Recently, we caught up with two former Gungahlin College students from our first ever Rail Safety Poster competition.
Three years have passed since Paloma Alves and Jasmine Turner had their designs selected from nearly 30 other entries, as part of our inaugural Rail Safety Week activities back in 2019. Their designs were showcased on the side of light rail vehicles, posters, coasters, bookmarks and even traffic light cabinets.
Here’s what they had to say.
When did you decide to pursue graphic design study further after school?
Paloma- I chose to pursue graphic design well before I finished school. Going into College, I chose to study graphic design and art and now I’m completing a Visual Communication Design degree at the University of Canberra, and I love it!
Jasmine- I have always been passionate about design. I was interviewed for the diploma of graphic design at CIT the same day I graduated college. I was also accepted into the Graphic Design Diploma course that same day.
Your artwork was used on coasters, social media, and other areas, how did you feel about seeing your published work out there?
Paloma- It is wonderful to be able to see my work in the real world and think I designed that! I catch the light rail to work during the week and get off at Well Station Drive where one of my designs is displayed. Such a cool achievement!
Jasmine- My design was inspired by my sister’s inability to hear high frequency sounds. Seeing my design work “Use your ears, Live for years” out there for the public to see, makes me proud to have possibly helped others that might have different hearing difficulties and those that chose to wear headphones and headsets, encouraging them to be safe and aware of their surroundings around the Light Rail.
What advice would you give to the next generation of rail safety poster students?
Paloma- Make it yours! It is always important to add your own flair and style to your work. These posters are very impactful and deliver very important safety messages, so they must stand out! Oh, and remember to save your work as you go…
Jasmine- The advice I would give to the next generation of Light Rail Safety Awareness design students, is to ask yourself: What does safety mean to you? Who is your target audience? What do you want out of this competition?
Paloma, your studies have led to a career in graphic design moving from an internship to a permanent position at Transit Graphics. How did this come about?
I got the amazing opportunity to do a week-long work experience at Transit Graphics during my first year of study. Following my work experience, John and Belinda from Transit Graphics kindly kept in touch and this year they offered me the opportunity to work with the team.
I have been learning so much working with the designers there and being able to bring my own design style as well!