KELLY ROBINSON | CREATIVE DIRECTOR
 

Creative Director Kelly Robinson started designing from her bedroom, determined to start a business of her own. Through hard work and determination, Gold Coast Graphic Design has grown from humble beginnings into a large studio and team that has been thriving for 15 years. Kelly excelled through Kingscliff TAFE during her study and has been the recipient of numerous awards including TAFE NSW Graphic Designer of the Year, TAFE NSW Arts and Design – Design Prize, North Coast TAFE Student of the Year, North Coast TAFE Arts & Media Student of the Year.

She believes that brainstorming and planning are crucial in making sure everything she does for clients is valuable and brings a return for them. A strong introduction process makes for a more powerful and connected outcome for all. ‘Having a plan always makes for more effective marketing, which leads to more profitable business for my clients.’ Kelly absolutely loves helping people plan their business, and always aims to help give them the biggest bang for their buck. ‘I get a kick out of seeing the excitement and freedom that starting a business gives my clients. If I can play any part in their amazing brave adventure, then I feel privileged.’ The projects that excite her the most involve food packaging and product marketing. She gets a huge buzz from seeing her creations and designs on the retail shelf.

RACHEAL CLARK | STUDIO MANAGER + HEAD GRAPHIC DESIGNER
 

Racheal Clark started at Gold Coast Graphic Design as a graphic designer after her previous job failed to satisfy her creative needs and 3 years later is now our Head designer and studio manager. She has a Bachelor Degree in Digital Media from her time at Griffith University’s Queensland College of Art, and not long after her study she became Local Search’s Designer of the Year 2012.

Racheal has an amazing ability to tackle multiple tasks and responsibilities at once, and not only designs for her clients but also keep an eye on the rest of the team. She is great at seeing the potential in clients’ businesses and getting excited with them. ‘I like that design is part problem solving, part creativity. You can take something ordinary and make it really special through great design.’ Her strength lies in her hand-drawn playful style and she creates custom illustrations and typography for many of her clients.

jordon callaghan | graphic designer
 

Jordon Callaghan is one of our mid-weight designers on the team. After studying design at Coomera TAFE, he longed to work in a studio environment. Since arriving here, his skillset has grown tenfold. His design style steers towards clean, modern shapes with a geometric feel, and he loves utilising his unique style in different industries.

Jordon is fantastic at adapting to all personalities to tailor the experience and project for each client. He believes that there is no ‘one’ way to go about the design process, and understands that everyone has different needs. ‘I enjoy being creative and getting the chance to work with a variety of different people from different sectors of business.’ In the future (as a fellow coffee fiend), he would love to help brand a coffee shop from the ground up. ‘Creating a lot of collateral over time and helping shape the brand as it evolves is highly appealing to me.’

carlin watego | graphic designer
 

As a child, Carlin Watego was always creative and loved the idea that people were using technology to create new and exciting things. He studied at the Queensland College of Art and completed Digital Media, majoring in Graphic Design (and becoming the recipient of the QCA Student Culture Award). Carlin likes to use a lot of lines and shapes in his creations and loves creating modern twists on vintage styles so it was great when he joined the team 2 years ago.

When dealing with new clients, he understands that it is a new process for each person coming in and always takes the time to listen to the client with care and patience. ‘I like to make sure the process is not only enjoyable but most importantly educational to the client so they can understand the importance of branding and how to use it effectively.’ Carlin loves getting into the mindset of a particular industry or business type to achieve the most effective outcome for the target audience. As an avid basketball fan, Carlin dreams of doing work for major companies such as Nike and Adidas in the future.

ISAC PENA | GRAPHIC DESIGNER
 

With a wealth of knowledge and experience in Marketing spanning the globe (and skill for cooking!), GCGD was glad to have Isac Pena join our team in 2018. He has completed a degree in Advertising at FAESA in Brazil and went on to do his Masters in Marketing at EADA in Spain. Isac understands how business goals align with marketing strategies and has the skills to connect them through design.

His parents worked in the industry long before he was born, and so being surrounded by it inspired him to pursue it as a career. He loves the complexity of the field and his strength lies in creating meaningful branding that works from a marketing perspective. He also enjoys creating packaging design for beer wine and spirits. An exciting prospective project for him would be to create branding and marketing for a trendy beer brewery.

ABBEY HELLINGA | GRAPHIC DESIGNER
 

Abbey Hellinga is the newest junior designer to join the team at Gold Coast Graphic Design. She has studied at Griffith University, completing degrees in both Marketing and Graphic Design and is drawn to Typography design and Textiles. The conceptualisation process of graphic design is what drew her in initially and she loves communicating with clients to find out more about their business.

Her email communication skills are second to none and she enjoys creating quirky and unique designs for clients. ‘I wanted to become a designer so that I could unleash my creativity every damn day. I like thinking outside of the box and design challenges me to do that.’ Abbey would love to work with a sustainable fashion brand and have the opportunity to take part in more textile pattern-making.

 

SKYE CRISP | graphic designer
 

Skye Crisp started her design journey at Billy Blue College of Design in Brisbane and now hones her craft here with the rest of the design team. She knew she wanted to do something with her life which allowed her to be creative every day and from day one at University, she was sold. 'I love that you get to flex your brain muscles with design, it’s so much more than making things ‘look pretty’… it’s communicating important messages visually and every day brings a new challenge.'

With a fine eye for detail, she specialises in combining bold graphics with illustration and is inspired by earthy and organic style brand design. 'I would love the opportunity to work with a sustainable/eco-based brand in the future.'

LEXI STEWART | GRAPHIC DESIGNER
 

Lexi Stewart has been a part of the team since 2012 and has over 8 years of design experience. She began building her skill set at the Queensland College of Art, where she graduated with a Bachelor degree in Graphic Design. During her study, she received the Griffith Award for Academic Excellence 2 years in a row. She finds much of her inspiration in Japanese culture and loves simple, minimal design and the contrast between dark and light.

She indulges in the process of designing a branding suite from the initial logo design and nothing makes her happier than seeing clients post their branding proudly. Lexi is also a qualified makeup artist and when not designing, she spends her time working in film and television.