Optus. As well as managing a busy studio, he is often found enjoying the life of a freelancer – providing him with an opportunity to expand his passion for design. Kuen's work has been recognised in AGDA and the Australian Writer Art Director Awards.
Suzanne Keating – Design
Suzanne’s design career started seventeen years ago in a small design studio in Sydney. Moving further a field to London she worked across a range of prestigious accounts for the highly regarded design agency Horseman Cooke. This was followed by a couple of years working for the entertainment industry in London, some of the clients included Polygram, Buena Vista, Fox Film and Icon. Upon returning to Sydney she became the creative director of a multimedia/Software company, Designavenue. Here she was involved with clients such as Zurich, BBC, and Quicken, developing a broad range of design material.
Suzanne has extensive design experience with print media. packaging, point of sale, corporate Identity, Illustration and Web design. She moved into Book Publishing 6 years ago working as Art Director on a number of titles including the Award winning Illustrated Atlas of the World.
Suzanne has found that many years of working as a freelance designer have not only satisfied her love of all kinds of design but has inspired the desire to ignite that passion in others.
Christian Layugan – TITLE & CREDIT DESIGN, MULTIMEDIA DESIGN
A child genius who once considered a career as a lawyer and then decided he'd rather make funny pictures for clients after realising his doodles were better than his arguments. So he joined a place called an agency or a “client-whore house” as he would call it. There he developed an uncanny passion for Design in mediums such as Interactive, Motion, Print, Photography and a very nasty Star Wars Paraphernalia. This allowed him to add his special powers as a Designer on projects for companies such as, Hutchison 3G Mobile (Three), Unilever, Vivendi Games, 20th Century Fox Films, Pacific Publications, Bacardi-Lion, Samsung Electronics, Walden Media, Coca-Cola, Columbia Tri-Star, EMI Music, Nokia, Reebok, Sony Music, Universal Pictures, Yahoo! and many more. Currently at working SOAP Creative as a Senior Designer.
GRAFIKSPAM
http://www.grafikspam.com
SOAP Creative
http://www.soap.com.au
Matt Leach – Visual Communications/Idea Generation/Design Fundamentals
Matt decided on design after failing to become a rock-star. In the rock world he was very much ahead of his time, not only singing but dancing as well. With moves the music press described as ‘defying natural laws’ and ‘alien’ he set about making a name for himself. It was a tough time, but Matt was determined to keep at it, knowing eventually people would come around and see his dancing as the true art form it was.
After an unfortunate accident on ‘The Bert Newton Midday Show’ - resulting in some audience members hospitalised – Matt decided to turn his back on an industry that refused to evolve. In was in these dark times that Matt found design, an industry that was constantly changing and always ready to accept new ideas. Matt had found his calling.
After spending many years in the industry he returned to school to take on a lecturing role. He looks forward to the teaching process and freely admits he’s the best lecturer in the school, if not the world. His unique style of teaching blends traditional tutorial and interpretive dance making for an entertaining and informative class.
Amanda Lo – Communication Design
Bachelor of Design (Hons) - College of Fine Arts, UNSW
Amanda has enjoyed a diverse background since completing her multi-disciplinary Design degree.
Her career began in a corporate design studio for several years, with her focus evolving to teaching and designing for cultural institutions, where she values the experience, responsibility and opportunity to make a contribution to the community.
Amanda has enjoyed sharing her experience in print, branding, packaging, advertising, web and exhibition graphics with students at Billy Blue, and previously for five years in the School of Design Studies, College of Fine Arts, UNSW.
As the Creative Director of The Fridge, a design consultancy at the College, she directed and developed the studio as an academic/commercial facility where students participated in art and design projects commissioned by selected external clients.
When not being mistaken for a student or acting in her current role as Senior Graphic Designer at the Australian Museum, she can be found devising travel plans, attempting to learn a new language and spending too long in bookstores.
