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| Published On: Wednesday, July 21, 2010 |
Cool Career - Creatologist''Helping people to understand what's possible.'' Brad Steele, Senior Creatologist at Frolix Design defines the work he does as a graphic designer, work that involves branding, project management, marketing, illustration, and website design. The ability to communicate to clients, to talk to them and tell them why they need a designer is a strand that weaves through all of his work. Brad has been in the business for 14 years; 9 of those years he has lived in Nelson, creating for companies such as Nortel, Selkirk College, Columbia Power Corporation, Whitewater Ski Resort, and the City of Nelson. Much of his work comes to him by word of mouth. The rest is through writing proposals and approaching clients who he wants to work with. What he enjoys about his work is ''having the freedom to create something effective.'' That effectiveness is what sets Frolix Design apart. Their website describes their work: ''Design is about creative problem solving in a graphic form. It's about knowing when to follow the rules and knowing when, and how to break them. We go beyond the obvious to give our clients a solution that fits - and gets noticed.'' Having flexibility is one of the reasons that Brad is drawn to this work. He has a keen interest in skiing, a passion that brought him to the Kootenays from Ottawa. It was in Ontario that he began his career after taking a graphic design course during his third year of an industrial design program. He changed direction, and moved into graphic design. From there, he began working in the field for a high tech company and then a dot com. For people entering the field, Brad advises to go to school and get the education and then ''work in the industry for 10 years before going out on your own.'' For that experience, big cities offer the ability to gain the experience and the ''wide variety of skills'' needed to do the work. Skills required for the job are organization and dedication. Though 15 centimetres of new snow entices him out on the slopes, Brad may have to work the night before to take the day off. Completing a project can also mean working evenings and weekends. Another challenge of the work is that vacations need to be carefully planned; taking any more than a couple of weeks off is very hard to arrange. He also advises that ''if you can't meet a deadline, you won't survive.'' Deadlines are an everyday occurrence for a creatologist. At any given time, Brad has 12 projects on the go. Looking ahead is vital to ensuring that he has work, so interlaced into his time is lining up new projects. A typical day for Brad is 8 hours in front of a computer, answering e-mails, and spending less than l/2 of his time creating; 40% of his creative time is spent on creating web material and 50% is on print. In thinking about the future of graphic design, Brad finds that it is getting ''harder and harder to make a living.'' With mass-produced products being offered on the Internet, for example, a logo for $49, companies may elect to go for cost savings. ''The value of design,'' is a hard concept to convey to people who are looking for a bargain. On the other hand, what Brad also sees about the future is ''more opportunity because of the Internet and hand-held devices.'' The future for Brad's work is about continuing to follow his passions. Combining his love of outdoors with his creativity, Brad has been developing websites for the skiing crowd. Backcountry Skiing Canada offers enthusiasts trip reports and new locations. Full of fresh ideas, Brad models the message he gives to clients: possibilities. |
