Where are they now? Check out these profiles of graduates from the advertising program at Macleay College.
It’s always a thrill celebrating the outstanding marketing and creative work from this year’s Advertising and Digital Media students at Macleay College. Some exciting new careers are off to a great start!
Congratulations to Digital Media student Michael Loader for his recent publication on Medium. This piece was written for the ‘Analysing Effective Experience’ Assessment as apart of User Experience at Macleay College, Melbourne.
Rubadub Records is a Glasgow-based record store & label that opened its doors in 1992. To music enthusiasts, collectors and DJs, Rubadub is iconic — particularly in the spaces of electronic music.
The store is widely known for its ability to introduce quality & undiscovered techno, house, disco, reggae, hip-hop (and everything in between) to the wider community.
These days, the store’s output is easily reachable beyond Europe with its online store that sells both records & music equipment such as turntables, modular synths & drum machines.
This means people like me (I am a bit of a fan) who live 16,000 km away, can easily access the goods.
Earlier this year, Rubadub increased their digital presence with the help of the team at Green Hill Digital, by creating the Rubadub App.
As Green Hill highlight in their case study, there was no point simply recreating the online store in app-form when the mobile-site was already perfectly functional.
The mobile application had to have its own purpose. It needed to be a space where music-heads can discover fresh releases in a organic and random way.
“We tried to recreate the shop experience where you get fed tunes you wouldn’t normally listen to.”
Rubadub’s co-owner Wilba Sandieson mentions over email.
The apps intention is to deliver an experience that mirrors the way one would flick through vinyl, select a pile and then listen to those records in a physical brick & motor store.
While this is a ecommerce app in which one user-journey ends with a purchase , I personally feel the success of the app comes down to the listening, discovering and the overall ‘digging’ experience, rather than the quantity of sales.
Initially I (the user) am greeted with two clear options, Sign in or Sign up.
The apps ecommerce system was purposely integrated with the existing site meaning account holders of Rubadub.co.uk already have an account.
Additionally, this means all payments through the app go through the same system as the website. Meaning no further stock work on the backend for the Rubadub team!
Anyway, as a new user, I select Sign up.
I fill four form fills, tap the boxes, enter the information. Done.
Already in, no email confirmation needed ✓
Next appears a four slide series that introduces the app and its features.
A nice trustworthy and contrasting blue button then leads me to get started, LET’S GO.
For me, the UI works nicely. The minimalistic layout keeps things simple and obvious. It roles with the model of a typical music player so things straight away feel familiar.
Additionally, the small use of colour provides the cover-art with the spotlight. The music playing is the most important factor here so this makes total sense.
The detailed description (INFO) is a nice touch that sits discretely as a pop-up that you can quickly exit back to the track (The 2 minute music previews are never interrupted).
The nav-bar sits nicely as the footer making it in thumbs-reach no matter what sized device you own 👍
Any call-to-action buttons relating to purchases are green — this makes the action you are taking very obvious throughout. The ‘listen again’ is a great addition as most people may not remember every saved record by name or visual alone.
If a record is out-of-stock, the user will be notified well before they can purchase, avoiding any frustration.
As for the actual discovering of music, it does well.
Shown in the image above, tapping the white arrows pans through the different tracks in a particular EP (in this case Krikor’s Pacific Alley In Dub).
Swiping left takes you to the next (random) record awaiting, while swiping right simply takes you back to the previous piece of music.
This allows you to effortlessly find new music, save it and then continue discovering all in one, uninterrupted flow.
The app has done an amazing job at expanding the Rubadub record searching experience beyond the walls of the Scottish shop.
While it clearly cannot replace the feeling of physically flicking through records, talking-music with staff or whatever moment of serendipity real-life throws at you, it certainly delivers as an awesome digital alternative.
I am personally excited to see where they take the application next with more features planned to be added.
I also look forward to what the future brings as other stores and businesses in the vinyl community embrace new technologies.
By Michael Loader
Diploma of Digital Media
Melbourne students, launch your creative career with Macleay’s one-year Diploma of Advertising & Media just like these successful graduates have.
Aislin Mcleod came to Macleay College from what she describes as an “impersonal” university. She was excited by the possibility of a class environment where the lecturers knew your name and took the time to discuss teaching and learning with you.
Before Aislin came to Macleay, she had already set up her own successful social media blog, The Beauty Collection – so she was naturally drawn to the digital and social media subjects in the advertising course. Aislin excelled in her studies and gained valuable know-how and experience to continue to see her blog becoming a go-to beauty resource for Australian women.
Soraya Darwish was “desperate to get out of the hospitality game” and hoped Macleay’s Advertising and Media course would be the catalyst for that change.
With extensive real-world experience and enthusiasm, Soraya quickly made an impression on her lecturers, but she was unsure which creative discipline to pursue. One of Macleay’s lecturers suggested account management, a career choice requiring great verbal and written communication and a strong customer focus. At first reluctant, Soraya soon realised that an account executive role would not only be a dynamic career choice but one reflective of her vibrant personality.
Within months of graduation from Macleay, Soraya landed her first account executive role with Melbourne’s AJF Partnership.
Tell me more
Macleay’s new Melbourne campus sits right in the heart of the city’s thriving café, entertainment and agency precinct near Flinders Street Station. Macleay offers innovative and specialised courses in business, journalism, digital media and advertising – all tailored to meet the rapidly evolving needs of these industries.
The one-year Diploma of Advertising and Media is exclusive to Macleay and one of only two course providers in Australia offering a Higher Education Diploma award that can articulate successfully into a two-year Bachelor’s degree.
The Diploma qualification runs over three trimesters and entry is via interview, not ATAR. On completion, graduates can launch a career in either advertising or media, or use the Diploma as an entry point for further study. It can also help fast-track those who have previously studied graphic design, creative writing, psychology, marketing or communications directly into jobs in advertising and media agencies.
What will I learn?
Unlike other advertising courses, the Macleay diploma offers a complete overview of the job opportunities in the advertising and media industries. This includes creative, accounts, media, digital, marketing, social media and design.
Students learn the importance of research and strategic thinking alongside the practical creative and digital production know-how needed to launch a successful career. Macleay offers job-relevant, university-level learning that combines theory with hands-on skills as a practical entry point to a career.
Why Macleay?
Class sizes at Macleay are small and personalised (maximum size of 25 students) compared to the big universities such as RMIT and Swinburne – and Macleay students are taught by working industry professionals rather than university academics.
The recent government QILT survey (Quality Indicators for Learning & Teaching) ranked Macleay’s teaching quality at 90.5%, around 10% above the national average and higher than many Melbourne universities. While traditional universities can struggle to develop and deliver up-to-date, industry-relevant content, Macleay students learn from industry specialists equipped with the current knowledge and skills sought by employers.
Macleay’s internship program complements the industry-focused learning by mentoring students to gain real-world experience with an advertising agency, media company or creative studio. Students also attend a variety of industry events and visit agencies and production companies to build their networks and increase their chance of employment.
If the Diploma of Advertising & Media could be the next step in your creative career, chat with one of our careers advisors by calling 1300 939 888 or emailing study@macleay.edu.au.
By Chris Hewson
Melbourne Coordinator & Lecturer
Banner image:
Back row (left to right): Michael Loader, Andrew Warren.
Front row (left to right): Tareen Winter, Jennifer Van Merkesteijn, Jasmine Tambouras, Stephanie Vitacca, Nathan Kleinig.
Macleay College’s Bachelor of Advertising and Digital Media final year students recently celebrated the presentation of their major projects. The students presented to an industry panel that included Kristy Chilman from the Brand Architect and the marketing consultant Louise Chamberlain.
The student projects included:
SheFit , a new women’s fitness app developed by Madison Pinkus.
Project Pawsible, a campaign by Madeline Khalil to reduce the stray dog population in Bali.
ReconGeneration, a program to introduce indigenous ingredients to community gardens in schools developed by Mitchell Dodds.
L&S, a new skateboard company by Peter Bieri, creating boards for girls – designed by girls.
Major Project is the capstone unit of the Bachelor of Advertising and Media and prepares graduating students as they launch themselves into the industry. Based on their skills and passions, students are asked to plan, manage and execute all the stages of an original piece of work, to a high professional standard. The project can be: creative (print, audio, moving image etc); a digital media project (app, game, web, video, animation, interactive, social media): strategic media project; or a marketing or account management project.
Click here for more information about the Advertising and Media course on offer at Macleay College.
#macleaycollege #advertising
Pictured above:
Graduating students (back row left to right): Peter Bieri, Mitchell Dodds, Madison Pinkus and Madeline Khalil. Industry Panel (front row left to right): Kristy Chilman from the Brand Architect and the marketing consultant Louise Chamberlain.