Annette Lodge – Illustration
Diploma in Graphic Design - Perth Technical College. Bachelor in Fine Art (Major in Painting) - Curtin University. Post Graduate Studio Program - Banff Centre of Fine Arts, Alberta, Canada
Annette is a highly awarded painter and illustrator. She exhibits regularly in Sydney and her work is represented in public and private collections both nationally and overseas including WA University, Mirvac Corporation, Sydney Park Royal, The Shell Collection USA, Royal Palms Casino, Vanuatu, Twin Waters Resort, Banff Centre of Fine Arts Canada. She has written and illustrated several children's books and has recently designed a children's television series in collaboration with Rocket Music. She is currently represented in Sydney by The Drawing Book as a freelance illustrator, SOHO Galleries and Scholastic Australia Publishers. View Annette's website www.annettelodge.com
Steven Luongo – Computer Tutor
Steven Luongo developed a passion for design at the age of nineteen as a junior in a small advertising agency in North Sydney. Inspired to study Graphic Design, he went on to complete the Advanced Diploma in Graphic Design at Enmore Design Centre and later Award School. He has worked for over 4 years as a Graphic Designer at DNA Creative in Sydney. With clients including Sydney Festival, Opera Australia, the Australia Day Council, Arnott’s and Nestlé. His experience covers brand identity, corporate identity & publications, magazines, events design, marketing/advertising, environmental design and some web design. His work in environmental design has made finalist at Melbourne DesignEx and AGDA.
David Mackay – Brand Communications & Environments
Diploma in Graphic Design, Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, UK Fellow of the Chartered Society of Designers
A founding partner in Crabtree Hall, an award-winning design consultancy with offices in London, Paris and Beijing, David Mackay has over twenty years of experience in all aspects of branded communications. He has advised multi-national clients including LVMH, Unilever, Tesco, Japan Tobacco, Hennes & Mauritz, Agip, Groupe Casino, Marks & Spencer, Eurotunnel, Dairy Farm Group, British Airports. Aerports de Paris, Kodak and Conoco.
Currently living by the ocean near Sydney, David majors in Australian beach culture when not busy at Billy Blue.
Debbie Mackinnon – Illustration
BA Graphic Design from Middlesex university UK and a Workplace
Training Cert IV
Debbie MacKinnon grew up drawing and painting. She studied illustration and graphics at Hornsey College of Art/Middlesex University in London in the 1970s. On leaving college she began a career in publishing, working as Art Director for several leading London publishers. After 15 years in the corporate world, (and three children later,) she started writing and designing books for preschoolers and published over 40 titles world wide as author/designer in the next fifteen years. All that time those urges to put paint on canvas did not go away and following a move to Australia she has been inspired to take up the paintbrush again.
She has been lecturing in Drawing and Illustration at Billy Blue School for the past eight years. Finding her own studio space last year, has finally made painting possible again- with the freedom to make a lot of mess! She has exhibited her work at several Sydney Art Shows and has had two solo exhibitions in the past year.
www.debbiemackinnon.com
Peter McGill – Typography
Peter is a typographer. He is also an art director, designer, studio manager, traffic manager and production manager. He believes his knowledge in all these areas helps him be a better typographer. He has had extensive experience in international advertising agencies in Sydney, Melbourne and London. He was a founding partner of The Engine Room. He has worked on award winning campaigns for MBF, Bankers Trust, Toyota, Australian Tourist Commission, Volvo, Nike and many more.
Mark O’Dwyer – Design Management
Qualifications Certificate 4 in Assessment and Workplace Training and 30 years of animating, directing and everything else needed to run my own business which has done T.V. commercials, T.V. series and anything animated. Have now gone digital saving trees (by not using paper) with a wacom tablet and Flash to animate.
Mark Orson – Design Management
With 20 years of experience in the industry. Mark has worked in a diverse range of disciplines including publishing, advertising, graphic design, corporate communications, business strategy and design education. As the Director of Billy Blue Creative he managed clients such as the Australian Tourist Commission, St George Bank and Telstra, amongst many others. He was also Head of School at Billy Blue School of Graphics Arts before leaving to set up his own business. Currently Mark is Business Director of The Right Group a national strategic branding consultancy specialising in brand strategy and research. Mark combines his background in marketing and strategic planning with strong financial and project management skills. He has worked in both Australia and Asia, managing and implementing large branding and corporate identity programs for a range of blue chip clients.
