Music, journalism, design = stories

Music, journalism and design seem very different. But in reality, they all share one common factor: they are the storytellers of our world.

Music shares stories through sound and words. Journalism shares stories through text and voice. Design shares stories through images. They each have their unique ways of telling a story, and all have their merit. What communicates to each of us is different – some people will connect better with music sending a message, whilst someone else may recognise and connect to a poster.

The journey I took to realise this has been a long one – it’s my lifetime story in itself.

Music

When I was growing up, I lived and breathed music. I still do, to be honest. From the ages of around 8–15, music ruled my life. I loved finding out what the message was behind each song, and would analyse the lyrics. I learned what stereotypical chords musicians used to convey specific emotions. I collected the ARIA charts each week, and analysed why certain songs did better than others, and what their meanings were – and looked for connections. I dreamed of getting to become a radio DJ and interviewing bands and artists, learning more about the background of their songs. I dreamed of getting to announce the ARIA charts each week, and discussing why some songs were doing better in the charts than others. I also had a yearning to design CD covers…

Journalism

As my teens went by, I looked at journalism as a whole – no longer just within the music industry. I realised that what I loved was getting to share people’s stories, through interviewing and presenting. Especially people and stories within Australia, for Australians. My work experience was shared between a printers and a music magazine, so I could cover all three bases (design, journalism and the music industry).

When I completed high school, my two top preferences for university were communication design and then journalism. I chose communication design…or did it choose me?

Communication Design

Years later, after I graduated, I realised that I found my calling. I was in the right place all along, doing what I dreamed of. I am sharing stories of people in Australia, visually, through design. And yes, I have even been able to design some CD covers in my career.

What should you take from this? Storytelling is in everything we do. There are many ways to share information. It can be shared through music, through journalism, through design. Different methods reach out to different people. My ability to share stories through design holds a special place in my heart. I am getting to share people’s dreams and passions with my visual skills. And I feel so honoured that clients choose us to help them share their stories.