Design grad finds his way to success

The Diploma of Graphic Design graduate assumed the leadership role in the wayfinding team at the internationally-acclaimed Emery Studio after gaining industry experience with the company during his studies.

With a fascination for logic and mathematics as well as art, interior design and creativity, Mr Yousif was often perplexed about which career direction to take.

Having previously completed a civil engineering (structure design) degree, Mr Yousif, was 34 when he stumbled across the RMIT Graphic Design program - and he hasn't looked back.

"The RMIT standard of best practice allows students to stand out through performance, capability, confidence and attitude," he said.

"Everybody in the program brought different values, unique approaches and extensive years of experience that I was lucky to learn from and be a part of."

Mr Yousif attributes his rapid progression from university work experience student to subject matter expert at Emery Studio to the skills gained through his studies at RMIT.

"Having enhanced my expertise thanks to RMIT, I was seen as someone who could bring results as well as carry innovative and creative solutions in short timeframes."

Mr Yousif's new role includes developing a wayfinding plan for a 118 level building in South East Asia in order to enable visitors of the building to easily orient themselves and find their way to their destinations.

"This is certainly a game changer in my path to becoming a leader in Wayfinding Strategy and a great opportunity to increase international exposure and reputation in a world that is highly competitive and visually sophisticated," he said.

Emery Studio is a Melbourne-based communications design practice that offers a diverse range of services across Australia, Asia, the Middle East and the United Kingdom.

Many RMIT students and graduates have had the unique opportunity to work as part of the Emery Studio team.

Emery Studio Creative Director Garry Emery said that traits such as passion, curiosity, loyalty, intelligence, positivity, commitment and empathy were fundamental to succeeding in the design and communication field.

"In our experience, RMIT provides good grounding in the fundamentals of design, with this knowledge available to be quickly built upon to create an effective team member" he said.

Mr Emery said Mr Yousif's new role comprised of mindbending problems that demanded inventive ways of thinking from the RMIT graduate and the wayfinding team.

"Ali has addressed the challenge with intelligence and lateral thinking without relying on precedent," Mr Emery said.

Annette Cook, Programs Manager, Visual Interior and Graphic Design said she was extremely impressed with Mr Yousif's well-deserved promotion.

"Ali was a committed and dedicated student who was able to synthesise the knowledge he had gained in the diploma into a successful vocational outcome," she said.

"His achievement shows that the Diploma of Graphic Design is suited both to those looking to begin their studies in the design field, but also to those who are looking to redirect their profession into a creative design career."

The RMIT Diploma of Graphic design equips students with a practical understanding of design concept development and the design process.

Students in the program also have the option of continuing their studies through the Advanced Diploma of Graphic Design.