Feeling super lucky to be chatting with Melbourne's Amelia Luezzi. Amelia has landed internships with some of our favourite studios; The Company You Keep, The Hungry Workshop, RoandCo (NYC) and The Jacky Winter Group. She currently works as a Junior Designer at Ortolan whilst running Seinfeld trivia nights on the side. What a legend! Amelia's work is currently exhibiting in a group risograph print show 'Obsessed' until the 30th May. Check it out.
Tell us a bit about yourself and your creative path.
Well firstly, thanks for asking about me. It's very overwhelming. My name is Amelia Leuzzi, I'm 23 and I am working as a junior Graphic Designer. As a teenager, I worked as a Sales Assistant at Best and Less, and spent a lot of time around elderly people and underpants. After a few years of studying Communication Design at RMIT, and helping out some nice people, I get paid to design stuff. I live in a small apartment in Thornbury, have befriended a bike named Mariah, and will one day successfully suppress this small part of me that believes I could totally become a stand-up comedian.
You have interned with The Company You Keep, The Hungry Workshop, RoandCo and The Jacky Winter group! How did you land these amazing opportunities? Any advice of recent grads looking to intern?
After graduating, I decided to try to learn directly from people working in the design industry. I could see people doing the kind of work I wanted to do, so I asked very nicely if I could help them out. I'm not sure if there is a formula here. Just keep asking nicely and doing your own stuff. Most of the time opportunities eventually fall into place. Having a personal and honest folio worked for me. It didn't get me every internship I applied for, but I think I ended up in the places where I was better suited. Everyone I got the chance to intern for really took their time to explain things to me, and tried their best to include me in the projects they were working on. They helped me so much more than I helped them.
Where do you work now?
I am currently working for Ortolan, a small studio run by Simone Elder, Chloe Quigley & Kat McLeod. I am the junior within a team of designers, account managers and creative directors, and every day I freak out a little more about how talented they all are. Day to day jobs can include: rolling out digital campaigns for some of the larger clients; pulling together presentation documents; fiercely attacking the back-up hard drive; sitting in meetings and learning how to communicate honestly and thoroughly; debating lunch options; beginning each day with the intention of filing my emails and failing miserably; updating the folio; updating the blog; assisting at shoots; and eating well above my quota of cashews.
You’ve taken part in so many amazing projects, which one has been your most memorable and why?
Last year I got the chance to take part in a week-long Typography Summer School in New York. My friend Chris had been to the London course the year before and raved about it, so I applied. I'd never travelled on my own before. Learning that I could do that was a big thing. I got to meet a bunch of kids from around the world with about the same experience as me, and listen to them explain their creative process. This quickly forced to be a little more confident in my abilities, without seeing that as being conceited. Americans and Europeans seem to be good role models for that. The confidence thing is something I'm still working on, and it has really changed the way I work. Overall, the trip made me want to share more, learn more, collaborate more, and petition that we get Netflix here.
I would like to work overseas properly one day, but I haven't decided where yet. I also have a dream of owning a shrunken pink van like this one , so thats something ridiculous to look forward to. The stand-up dream will always be there too. Just have to work out how to be funny.
Any side projects? What are you working on now?
Recently my friend Bonnie Eichelberger asked me to submit a drawing to a risograph exhibition she was curating called 'Obsessed'. My fellow Hungry Workshop pal Adam Flannery and I were planning a Seinfeld Trivia Night at the time, so I based my illustration on my love of the show. Trivia went really well. It was crazy how many people crammed into The Beaufortto answer the ridiculous questions we'd written. There will definitely be more Seinfeld side projects coming up in the near future. Right now I'm working on trying to find house to rent, and I'm not having much luck.
Which blogs are a must read for you?
Unfortunately I'm not too savvy on the blog-front. I'm trying to read more in general though. Some friends of mine are starting a book-club, and the first book is supposed to be The Goldfinch. One of the girls misheard the title and thought we were reading The Gold Fish. We're not getting off to a very good start.
As far as looking for design inspiration goes, I think its all relative to whatever project I'm working on. Luckily I live just around the corner from Perimeter Books, so an overwhelming publication collection is always within my reach.
Whats on the horizon?
I have absolutely no idea. Hopefully find a house. Maybe a little studio space to call my own.
Immediate goals? Get a whole lot better at my job. Stop procrastinating. Write more. Read more. Have less stress dreams about attempting a shoulder stand next week in what I thought was a beginners Yoga class.
More distant horizon? I would like to work overseas properly one day, but I haven't decided where yet. I also have a dream of owning a shrunken pink van like this one , so thats something ridiculous to look forward to. The stand-up dream will always be there too. Just have to work out how to be funny.
