Behind the Biz Part 3: Campaign Shoots & Graphic Design with Mik

I'd like to acknowledge the traditional owners on which this episode is being recorded, the combo marry people. We pay our respects to elders past, present and emerging and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Today I'm your host, Georgie Stevenson, and this is the

I love it so much. I had it for my afternoon workout once and fully sacrificed my fleep. It was like a Friday, so I never work.

The next day. It's fine, so delicious, it's good. It'sast that good piso the soft drink, Oh yeah, don't you reckon, You're as sweet. No, but like I'm getting piscito vibes. And the protein is caramelk. Fuck white chocolate caramel se white chocolate caramel swell. We couldn't call it caramelk because the legal reasons. ME says caramel all over these podcasts because I'm like, I don't give a fuck, but also don't sell me. I love you, Capri, please sir us,

I feel like I just learned so much, even though I've been in the office for a year.

I'm like, whoa, you're welcome. Well, it is cool because it's like you don't usually ask your colleagues Cy's question. No, I definitely happen to ask them the nitty gritty of their job. Yeah, so it's really cool, guys. I really am excited to bring you this episode. If you don't want to grab the collection, it is live today. But also we're doing a little swap, so I know we usually do recommendations on Friday and then tell you about

My recommendation, She's back to the Netflix.

She's always been the Netflix. I like some other things in there should sponsor us. They should, they really should. I'm a walking, talking Netflix recommendation. I'm recommending Next in Fashion on Netflix season two. It's basically like they have all these designers. Is that what the model GG hadid? Is she hosting? Yeah? It's amazing, is it?

Yeah? I've only watched season two. I haven't watched season one. I just watched season two because GG isn't it? And they have these designers and they basically get a task like you need to create a look for the met Gala, and then they have like a couple of hours or like a day and a half to design a runway ready look that a model then has to go down, and just watching their creative process has blown my mind.

Wow, it's of asace.

I don't know anyway, such a good show. It's like a really good watch. Yeah I did.

I saw that, like I saw shorts and I saw GG and was like, oh yeah, but I don't know. I'm not usually into those shows neither.

Of If it was for me, no, I'm not normally you would like it. I reckon you would because I've been really off reality TV at the moment. But I enjoyed this, and I enjoyed how established the designers were pre this show, Like some of them are full time designers. One of the ladies has dressed Lizzo, another one had dressed j Lo. Like they're not just your average person. Some of them are self taught, some of them like it's just insane to see them such skilled people create. I've loved it.

I love that. What's your recommendation. I'm actually reading a new book right now and this was a recommendation from my missies. I think we need to who we're talking about a lot on here, and it's called Women Who Run with Wolves Myths and Stories of the Wild woman archetype. Why do I want to read this book right now? It's so good to take. Well, you'd love it because it's about stories, and I feel like you love stories,

I was gonna say, do you want to just tell us more about I guess you know, your journey in your career and just what you do here at.

N H and R and C. Yeah.

Well I'll start with n H and R n C. So I'm head of Designs, head of creative.

I kind of.

Cover all of the overall visuals for both brands essentially, and then I also do a lot of the photography and videography content alongside the social girls and packaging everything visual for the brands for both Naked Harvests and Rise and Conquer. She really is the whole package, the triple threat.

I know when you were like, oh, and I can also take photos and do videos, I was like, okay, you're hYP and please you. So tell us more about like I guess the people who are listening to theirs who want to be a mix you know, what was the career path to get to this spot?

So I knew what I wanted to do from about grade nine and the UNI degree that I wanted to get into was an OPI four, which is like I like to think I'm smart, but four is a bit of a stretch.

Yeah, that's yeah, and especially for creat a degree to haven't I I trying to say, and like because I yeah, I don't want to put creatives in a box, but you know, nothing to do with academic Yeah, it is a skill. Yeah, And so I knew I wanted to do that, and you know I had what was that? What was the degree?

So it was a Bachelor of Design at Queensland College of Art, Okay, and it's super prestigious with international students, Like lots of international students want to do it. And I had it on my vision board, and then.

