FORMER STUDENT NOW VICE PRESIDENT OF AGDA

Anita Ryley

Former NCAT Folio Preparation student, Anita Ryley (ne: McArthur) been appointed as the new Vice President of the Australian Graphic Design Association (AGDA). 

Anita completed Folio Preparation back in 1999 (when it was known as NDS) and went on to graduate from RMIT University's Communication Design (Then Graphic Design) in 2002, where she met future Seesaw Studio co-partner, Matthew McKenzie. 

Matthew McKenzie

Melbourne's Seesaw Studio, of which Anita is Creative Director & co-partner, has recently won in the Identity-Range of Implementation category for the Flinders Hotel project at the 2012 AGDA Australian Design Biennale. 

As Creative Director, Anita "brings a passion for brand development, collaboration and strategy to Seesaw’s creative solutions. She has been past judge of both the Fairfax Employment Marketing Awards and Brisbane Advertising and Design Club awards". She is also a guest writer for Desktop Mag. 

Seesaw Studio is the brand agency that has overseen the wonderful creative collaboration that is the rebranding of NCAT (Northern College of the Arts & Technology) - from initial concepts to full roll out. It has been an exciting project for us, seeing our former student manage a difficult project with maturity and creative insight. Swapping roles from student to creative director | from teacher to real-life client was inspiring! 

Congratulations to Anita & the team at Seesaw!

Images and quoted text reproduced with thanks to Seesaw Studio seesawstudio.com.au

NCAT Rebrand 

NCAT Folio Preparation - Northern College of the Arts & Technology

http://ncat.vic.edu.au/

 

DIPPING YOUR TOE INTO THE WATER

To the disillusioned out there, change is possible! Every year we accept mature age students into the course from varied backgrounds who dream of fulfilling their creative urges but just don't know where to start. For them it is all about putting a toe in the water... building skills and confidence, getting exposed to the rich world of art & design and avoiding the preclusive costs of higher education.

At NCAT Folio Preparation we are currently also investigating short course options for those of you out there who want to build skills in art and or design but cannot currently afford the time to study full time. Courses will be semester based (14 weeks), two days per week combining new media, drawing (optional) and either digital design or visual arts, with the option of doing the full 30 week Folio Preparation course down the track. 

Stay tuned people, change is possible!

Cake Decorating is actually pretty tricky!

At the NCAT Folio Preparation orientation week this year our new students discovered that cake decorating is an acquired skill! 

NCAT Folio Preparation: 100% Success rate for the second year running!

We are thrilled to announce that 100% of our 2012 Folio Preparation students who went through the VTAC Tertiary/TAFE application process have been given first round offers! This follows last year's 100% success rate! Our students will be going on to highly diverse courses from within the Art and Design fields, which is really exciting to see. 

(Some) of the 2012 group.

We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate them all on their hard work and persistence. Some students came to us unsure of their direction but they all left us confident, well skilled and really ready for Uni/TAFE. 

We wish them all well on their individual journeys and look forward to seeing them do wonderful things in the future! We will also enjoy seeing them return to NCAT to present at forums and Industry days in the coming years.

Here is a run down on the courses they have been accepted into!

Fine Art	Monash University
Fine Art (Expanded Studio Practice)	RMIT University
Animation (Fine Art)	VCA - University Of Melbourne
Games Design	RMIT University
Communication Design	Monash University
Textile Design	RMIT University
Interior Architecture	Monash University
Animation and Interactive Media	RMIT University
Arts	La Trobe University
Visual Communication Design	Deakin University
Games Design	RMIT University
Landscape Architecture	RMIT University
Photography and Photo Imaging	RMIT University TAFE
Visual Merchandising	Kangan TAFE
Sustainable Landscape Design	Swinburne TAFE
Illustration	NMIT
Fashion Design	Box Hill Institute of TAFE
Graphic Design	RMIT University TAFE
Photography and Photo-imaging	NMIT
Graphic Design	Victoria University
Graphic Design	NMIT
Beauty Therapy	Victoria University
Building Design	NMIT

Exciting Certificate IV Update

NCAT Folio Preparation is pleased to announce that we will be offering the updated CUV40311 Certificate IV in Design and CUV40111 Certificate IV in Visual Arts in 2013.

