Emily Clarke

Tell us about yourself!

I am a recent graduate of Communication Design at Monash University. I used to study Interior Design at RMIT and found myself spending more of my time looking at typography and layout design than interiors. A friend of mine was already at Monash studying Communication Design and after she told me what she did in the course, I was sold. The stress and long haul of final year paid off and I was stoked when I receive the MADA Folio Production Award by Mag Nation.

Tell us about Esperanto Magazine and what your role is…

Whilst at Monash I was fortunate enough to land a gig as the Creative Director for Esperanto Magazine, which is Monash’s student publication. I was in charge of the look and feel of the magazine by creating layout designs that went hand in hand with the articles. It was a challenge to produce layouts for content and the overall design whilst completing the final year of my degree, but it was so helpful to have artists and contributors as friends and students. I loved getting to work in a small team with the editor and advertising director too; we loved the mighty challenge of boosting readership and engaging our readers through packaging and publication design by producing something everyone would love.

What are your personal and professional goals for 2014?

Personal: I’d love to get into sculpture and puppetry a bit more, puppet fabrication - the coolest. That, and continue to develop my collection of sneakers. Professional: Continuing to build my folio and learn/practise coding is my main goal. Submerging myself in design as much as possible. Internships, freelance work, personal projects, competitions, anything. Try to be as damn proactive as possible!

Where you are based and how do you think that affects your outcome?

I think I am super fortunate to be based in Melbourne. There’s such a huge art culture here. I love spending time in the numerous art galleries or searching for street art plastered throughout the city. There’s something special about taking some time out to wander and get lost in Melbourne; sometimes you don’t even realise the influence it has on your own work. Subconsciously, you take inspiration from where you’ve been, the things you’ve seen, the people you’ve spoken to and the photos you’ve taken.