Grade nine in grade nine, Oh, you're my grade eleven because your mom my mom's super love this. My mom loves Tarakat. I grew up around woo woo. I love it. I love it, and the wonder why you're drawn Tarran. I know, I feel like it was just meant to be. But so I had OP I had the degree on my vision board. Yeah.

OPS came out at the end of the year twelve and I got a five. But I wasn't disappointed, like I just knew. I'm like, I'm going to do this degree one way or the other, my god. And then the offers came out and the OP cut off changed to a five.

That year stop. And so I got into my dream degree at like seventeen. Oh my god. So I did a Bachelor of Design. Oh of course, because I remember that. I remember even the teachers being like, sometimes they can change, but it's really rare.

Yeah, And it had been a four since I was in year nine, so for you know, ten eleven, every year.

It was an OP cut of four vibes. She's a manifest in Galley, love this for you. And then from there I did my design degree.

I got the standard first job out of UNI, working for a fashion brand.

I thought it was like my dream job, really cool brand, really cool.

And then I was a junior graphic designer, but it turns out I was the only graphic designer. I was also the senior everything creative director, and so I let so much. And then from there I took a slight right turn into photography and honed into my photography career doing real estate and weddings, and then came back full circle back into design.

I kind of.

Realized that that's where I truly wanted to be, and so I've brought design, photography, videography and everything into this kind of head of creative role. And yeah, amazing, Oh my god, I'm so glad you shared that story with us.

That's incredible. I haven't told it to you. No, all right, Mick, Well let us know. I know this is going to look so different because you are a creative and n HN R and C we always doing like so much. Oh my gosh, what would like a typical, you know, work day look like for you.

I know it's so hard to pigeonhole because every day is so different. So like, right before recording this interview.

A social pos like who knows, do some website creates stuff? Briefed in our website designer the other day. All right, Mick, let's get straight into my collection. This is why we are Mick. Let's talk about me. Let's talk about Georgie. Okay, what's new. Let's talk about my collection. Because for my collection, it was really important to come with something like new and spicy with packaging, and me and Alex both were like, we completely left that to Mick, and you just created

So for packaging design as like a whole, you kind of have to use both like left and right brains, because it's not just about looking pretty. It has to be functional. It has to hold the product. It has to store the product. Especially with Naked Harvest. You know, it's sufflements, it's food, it needs to be stored. It's not a package that's thrown away straight away. So we have to think about all of that when it comes

So with my packaging, because I really I gave you like some I just articulated to you. I was like, I want it to be me, I want it to be fun. Should we say what you actually said in the Yeah?

So I say, what did I actually say? Because I'm sure it was fucked. I don't really know.

I trust you, but I like rainbows and stars and shit, I did say that. I actually did, not you did. I was like, you know, like something like rainbow stars, I know some shit like that sorted out like you know me, you know me well, like Becuzmick does do the rn C.

I was like, you know my vibe, I'm a bit like who you know, bit crazy, bit crazy.

I want the colorful. I want them to see the packaging and be like, oh my god, that's so different. It's kind of a bit left field, but it's so g. It's so g, but it's also so Naked Harvest. I wanted to make sure that it was still like true to the Naked Harvest brand, but then also obviously the Georgie Stevenson look as well. Yeah, and I loved it.

That's the first packaging design I've ever done where I've only presented one concept because I just loved it so much.

I was like, I'm not giving you another option. Literally, what we're doing didn't give me any options. And she presented it and I was like, oh wait, you can't see me in the camera.

You actually I think I was in a meeting with Jamie and you came running in and you were like.

Mick, and I was like, oh no, what's happened? Oh gosh, and you're like the packaging, And in my head, I'm going, she hates it, she hates it. You're like obsessed love done, take it off the lip ticket done, prove, send it to Alex. I know. And because I because like, let's

I was like my favorite thing I've ever done. The pre workout too is just to diet for.

It's so pretty and the even like the aspects of the gold foil and like all the little detailed touches were like so thought about.

