Carolyn Scott – Senior Graphics Designer

What did you study and where?

I studied languages at Queen’s University Belfast, including spending my third year working as a Language Assistant in Mannheim, Germany. Not the most traditional route into Graphic Design but it’s all been great life experience!

How long have you worked at Calnex and what attracted you to join?

I’m just into my fourth month at Calnex but the team has been so welcoming, it feels as though I’ve been here for a lot longer.

What motivates or energises you about your role and working life at Calnex?

It’s a bit of a cliche but the variety is great. One day I could be working on a PowerPoint presentation for our CEO, Tommy Cook, the next I’m putting together technical diagrams for the engineers. One of the first things I got involved with when I started was the collateral needed for the 20th anniversary celebrations, including designing the box containing cake that was sent to every employee in the company.

Talk us through a typical day at Calnex?

There is no typical day other than I typically have half a dozen things on my to-do list! A lot of the projects I work on involve numerous people or departments, so it’s very rare than it will be a one-and-done job; there’s inevitably a bit of to-ing and fro-ing before sign-off, so I’m usually juggling several design tasks at once.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

All of it. There’s quite a lot of problem-solving in design – who am I designing for, what’s the message, what elements need highlighted and I enjoy the jigsaw of putting all of that together.

Most challenging aspects of your job?

Getting to grips with some of the more in-depth technical terminology. I’m sure it will come!

What skills do you need to succeed in the role?

Problem-solving, plate-spinning, task-juggling, good communication, able to discern the nugget of info required to hang any design on, thinking outside the box to look at the design of something from a different angle.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to do the same role?

Keep an open mind – there’s always a different way of doing things, and there’s always something to learn.

What do you do for downtime?

I play field hockey – chasing a wee ball round a pitch is a great way to switch the mind off, get some fresh air and check in with the team-mates that make up a really strong support network. Skiing: there’s nothing quite like sitting at the top of a snowy mountain in the sun, glass of wine in hand!