When Rowan Slade started his studies, he was a self-confessed “guy from a beachie town who made cappuccinos”. This might sound familiar. Finishing school and moving into a career can often be daunting, but after a couple of years of study Rowan discovered the art of becoming an Art Director. Proof of his artistic talent was on display recently with his graduating project from Macleay’s Bachelor of Advertising and Media, where Rowan created an art installation that explored the tension between the fantasy and brutality of Reality TV.
Rowan describes the humble beginning of his creative career behind the cappuccino machine on his blog: “It was here, meeting and talking to a variety of different people, that I learned the value of customer experience for a business. I thrived working with others but decided that I didn’t want to be stuck in the hospitality bubble.”
“My life has been consistently drawn towards the creative arts and I’ve been a performer since my childhood; refer to mum for videos. I moved out on my own to Sydney where I’ve continued to study and further my career. I’ve studied acting, film & media production and travelled aplenty – and it’s all these influences of working within and being around creativity that have driven me to work in the advertising and media industry; in particular, the ability to use my creativity to drive business.”
Rowan has a keen eye and a great sense of style, so even his early college projects stood out. One of my favourites was a brand he developed from scratch (excuse the pun), for a real-world client in his Advanced Digital Design class. ‘RuvBox’ is a pet care pack that Rowan developed a logo, packaging, magazine advertising and merchandising for.
Rowan’s branding project for ‘RuvBox’
Once Rowan got a video camera in his hand, he started producing some fun and quirky video content, like this engaging digital content piece with Sophie Robertson visualising the word ‘Joy’ in their Art Direction and Design class.
But Rowan hasn’t limited his creative talents to visual mediums, he also produced a great podcast on ‘TV Streaming’ in his Radio Advertising & Podcasting class with our award-winning radio lecturer Cameron Horn. Have a listen here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1djurNOZl_p-Iw6hBbL5S2iEXRzRbL2_E/view
It was of course a highlight of Rowan’s time at the college to see him create a visual installation exploring his ideas around Reality TV. It was an ambitious project to take over a whole room; design and build a floral installation; contrast this with a broken television and image of a bleeding heart; and invite people to sit in the installation and share their selfies on Instagram.
Both Adam Ross, executive creative director at the projects* and the marketing consultant Louise Chamberlain, who sat on the industry marking panel commended Rowan’s courage and ambition in creating an immersive and interactive installation. The next challenge for Rowan is to make his creative mark on the advertising industry. Stay tuned.
Rowan presenting his major art directing project to Adam Ross and Louise Chamberlain.
Instagram reactions to Rowan’s installation.
If you would like to see more of Rowan’s work, you can check out the creative portfolio on his blog here:
https://rowanjslade.wordpress.com/creative-portfolio/
Congratulations to the graduating Bachelor of Advertising and Media students who successfully presented their Major Projects to a panel of industry judges.
Major Project is the capstone unit of the Bachelor of Advertising and Media and prepares graduating students as they launch themselves into the industry. Based on their skills and passions, students are asked to plan, manage and execute all the stages of an original piece of work, to a high professional standard. The project can be: creative (print, audio, moving image etc); a digital media project (app, game, web, video, animation, interactive, social media): strategic media project; or a marketing or account management project.
The students proudly presented the following works:
Matthew Fiacchi developed Spectrum, a queer wellness app designed to improve quality of life for queer people of all backgrounds. The app provides unique information and resources that help users connect, learn and navigate difficult mental health issues.
Dillemials is a positive psychology, social media platform for millennials developed by Alana Taylor-Benn. The platform encourages users to share their thoughts, feelings and anxieties within a supportive digital community.
Adriana Kind created a careers and study advice app for prospective tertiary students. The app assists young adults in finding relevant study information and career advice after graduating from high school.
Your Vibe is a health and safety campaign targeted at young music festival attendees. The brainchild of Grace Cooper, the campaign addresses the topic of drug and alcohol safety in a fun and engaging manner.
Sophie Robertson developed FoodFace, a full-service food sharing app that helps people make the most out of cooking. The app encourages users to share recipes, advice, reviews and dining experiences.
Reality TV vs. Fantasy TV is a beautifully executed art piece for young women, that represents the contrast of reality and fantasy. The work was installed on campus by Rowan Slade, and encouraged audiences to interact with the work, by taking a seat and a sharing selfie.
The judges were blown away by the level of creativity and innovation showcased by these talented students and are excited to see what’s next for them as they enter the industry.
If you are interested in a career in Advertising and Media, Macleay College is currently enrolling for the trimester 2, starting on May 28th.
Congrats to this trimester’s graduating Bachelor of Advertising & Media students Daniel Koublachvili (L), Robyn Lear (3R) and Caitlin Thomas (2R) who presented their final major projects to the industry panel of Experience Designer Sam Court (M), Samantha Benney, Regional Customer Marketing Manager (3L), Accolade Wines and Kristy Chilman, Marketing Lead at The Brand Architect (R).
Daniel developed an application to allow people to donate rounded up change to charities called LINK. Robyn developed a strategic marketing and communications plan for SKYY VODKA in Australia, and Caitlin Thomas developed a social media platform for Tweens called HEYU.
They have certainly set the bar high for next trimester’s graduating bachelors!
Ian Thomson (2L), Head of the Advertising & Digital Media Faculty at Macleay College.
Where are you currently working and what do they specialise in? I currently work at Carat Media. We’re a media agency, specialising in how consumers connect & engage with brand through media channels.
Can you describe your role at your current job? I’m currently a Strategy Manager. I get looped into campaigns from the start, where I have a focus on our target market – exactly who the consumer is, and how we can connect with them. We do a heap of research, audience and data analysis on the consumers, to come up with a cross-platform strategy recommendation. It’s a lot of bigger projects, where we find out as much as we can about a demographic!
What have been some of the highlights at your current job? Media is a great industry to get involved with. There’s so many directions you can go down, learning a scope of the advertising world. There’s also some great initiatives to keep you here – agencies have relationships with media companies, a lot who love to throw a party! Besides this, a lot of internal opportunities too – where I’ve even won a trip to Bali! Actual work wise, I was the Business Manager on an awesome client campaign, which was nominated for three industry awards throughout 2016/2017! Having your work turn into something award worthy is so great to see. You can check out that campaign here.
What are your future career goals? Continue to develop my skills within the media & advertising industry. I’ve recently jumped over to Strategy, which has been an interesting move for me – especially coming over from an investment/client service background. I’m keen to continue working on some amazing campaigns, developing myself within the business, and climbing up that ladder – who knows, a future CEO?!
Why did you decide to study at Macleay and how has it helped you get to where you are now? Macleay College hooked me in with the way they had very clear, straight forward & speedy learning opportunities. I liked the fact I could study advertising specifically, and get the degree over and done within two years. Macleay College definitely opened the doors for me entering the advertising industry, where my Media teacher at Macleay, actually worked at Carat Media, giving me that one foot in the door!
What are some of your best memories of your time at Macleay?Creating some great friends, not only with the students, but also with the staff. I’ve got a couple of people who I’ve ended up working with, and still keep in contact with today. I found Macleay to also have a great network, who were all there to support each other.
Macleay’s Advertising and Media Diploma graduating class of 2016 came together with friends and family to celebrate 12 months of hard work.
Joined by academic and support staff, alumni and industry professionals, the night was themed, organised and run by the students as part of their final term project.
The students were given a budget and asked to prepare their end of year creative portfolios of video, radio, outdoor, digital and print campaign works, along with a major piece which took centre stage on the night.
In addition to celebrating the students and their work we were joined by three industry experts who judged the best work presented.
The three exceptional judges: Chantal Abouchar, Grant Flannery and Will Edwards have diverse experience in the fields of Advertising and Media. Working in very different industries and with areas of expertise spanning creative, entrepreneurship and digital, the judges were happy to share their knowledge and advice with our Advertising students.
Congratulations to the 2016 graduates on an hugely enjoyable and successful event. We will be keeping a keen eye on your new careers in advertising and media and we wish you all the best.
Thanks for sharing the hype!
AdGrad Kean Edwards has just scored a great job as Senior UX Designer at AnalogFolk in London. We caught up with him for a quick chat after he landed the role…
“I’m a digital native with a passion for user centred design. Recently moving from Sydney to London, I help businesses reach objectives and create usable experiences people love”.
“I’m a client facing User Experience Architect with a broad spectrum of skills from user research, experience strategy & UX design. I am motivated by a fast paced, collaborative environment, focused on creating user centred solutions.”
Congratulation from all of us at Macleay College and the AdBare team! We wish you ever success in your new role.
Kean Edwards’ Portfolio: http://www.keanedwards.com
AdBare 