And because we were really I wanted to really make it show that it was a limited edition collection as well, so bringing you'll never get so bringing in the gold foil was like an important element of that, not just because it's g but it's also limited. Limited is yeah, we don't so thinking about all of those aspects, Yeah, kind of came into play there also, I guess like something that just came to me and was like thinking about because you are wearing so many.

Different hats, like still in the creative realm of like social and photography and product and they are so different. And also, like you said, like you previously worked in fashion and real estate, like very different realms. What's kind of the difference or the thought pattern of when you're creating a product versus like a social post or a website banner.

Yeah, it's it's so different. Every time, you step into different realms of design. So for packaging, you really have to be there's so much more involved in it because it has to meet legal requirements. It has to also be functional and look pretty on the shelf, and the preaching it has to look so pretty. It has to grab so much customers attention. But also you know you're ordering bulk of this.

There's very little.

Room for error, so you have to get it right. So the approval stage and the design stage is so much longer. Whereas when we're designing for like a social post, that could take us like twenty minutes and it's up that afternoon, mack it up.

If Georgie doesn't like it, would do we just delete it? Anything?

Web based is so much easier, and also you have a lot more room for creativity because there's so many more elements that you can bring into it, like video and movements and stuff like that.

So it's just it's very different. But you also like the designing a package or do you prefer the other role where you can be a bit more creative. I don't know. I kind of like both. I like that I get to do good answer. You have about ten packaging designs that need to get done as I like doing both.

I like the flexibility and the creativity and the different brains that you have to use to do everything. Yeah, that's why I love being the head of design because I do get to have my like touch on all these different aspects.

Very stimulating. So moving on, like what is your creative process? Because I like, I find for me to be creative, it's like I've got to fucking be in the right environment. I gotta like meditate before I gotta go to the beach. Tim can't talk to me. It's like a whole big thing. Where was I feel like you step into your creative so easy? Like, what is your actual creative process for things? I definitely think it's a learned thing.

It wasn't as easy for me to step into the creative zone working in an office.

Space straight out of school.

Like it's very overwhelming having other people around, because I think I was so used to being in you know, your home environment and doing the same thing, doing all your rituals to get into it. But now it's kind of just like a learned thing. I can step into that zone quite easily. But I think it all comes down to learn skill it's can learn skill. Yeah, but I think it comes down to having a clear vision, a clear end goal, kind of just knowing what you

And I love a good mood board, loves the mood read board. And even this is going like a bit on a tangent. But how do you feel like your creativity has been since having your baby boy, Miles, Because guys, Mick is a mom, she does it all and Miles is only five days older than Ivy. Yeah, so when Mick started with us, we were literally both pregnant at

I definitely not gonna lie. The first couple of months, we're a real struggle, just trying to get your take creativity, don't they they really do, and just trying to like also separate yourself when you're at work, separate mum life, and like it's hard to switch off from that. And then also coming in we still had When I left Naked Harvest, I was the sole graphic designer, and when I came back, Jazzy, who replaced me while on matt leave,

So there was a definitely like a navigation period, a navigation.

Period where I was trying to get back into my groove and trying to figure out where.

We all fit.

And yeah, it took a good two to three months, I think, to really get back into the zone.

I think it's really good to speak about that because I think especially new moms like you do. You get back into work and it really does feel like you like a deafine an old self where you have to do things differently and life is now so different and you almost need to like redefine of who you are

Yeah, I think I did come back to work expecting it to be the same as it always was, but I had changed Naked Harvest to change they can Harvest.

Was six months down the road.

We're bigger, we were so much was different, and then trying to navigate not being able to just like quickly get something done in the afternoon or stay at work late like I couldn't. You know, you are navigating a whole lot more. But I definitely think I was bursting with creativity, but in a different way.

Yeah, And that's also like accepting that new way to being like, oh okay, it's different, but that doesn't mean it's bad. Yeah, And I think that also leans into the learn skill of just being able to dive into the creative zone. I had to do that faster because I was only working so many days a week instead of the usual full time And yeah, and it's just kind of one of those things you just do it. You literally just do it because what other choice do

Definitely the Adobe Creative Suite, It's it is the premium design software. But not gonna lie, I mean Photoshop since I was like twelve I'm loyal to the brand twelve I was. I was that nerdy little high school girl, like you're on a missn And then I was also like photoshopping like celebrity photos.

