Lotus Graphic Design’s Career Choice
CAREER PROFILE
Name: Oonagh Moore
Age: 44
Job: Owner, Lotus Graphic Design
What does your job involve?
I design logos, brochures, advertising, website templates, business stationery, any kind of promotional literature a business might need.
How did you get into this line of work?
I worked part-time in a magazine where I used to watch the designer design the page layouts and I thought, “I want to do that.” After completing an English degree I had no real career plan. I took a training placement with a publishing and design company and did a part-time course on what was then described as Desktop Publishing. I worked over the years in a series of printing companies and then finally for a long period of time [ten years] with the Ulster Herald their production department designing ads and some marketing material.
My work experience gave me fantastic training in the design software necessary for my job and I also continued to teach myself with books, online tutorials and learned a lot from various work colleagues over the years.
Do you have a typical working day?
My working day is normally from 9am-2.45pm when my kids are at school so I try to pack in as much as I can in that time. The majority of the time is spent designing, but sometimes I have to go see a client or pick up something at the printers which is always a good excuse to get away from the computer screen. I usually do a few hours in the evening also.
What qualifications do you have?
BA Hons English Literature.
What skills are essential for your job?
Good knowledge of design software and a love of design. A good instinct for what will work for a business in terms of its branding.
What’s the best thing about your job?
The feedback you get from a happy customer. The whole design process.
And the worst?
Managing finances.
Who has inspired you most in your career?
No one individual, I just love what I do.
Tell us an interesting fact about yourself.
I made my own kitchen table and a few other bits of furniture around the house.
What is the best piece of advice you have ever been given?
I’ve been told to have more self-belief quite a lot so that is beginning to seep in!
How do you relax in your spare time?
I love to watch programmes about building design/restoration.
If you could swap jobs with someone for the day, who would it be and why?
I loved watching Mary Portas in ‘Mary Queen of Shops’. I was fascinated by how she could turn a business’ fortunes around by completely re-designing its premises, its marketing and its products. She has a fantastic instinct for the consumer market.
What advice would you offer to someone applying for a similar role?
Keep challenging yourself to learn new techniques with your design software.
If you were given the chance to live your life all over again, do you think you would have chosen your current career?
Definitely! I didn’t take the conventional route to becoming a self-employed designer but everything I experienced and learned in my working life has led to it.
Source: ulsterherald.com