The qualifications have, after a long and exhaustive Extension to Scope process, been added by VRQA to our RTO's scope for 2013 and beyond.

Transitioning to new training packages is always a challenging process, but fortunately our staff are experienced curriculum writers and have risen to the challenge. The introduction of new units of competency has meant some exciting new adjustments to our curriculum delivery. We look forward to rolling out the package in 2013. Well done to all concerned!

SCRATCH THAT ITCH... APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN FOR 2013!

It's that time of the year again. Folio Reviews are underway, final folios will be put together over the next few weeks and we are preparing for interviews for next year's NCAT Folio Preparation intake.

We would love ex students who follow our blog to think about anyone they may know who needs a year with us. We rely so heavily on word of mouth, and there is nothing quite like a recommendation from someone who has really seen the impact (first hand) that our Folio Preparation year can have.

So do you have a friend, cousin, little sibling, friend of the family, neighbour, mother, work mate, niece, nephew, father, or partner who "wants to do something in art & design but doesn't know how to get a folio together"?

We now offer Certificate IV in Design & Certificate IV in Visual Arts. Students who get a distinction grade average in the course can bypass the ATAR for Monash Uni courses. RMIT takes some of our students into second year of Visual Communication. Victoria University now has direct entry for NCAT students into Creative Industries. Monash Uni has 3 full NCAT Folio Preparation specific scholarships. We also offer the VCAL Senior Extension-Folio Enhancement that enables students to get a 10% bonus on their ATAR (ENTER) score. Information about the course can be found here.

We readily take on mature age students who are looking for a career change or who just want to scratch that creative "itch". We also cater for country students. Applicants must have successfully gained their VCE or VCAL Senior or equivalent higher education qualifications.

So... if you know of anyone, direct them to the NCAT Folio Preparation Course blog for information
& an application form. NCAT Folio Preparation - How do I apply? Alternatively, check out the College website: ncat.vic.edu.au or they can call us direct on 03 9478 1333 

NCAT FOLIO PREPARATION INFORMATION EVENING TUES 16TH OCT 7:30PM

If you are considering enrolling into our folio preparation course next year - or know someone else who may be - we would recommend that you come to our information evening tomorrow night, where you can get all the details on the courses offered. See you there!

FOLIO PREPARATION AT THE NCAT COMMUNITY OPEN DAY

Portrait Drawing Workshop

The NCAT Folio Preparation staff were thrilled with the response to our recent community open day.

It was fantastic to see so many current and past students support us by coming along and participating in our creative workshops, which included portrait drawing sessions where anyone could pose (or draw), an illustration wall and badge making. 

Sample folios from past students were on display as was an exhibition of current and past NCAT Folio Preparation student work.

A section of the Illustration Wall in progress

We loved being in the new Trade Training Centre for the day and really enjoyed putting our creative touch to it! What an extraordinary space it is.

Visual Arts Badge Making workshop

The day gave the community the chance to have a look inside the TTC and see what goes on inside a Senior Secondary College that specializes in both the Arts & Technologies. It became clear that the mix of Arts & Technology is a good one when the community saw what amazing facilities are available, including laser & vinyl cutters, CNC cutter, instrument making facilities to name a few.

Folio Preparation's infiltration of the NCAT Trade Training Centre

  

Ex Folio Prep Students Tyson Love, Giosuè Prochilo & Stuart Ford

At NCAT Folio Preparation we are only just beginning to get our heads around the possibilities such great resources allow. Exciting times are ahead!

Our special thanks go out to the amazing Liz Shaw whose Events Management skills were incredible. Where does that girl get her energy?

Event Organizer Liz Shaw
with NCAT Principal Raffaela Galati Brown

Giosuè Prochilo's unorthodox path from NCAT to The Fringe Festival's 'The Häxan Curse'

Giosuè Prochilo

Former NCAT Folio Preparation student Giosuè Prochilo has taken a rather unorthodox path in his search for a holistic kind of creativity, spread across many areas of the creative arts. Arriving at NCAT Folio Preparation (Then NDS) with a strong passion for visual art and design, he initially focused on a graphic design pathway. As he recalls, “NCAT Folio Preparation was to that point, the best year of schooling in my life. For the first time I was surrounded by similar creative people; in a specialized program, with teachers who really helped draw the best out of me and set a solid foundation for building everything creative that’s come since. I only have the best memories and real gratitude for having been able to study there.”