Stop. I can't relate, but anyway, and.

I mean, like you know, back in the days in my space and like HTML, I wote code, like everything has like transferred into my working career.

I love that so much. So I don't have friends. I was like, I don't know about this.

So the Adobe Creative Suite is one hundred percent so Photoshop in Design, Illustrator, Premiere Pro. If you want to be a graphic designer, you need to know all of these programs and you need to know them. Well, yeah, but I don't think you need to do a degree to know them either. There are so many online tutorials and a lot of what I do now was self taught.

Yeah. Isn't it funny about degrees? You're like, I've learned so much more after Yeah, but obviously, you know I did love my degree because I was seven. I was

Than a degree, definitely, definitely, and having that hunger and drive and passion passion to learn. And I'm I think you need to be constantly wanting to learn more as a creative role, like you're not done. Yeah, once you get to that role, you're not done. You still need to constantly upskill. And the environment's constantly changing too. The trends social media wasn't a thing that you designed for

How do I make a real How I'll figure it out? What else? All right, let's chat about the actual creative of my collection. In regards to I know you said you love mood board, the very book loves the mood board. In regards to I guess the shoot at the creatives after and also preparing for a campaign like that.

So, like we said before, it starts with a good mood board, and it starts with an idea and a concept. So I guess I think it was you came to us with the concept of you wanted it to be a bit fashioning and you wanted it to be a bit fun, and the seven rules and the seven rules,

And then she needs to like talk to the whole team and every it needs to be on the same page. So remember, like we were kind of talking and I said, I want it to be about the seven rules of being your own best friend. Obviously that's a huge part of me being like into my self development. And I wanted, like, I didn't want the campaign to just be like this is a yummy flavor. Yeah, we wanted it to be Georgie.

Yeah.

We wanted there to be a theme. I'm pretty sure you were the one who came up with the fashion who was like, oh, I think I just said I don't want it to be like a usual and hate you didn't want to be holding your product. Yeah, I was like, let's.

Take the piers because my favorite thing is to take the piers exactly, and we love having a joke. And yeah, if you hadn't taken ourselves too seriously.

And you were like, let's do Zara posin, Let's do the funny Zara poses. So that's where that TikTok came from. Oh my god, it's so funny because it really that shoot was so much fun, so much fun.

And I think because also we weren't we were taking it seriously and that we had a goal in mind. We had to capture photos for our campaign, but we were having fun along the way. Yeah, and so we were just doing like the craziest out there poses that we can think of, and like putting Georgie in all these like contortion positions.

The fact that I actually look like a slug in one of them, it's so funny, but.

They turned out so well, and then it's it just gives the collection its own vibe and its own aesthetics, so that anytime you see that image, you know that it's Georgie's cloud that we're talking about on socials.

And that's what we kind of did. So with Katie, who's our social you know she does all the socials en h is, she came up with a plan of like, this is the content I want in regards to the social plan. Obviously Mel had the content she needed for the website different things. Obviously I had my idea, and then mix go to almost like backtrack and plan to be like, all right, what actual content do we need from the data?

Yeah, I collate that all together and then it becomes the logistics side of things. So planning your shot list and run sheet for the day, Yeah, because we had multiple outfits, we had to coordinate which outfits were going to be in which content and then shoot all of one outfit all of the next outfit and just kind of make.

The day best, utilize the day as we.

Can so you're not having too many outfit changes and breaks and that kind of thing. So that's really important when it comes to planning content shoots, especially when you're hiring a space like we were. We're so used to being able to shoot at the warehouse, which is where we do a lot of our content shoots yep in But yeah, hiring a space, you've only got a limited amount of time, so you really have to make best use of your time.

So we had me shooting and.

Katie getting content at the same time, and Ellie and Ellie so that we could like, yeah, really best streamline the whole process. Okay, so now moving on to, you know, post photoshoot, how do you sort of put together all because this is actually something I've thought about, is like, then we have so much content, so much content, what is the process then look like to actually execute, you know, in that in.

