Student With Designs On An Award-winning Career
Sun Herald
Sunday November 7, 2004
WHEN Marta Ferracin arrived in Australia from Italy three years ago, she was computer illiterate and could speak only a few words of English.
But the 40-year-old had a passion for graphic design and she wasted no time getting her career on track.She enrolled in a graphic design degree and learnt the language, then proceeded to wow her peers and teachers by winning a string of awards in her chosen field.Before moving to Australia, Ms Ferracin had worked in the European industry for companies such as Benetton. "I fell in love with Australia and graphic design was an old passion of mine from Europe," she said."I had to write and learn English; it was very, very hard for me, I had to spend a lot of extra time studying."Not long after arriving, she found her school of choice, Billy Blue School of Graphic Arts at North Sydney, and enrolled as a mature-aged student. "I did some research and asked a few people, and a lot of people told me to go to Billy Blue. I went and it was perfect for me," she said. "Australia has a very good system of education. In Italy I studied much less."She is now in her final year of a bachelor of design (communication design), having impressed her Australian colleagues by winning best student in her first year of the course.Ms Ferracin capped off her success this year by winning the Southern Cross Package Design Award, which is open to all tertiary graphic design students across Australia, for her design of a new food package.Not surprisingly, she has already had plenty of job offers. "I want to find a job in a design studio, so I can have experience, but after that I want to work with my husband," she said.Billy Blue School of Graphic Arts has been running since 1987 and has 340 students participating in either graphic or multimedia design. There are no full-time teachers, instead there are 22 industry practitioners who do the teaching. Simon Pemberton, head of Billy Blue, said the school had a 98 to 100 per cent employment rate for graduates.He said that while a good portfolio was important in the graphic design industry, formal qualifications were also advantageous."It's not so much the degree, but the hard training," he said.The bachelor of design majoring in communication or multimedia design at Billy Blue is three years full-time and is accredited through Swinburne University. Fees for the degree range from $14,200 for the first year to $17,600 for the final year. Students also have the option of studying the one-year certificate IV in communication design, or the two-year advanced diploma of communication design.Billy Blue was recently named NSW training provider of the year, which is an award open to all schools, universities and TAFEs across the state. "In educational terms, that's as big as it gets; we are all pretty stoked with that," Mr Pemberton said.LEARNING BY DEGREES* Billy Blue School of Graphic Arts offers a three-year, full-time bachelor's degree in graphic design. For more information, phone 9955 1122 or see www.billyblue.com.au.* University of NSW offers a bachelor of design degree at its College of Fine Arts; it is a four-year, full-time course. For more information, see www.unsw.edu.au.* The University of Western Sydney has a bachelor of design (visual communication) course at its Penrith campus. The degree takes four years full-time to complete. For more information, phone 1800 897 669 or see www.uws.edu.au.* For information on other graphic design courses, see www.uac.edu.au.
© 2004 Sun Herald