From NCAT he entered Monash University’s Visual Communication (now Communication Design) program in 2000, eventually completing an Honours Degree. He excelled in the academic setting, with a few final year awards and taking positions of leadership amongst his peers. Alongside his focus as a graphic designer sat equally passionate dedication to writing, language and music, and he applied much of his free time growing and crafting skills also in those areas.

Upon completing Honours at Monash, Giosuè worked for over 6 years as a graphic designer for several successful studios including Storm (now Truly Deeply), Interbrand and Didonato, finding a specific appetite for crafting complete brand identities from small business to multinational companies including Kirin Japan, Spring Valley, Schweppes and Pricewaterhouse Coopers. However, to him what was “the inevitable creative compromise which comes with a dollar tag”, led him away from a design industry he never really felt part of.

After spending some time in Europe and retracing his ancestral trail back Italy, he chanced upon a change in career soon after his return to Melbourne. On a whim he reconnected with old lecturers at Monash and after expressing an interest he’d had since being a student there, found himself as a sessional teacher at Monash College, which soon evolved into an opportunity to lecture and tutor at Monash University. He has gone full circle, beginning as a student and now teaching in various subjects in the Monash Faculty of Art, Design & Architecture where he currently works part-time. For Giosuè, the university setting, filled with eager young talent, full of ideas was a return to the endless creative possibilities he’d felt as a student himself, and a release from the deadlines, budgets and long hours that is the design studio reality.

Alongside his sessional teaching, he began his own version of a design business, with the oddly named Metafork, where he works at building brands from an unconventional perspective. Embracing his love of ideas, communication, visual design, moving images, sound and music, Giosuè has created a holistic approach to brand identity where he works through multiple senses to engage an audience and deliver deep messages in the brands he builds and transforms. His recent work with Metafork has slowly but surely begun to grow with more and more clients joining his new approach to creating “more human brands which are not built to exploit and manipulate, but rather emotionally connect with and offer something highly valuable to anyone they come in contact with, irrespective of whether any money changes hands”.  He also tries to work closely with other musicians and artists, designing, animating and illustrating whenever he can. He came to a realisation where he saw his creative purpose as multidimensional in expression, but essentially unified as that of a storyteller.

His most recent creative venture may just be his ‘magnum opus’ to this stage of his life. Also on a whim (he appears to do much in this way), he decided to test his capabilities as a director, writer, video artist and musician by creating an experimental multisensory show The Häxan Curse for the 2012 Melbourne Fringe Festival. 

The Häxan Curse is his take on a concept initially explored by the 19^th century composer and philosophic director Richard Wagner, dubbed the (German) ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’ or ‘total artwork’, whereby the artist is responsible for a fusion of many artforms into a singular expression and presentation. The Häxan Curse is the theatrical presentation of a reworked silent Swedish/Danish 1922 film Häxan: Witchcraft through the Ages that he has radically transformed. Writing a new black comedy storyline with an absurdist edge and sharp social commentary, here he tackles some big issues including gender inequality, mass consumerism, ageing and kebab ethics. Yes that’s right, the ethics of kebabs. He has also written and will co-perform a new experimental electro rock musical score with the theatrical screening of the new, almost unrecognisable recut of the film. Premiering at Revolt Artspace Melbourne for a run of shows from Thursday October 4^th, The Häxan Curse also features a haunting introduction by friend and also former NCAT student Frank Rettore, in character with a monologue to raise hair on even the baldest head.

As for the future and where it may lead him, Giosuè is filled with enthusiasm. “It’s all completely open, which is exciting. Whatever happens from hereon in, I’m certain my personal path as an artist will never be compromised, regardless of however crooked or narrow that path may become.”

The Häxan Curse premieries this week at Revolt Melbourne, 12 Elizabeth Street, Kensington. 

For more info check out: http://thehaexancurse.com

A preview to the show can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHhXzkZzXxUMetafork:

Metafork: Brand identity for the New: http://metafork.com.au

* All images reproduced with kind permission. © Giosuè Prochilo 2012