Sol Pandiella-McLeod – Multimedia Design
Bachelor of Fine Arts & Bachelor of Design (Honours)
Inspired to create designs from a human-centred approach, Sol is a passionate digital designer with a focus on interaction design and brand development. Sol has worked in the design industry for over a decade, leading design teams and interfacing with high profile clients, on a diverse range of design projects for both digital and print mediums. She is now design director and owner of Ful-vue, a small boutique design studio in Sydney.
www.ful-vue.com
www.aphic.com/blog
Dawn Pugh – Interactive Design & Program Director, Multimedia Design
Associates Degree in Business - Univ. of South Carolina, Bachelor of Arts Degree (Hons) specialising in Computer Graphics and Animation - Florida State Univ., Certified Macromedia and Adobe Instructor
Dawn has 18 years of industry experience in Print and Design, and 10 years of experience in Interactive Design. In 1996, she created a new media production company in Sydney called Crash Productions. Dawn was the director of Crash Productions up until June 2004, when she sold the company to make more time for writing and lecturing. Well known in her field as a new media expert, Dawn has acted as a consultant for several corporations and government departments and has served on a number of committees in the multimedia and design industries. Currently, Dawn is a lecturer, as well as the Program Director of Multimedia Design at Billy Blue School of Graphic Arts and Swinburne University. In addition to her work at Billy Blue, Dawn still maintains her publishing company, Crash Publishing. She is the author of several training books; topics range from print production, new media production, Flash, Dreamweaver, and Contracts for Multimedia. She also has a regular column with Desktop Magazine and contributes to several other industry magazines and newspapers. Visit the Crash Publishing Gallery (http://www.crashpublishing.com.au) to see some samples of Dawn's work.
Edwina Riddell – Drawing
BA in Graphic Design -London College of Printing, UK
Edwina's career began as an in-house illustrator for Quarto publishers in London where she worked on a large and diverse range of books. Since becoming freelance, she has also worked in the Middle-East before settling in Sydney. She has produced work for many publishing companies including Dorling Kindersley, Mitchell Beazlely, Readers Digest, Weldon Owen and also Francis Lincoln for whom she illustrated 2 series of childrens books. She has previously taught drawing and watercolour classes for adults.
Tim Rigg – Environmental Packaging & Major Project
I am a graphic designer working for Common, who is ridiculously serious about clean design and typography. I love ideas more than images/design, and I think passion is the most important weapon to a signer/communicator. I am an ex-student of Billy Blue (recent), and have been teaching here now for only a year, but I love it and really enjoy having a single group of students for a whole year project (major project) as I can see great things unfold over time.
Rob Tossen – Digital Technology
Various Higher Trade Courses
Qualified Tradesman Hand/ Machine Compositor
Rob has over 47 years experience in the graphic arts industry, holding senior managerial positions for 24 years, in some of Sydney's leading typesetting establishments. He has a vast knowledge of traditional graphic arts techniques and has specialised in new computer technologies for the last 21 years as a freelance Mac operator and lecturer. He has also taught in design offices and factory environments with computer skills for in-house staff. As well as working on several major overseas newspapers he has completed work for clients such as St.George Bank, AMP and the Australian Tourist Commission.
Ken Waller – Computer Tutor and Design Fundamentals
Ken studied and worked in London before making his home in Sydney. He has extensive experience in publishing and has art directed several well known titles, including Belle magazine and Australian Gourmet (now Gourmet Traveller) for Australian Consolidated Press. When the Macintosh burst upon the design scene Ken was an enthusiastic convert and now enjoys passing on his skills and knowledge of the key programs to new generations of design students, while continuing an active role in freelance graphics.
Dave Walsh – Studio Skills
Dave has worked in all the key areas of graphic arts as a designer, art director, visualiser and illustrator. Currently he is self-employed undertaking many design projects every year. He has completed major design and publishing projects for clients such as LJ Hooker, Park Hyatt, Jones Lang Wootton, NSW State Government, Sanctuary Cove, and Australian Fashion in Osaka, Japan.
Peter Worthington – Advertising
Peter has worked as advertising creative for many years, notably with agencies such as McCann Erickson and Leo Burnett. More recently Peter worked as the Creative Director on the Aussie Home Loans account and set up his own creative consultancy. Peter has also worked for clients such as Mitre 10, Nestle and the Singapore Tourist Association. Peter has been teaching creative advertising at Billy Blue since 1998. He couples this with his outside projects including television sitcom writing, radio production, agency consultancy and working on feature films.
Peta Zoubakin – Typography for Publication, Multimedia Design
Peta's career started at age 3, when her parents were called to a meeting at the kindy. Teachers were worried that she was sitting alone inside and drawing pictures. Peta's parents told them to leave her alone and there began a wonderful journey that has so far taken her from the Queensland College of Art, to London and Paris. Her experience spans agency to publishing, small clients to large multi-nationals, new media to print. Peta's great love of both typography and magazines brought her back to Sydney where she is now a Creative Director at Emap Australia and also assists her own clients to make their first foray into the world wide web.