20 years of wisdom and wonder

It was the 11 September 1999. All the media was reporting that in a few months time, the world was going down with the Y2K bug. I had a PC, an out of date Adobe Pagemaker, a heap of questionable fonts on a zip drive and the unbridled confidence of youth so I registered a business. I worked from the front room of my tiny house in Ashgrove and with the best folded and embossed business card I could afford, Designosaur was born. Today it turns 20.  

Funny to think that when I registered the business, I was in my early 20’s and full of wonder and confidence after having completed a Cert 4 in Graphic Design. The course was cutting edge. It had a studio with 8 new Apple MACs! By the time I’d completed that course with their coveted “Best All Rounder” award pinned to my chest I was "ready" to design. Little did I know that half of the technical skills I’d learned were not going to be needed on the job. I’d be a ‘mac monkey’ for several years as a freelancer for ad agencies, I was still working casual shifts at the library and gigging in bands on weekends to make up the short fall in the rent. One by one, I began to secure work on my own projects. Made some memories...

Over the years I have endured failure, been rewarded with delight and grounded my markers of success. One thing I know for sure is good people and relationships are the secret sauce. Skills are update-able, processes and systems change, tech speeds through our lives at a disruptive rate though my experience guides me to suggest that the lovely humans I serve matter the most. Designing is a mental, emotional and deeply human process. After being in relationship with design for so long I am still finding ways to fall in love with it.

For all the sleepless nights, the excruciating decision making and the heavy responsibility of wise leadership in this time pressured environment, I can think of nothing else that could frame my vision, uphold the quality and build a network of diverse creative people like Designosaur. I am truly grateful and although the iterations haven't been easy I’m so proud of persisting.

Happy Birthday Designosaur. 20 years of wisdom and wonder!