The creative realm, it definitely feels a little bit chaotic at the start. But well, even like I know, yesterday we got in the boardroom and you got me. You printed it out all the photos from the shoot that you were like, so this is going to be for the website, this is going to be for whatever. And you had a whole bunch of images and I picked my favorite.

Yeah, so we print out the proofs from the shoot and go through and do our selects from there. I think it was really important to do that as a team as well, because with a lot of campaigns, it is usually just me, Yeah, because we're dealing with product. Yeah, the product doesn't change, it doesn't move, whereas Face and Now it deals with me.

So it depends on.

The campaign as to what the process is. But I definitely think it was so good having the whole team involved in doing the selects, yeah, deciding what we're going to use for each content piece, and then moving around if things needed to change.

Because also another thing is like photo shoots don't always go to plan and we're kind of like, oh wait, I think that was actually supposed to be in the other outfit. But it's like we just adjust things and we just make it work.

Yeah, And like there was one shot that we really loved, but you're only were holding Thrive and we wanted it to be a collection shot.

So I've just photoshopped in free workout. Yeah I know. I was like, but I really love this photo and You're like, I'll just photoshopping in. I was like, you can do that. Yeah, we should just make anything. I can do anything, like, oh my god, anything asterisk. Yeah. So funny. Well, let's go through what would your give us like one or two pieces of advice. Someone wants to be a creative galley, they want they want to be a MiG. What would your best piece of advice be for them?

I think probably just more design advice as a whole would be never losing focus of the end goal, because your role as a graphic designer isn't about making things look pretty.

You're not an artist.

It's about visually communicating something to an audience. So you've got to always think about the end goal and have that in mind. So you might have two photos that you want to choose from. One of them is beautiful, it's going to suit your design, it's gonna be amazing, but you can't really tell what the product is or you can't really see the product. And then you have the other photo. It's not as great, but the product

I think that's such as like I'm so glad you said this, because they think sometimes, especially in a business with creatives, it's a thing of like, remember there is a bottom line exactly, and like you need to be a creative, but you also need to know the end goal of like what we're actually here for, not just it looking gorgeous exactly, and not straying from your brand image as well. A lot of designers fall into the

Not to take critical feedback to personally. It's got nothing to do with you. It's always the end goal. So like, if you you know you're whoever's.

Me with packaging, I hate it. It makes like cool. I'll do another work do something like she's not worried that's not working. I think that's really important.

You really need to separate yourself from it because it's got nothing to do with you or your skill set or you as a designer. It's all to do with that specific design and the end goal, like the photo thing in mind, If whoever's doing your approvals has said no, change out the photo and you get a bit cut, it's because of that end goal.

Really, Yeah, that's so important. I love that. M Well. To finish off, do you have a funny story for us in your career at Campy and h of You know, as a designer, something funny happening where you look back and you're like, that was wild but also hilarious now, but probably not at the time. If something went really really wrong. Yeah anything. It wasn't that d H.

It was that a previous brand. But I was working alongside another designer and we were doing signage for a new store opening and there was these huge like I don't even know how high the windows were, like I want to say, like four or five metres. They were huge windows like stickers. Yeah that we're going to do like coming soon decals in but the coming soon. Decayls were going to be up for months, like, it wasn't

To indicate that that's foil yeap. So we did that on the signage, and.

Then we communicated to the like project manager that it was all meant to be gold because the creative director wanted gold and we needed to put gold everywhere. And then so the signage went up and the project manager sent us an email with the photo because it wasn't anywhere local and it was bright fucking pink, and which was so off brand for the brand that I was working for at the time, and we were mortified. We had to ring him and be like, take that down immediately.

Before she saw it. Oh my god, that this day, I don't think she knows it ever happened. Oh my god, that's horrendous. But you got away with it. We got away with it.

So we had to quickly redesign asap, get it to the signage company, get them to print it.

And I think we had something up the next day. But what a shit show. It was mortifying. Kind of funny though, it's like it's in the big scheme of things. It's not the end of the world. Yeah, but like in those moments, you're like, oh my god, your heart sinks and you're just like, I can't believe that it's