Resume
Paul Shadbolt
Graphic Designer, Web Developer and Design Lecturer
Objective
About Paul Shadbolt
I’ve always been curious by nature, I like to figure things out and understand what makes them tick. It is this curiosity to learn new things and experiment with new experiences that fuels my need to explore problems and find solutions.
I have been a graphic designer for many years now, but prior to this, I spent 17 years as a professional women’s hairdresser. Although I loved every second of that dynamic industry, in particular, the personal one-to-one working relationship that I had with clients, after a while, I found that I had reached a point where I itched for a new challenge. With encouragement from friends and family, I went back to school and commenced a four-year design degree at Unitec.
This time rich environment was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Design school encouraged me to develop a creative process and thinking through experimentation of ideas and techniques. During the 1st semester of this design course, I also attended the Axis Awards Advertising School. At the completion of the AAA course, I received a highly commended award and then completed three months of work experience in advertising before refocusing on my design degree. In the final year of my degree, I secured an internship at Seven Visual Communication. The studio experience that I gained while working with the Seven team informed my work at school allowing me to pass my degree with honours.
I then worked full time for Seven until I left at the end of 2003, after which I pursued work as a freelance designer and worked on a variety of different projects. A sabbatical for a year took me overseas throughout South East Asia and India, where I filled numerous flash drives with images of these beautiful countries, as well as filling my soul with amazing experiences. I returned to freelance design work in New Zealand as well as a brief stint working as a coordinator in the film industry for a couple of years.
For the four years previous to the launch of Foundation Design, I was head of creative and marketing at Redhead Clothing where I was responsible for the look and feel of Redhead’s brand. This role allowed me to oversee everything every aspect of Redhead’s branding from swing tags and neck labels for garments, to the design of seasonal look-books and order forms. Like many businesses in New Zealand, Redhead staff had to be generalists as well as specialists and on top of my role as a graphic designer, I was also Redhead’s in-house photographer, systems analysts, hardware, and software procurement manager and the I.T. guy when a computer was misbehaving.
I believe these extra roles and experiences have given me a greater depth of business-related knowledge and makes for a better designer.
Career Highlights
Owner & Director of Foundation Design and Foundation Web
Lecturer, AUT
Lecturer, Whitecliffe College of Arts & Design
Lecturer, Design & Visual Arts Dept, Unitec Institute of Technology
Unitec GDA students winning Best Awards for four consecutive years
Head of creative and marketing at Redhead Clothing
Coordinator working in the New Zealand film industry
Overseas sabbatical throughout South East Asia and India
Intern/junior designer at Seven Visual Communications
Honours pass Visual Communication design degree
Second place and highly commended at Axis Awards Advertising School
Seventeen years as a professional hairdresser
Salon & Stage Educator for L’Oréal of Paris creative team and Redken creative team
Work Experience
Designer/Owner @ Foundation Design
2012 to present
Designer, owner and director of Foundation Design & Web
Foundation Design is a small, but perfectly formed design agency based in Auckland, New Zealand’s city of sails that services the need for a more intimate design agency experience while still offering a broad range of quality design solutions.
Education
Paul Shadbolt – Lecturer & Educator
Reciprocity is the word that springs to mind when I think about my role as a lecturer and educator. I’m very excited and grateful to be a part-time lecturer at both Unitec Institute of Technology, and at Whitecliffe College of Art and Design.
As a freelance designer, I have always been interested in ways that I can achieve a greater involvement with the local design community, and so to teach is a fantastic opportunity to be involved, and to give back to the design community.
I love working with students. They challenge me and I endeavour to give them advice and skills that are industry-relevant, and that will help to secure lasting employment in the design industry.
Working with such a large and varied group of aspiring creatives comes with its own reward of energising my own work.
The list to the right includes the various courses that I’ve taught and/or are currently teaching.
Where shown, the (w) indicates that I also developed and wrote the course material.
Unitec Institute of Technology:
Graphic Design Practice:
Teaching the fundamentals of graphic design and workflow methods using digital software to develop visual communications. (w)
Advanced Graphic Design Practice:
This course aims to orient students to professional design practice, including the development and preparation of a professional portfolio. (w)
Digital Design for Publication:
Introducing students to form and structures used in analogue (printed) and digital publication. (w)
Design for Branding and Identity:
This course explores the process of developing branding through graphic design processes and how elements of identity work within specific visual and cultural contexts to `speak’ to an audience. (w)
Whitecliffe College of Art:
Continuing Education Digital Design – Intro to Adobe InDesign & Photoshop:
Introducing students to the layout and design applications of Adobe to create their own publications, portfolios and digital outputs. (w)
Continuing Education Digital Design – New technologies for makers:
Introducing the 3D Printing & Laser Cutting techniques, applications and technologies that will allow students to create their own 3D objects and laser cuts. (w)
Arts, Design and Digital Media Certificate Programme:
A semester-long programme concentrating on developing a portfolio for application to on-going tertiary study at Whitecliffe, elsewhere in New Zealand or overseas.
Bachelor of Fine Arts – Graphic Design/Fashion Design:
A three to four degree that prepares students for a life-long career in Graphic and Fashion Design, two industries that offer a broad range of creative and commercial possibilities.
Skills
“Quick on the loose ball from the back of the scrum and with the right opportunity can be a playmaker”
Proficient in the following applications and skills. Currently teaching digital technologies including many of Adobe’s Creative Cloud suite of applications. Highly skilled with Adobe Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator.