Branding basics: Rebrand your brand

CWC_2016-01-21_georgia-phase_insta-graphic_template By Mirella Marie

Rebranding is changing the image of a business. It focuses on how the business is perceived and how it has developed beyond its original goals and values. Some businesses will rebrand in their early lifecycle once they’ve discovered who they are, what they’re doing and where they’re going, while others will rebrand after having grown (or outgrown) their existing brand.

Your goal when rebranding should be to build upon your existing brand in order to maintain its audience, awareness, recognition and loyalty. If you steer your brand in a completely different direction, you may need to build it up again from scratch.

Reasons to rebrand

  • A change in the type of products or services that would attract new customers (or disengage current ones). For example: you changed your product from chemicals in plastic packaging to plant based ingredients in biodegradable packaging.
  • Changes to business ownership or structure. For example: hiring staff, bringing on a new management team, sole trader registering as a company.
  • Leading the business into a new area. For example: expanding into international markets or other industries.
  • Negative publicity. For example: a social media campaign, ad campaign, or brand spokesperson that offended the public; your audience discovering your products and services are not sourced, produced or advertised ethically.
  • Staying relevant. For example: incorporating a responsive online store and a complementary app so your customers can place orders straight from their phone.
  • Changes in customer needs. For example: offering more eco-friendly and sustainable products and services to a growing socially aware audience.

Reasons not to rebrand

In most cases, the following challenges may be resolved with the redesign of an existing brand identity and design materials without requiring a complete overhaul of the brand itself:

  • Professional image. Your logo, branding and marketing materials are DIY, but now your business is up against competitors who have quality, strategic brand identities designed by professionals.
  • Lack of consistency. Communication and marketing materials are not consistent in their design and implementation, which can affect brand trust and recognition.
  • Outdated logo. It was designed 10 years ago based on what was trending at the time.

Launching a rebrand

  • Don’t launch your rebrand until your brand identity and design have been updated and implemented across all touch points (where possible). For example, having a new logo on your website and an old logo on your business card will not only make you look unorganised and unprofessional, it will confuse your customers. If your customers are confused, they will turn to your competitors.
  • Launch your rebrand internally first to your employees and educate them on what it means and why it matters. Your employees need to feel excited and emotionally connected to the brand and most importantly, they need to believe in it. If you don’t have employees, ask your friends and family.
  • Gradually lead up to launching your rebrand to your audience in order to build anticipation. Engaging your audience and giving subtle hints that something new is coming will excite them and make them feel involved.

Things to consider

  • Why do you want to rebrand?
  • What do you want to achieve from a rebrand?
  • How are you going to achieve it?
  • Who do you want to target?
  • How will the needs of your new audience meet the needs of your current one?
  • Will your customers still identify with your brand?
  • Have you conducted any research into your competitors, market, audience and industry to determine if a rebrand is the best decision for the direction you want to take your business?

Rebranding needs to be driven by strategy, vision and research. Before you consider rebranding your business ask yourself if you really need to, because if ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Mirella Marie is the owner and creative director of Vertigo, a Melbourne based graphic design studio specialising in brand identity and design. She is also a contributor for Women of Graphic Design, a project examining the work of female designers around the world. Join her on Instagram @studiovertigo.

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Industry insights: independent fashion

CWC_2016-01-21_georgia-phase_insta-graphic_template By Annette Wagner

Most of us are acutely aware that the mainstream ‘fast fashion’ industry generates mass-produced garments directly to the retail floor in only a few weeks, and consumption comes with a hidden price tag. The ‘slow fashion’ movement has personally made me more conscious of the pieces I seek out and the designers that have a unique approach. Additionally, when Australian fashion is still relatively young compared with UK, European and US markets (despite our recent milestone highlighted in the brilliant exhibition ‘200 years of Australian Fashion’ held at National Gallery of Victoria, Australia) how does a label start, compete and compare in fashion landscape?

Behind the racks, I really don’t know much about the fashion industry at all, so I asked Melbourne-based Australian label Chorus' Cassandra Wheat and Louise Pannell about their experience.

How exactly did two high school textile friends transition into business together? What was the exact point that you both committed and started planning to launch Chorus?

In 2012 Cassandra had just returned from five years of living overseas to take up a position at RMIT, knowing she didn’t want to go back to designing for another brand. I was working at Mimco as their Visual Merchandising Manager and found out I was expecting my first child. We’d discussed starting some kind of label or business on and off for years and when I was on maternity leave it seemed like the right time to take the leap and start something. It really happened quite fast in the end.

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Our upcoming September outfit for which we have collaborated with European based surface designers Pinar&Viola on the print for the outfit. Photo by Isabella Capezio

What are your roles within Chorus?

Cassandra – Design, toiling, sampling making, fabric sourcing and selection, production management, Marketing and social media.

Lou – Day to day operations and finance. Running the website, email design, customer orders/ relations, PR - managing the relationship with press and stylists. In saying that we each step in and out of many of the above roles, and both do what needs to be done on any given day. Cas can invoice and I can cut out production if need be!

Cassandra, after graduating from RMIT with a BA in Fashion with Honours, then completing a masters in design at Domus Academy before working for Viktor & Rolf, you are now now currently undertaking a PhD in fashion. Have you always been so focused on  fashion and pursuing your passion and career?

Yes, since I was very young in fact - there are sketch books of imaginary labels from my primary school years. That does not however mean that I have not doubted this path many, many times. Studying my undergraduate was hard, as was my masters and even more so my time at Viktor and Rolf, and I must say the work just gets harder, but I can’t imagine what else I would do. I have also, as made obvious by your question, been interested in pushing my education, taking that into the research space gives me a perspective not many practicing fashion designers have.

Louise, after studying Visual Merchandising at RMIT, working in the industry here and abroad for over 13 years and consulting at many big name brands, how has your journey directed you into creating a fashion label here in Melbourne?

What I loved about VM was the fact that its very operational and sales focused as well as creative. (I initially I wanted to do fashion design at uni, but when I met Cas in year 11 and saw how passionate she was about becoming a fashion designer and how dedicated a student she was I knew I wasn’t that person! A career advisor at school suggested the VM course at RMIT and the combination of creativity and retail felt right to me). I come from a family who has run businesses so I think wanting to work in sales and for myself is in my blood. Especially after the arrival of my first daughter I knew I wanted to work and work hard, but I wanted to channel my skills, time and energy into building something over the long term that was ours. I knew Cassandra and I would be able to run a business together, having been such close friends for so long, and knew our combined skills would work well. Cassandra has the design and making skills and I have the practical organisational skills that are required to run the business. And I still get to be creative with our shoots and image making, and in the past (and I’m sure again in the future) at our events and retail space.

In such a competitive industry, what sustains both of your interests in building Chorus and continuing in fashion?

We are working in rhythm now that just keeps things moving, having a resolved creative output every month gives us the opportunity to feel like we have achieved something good really often. So celebrating the small things helps. Also working with others in the way we do – collaborating with another creative for every second outfit - is very stimulating creatively, sharing ideas and making the work of others come to life is very sustaining.

Chorus has a unique approach to launching new designs. What inspires your monthly capsule concept?

It was really a response to feeling like the traditional fashion calendar of bi-annual collections was not working for us – on many levels. It was involving continued large investment, leaving us with stock we had to clear, and only providing us with two sets of images per year to promote our work with, so we had to shift. This way we can offer the newness people want from fashion in a manageable way.

Knowing the right people is critical in most industries. How important is networking in your industry?

It is important for sure, but for us it’s more about building relationships with like minded people that encourage us.

What has been harder, getting started or being able to keep going?

Keeping going with out a doubt. Starting was a lot of man hours, but keeping going demands innovation and flexibility.

I think its safe to say that the fashion industry is predominately women. How supportive are women in the industry?

There are actually a lot of men in the industry, particularly at the top, and in the past we have both worked alongside many talented men and women. It depends in what part of the fashion industry you are in, for sure in our sector of independent labels in Melbourne there is a swing towards women. I think there is a perception that the fashion industry is very closed and that brands keep their secrets and don’t support each other, however I feel like the network of Melbourne designers is very supportive of each other.

How important was working OS for you both? And, why?

Cassandra - For me it was pivotal, I think being from Australia we feel we are somehow inferior to countries that have larger industries and longer histories of the discipline. It was important to prove to myself that I could gain employment in a fashion house that showed in Paris. That being said my job there was so similar to those I had had in Australia, it really highlighted that skills are transferable and that my RMIT education was a good one. Travel also gives a great perspective on your own culture, I think its important to keep travelling, and wish I could afford to do it more.

Lou – I agree with Cassandra, it was vital time of learning and discovery for me. Being tested in all the ways a new city and country can test you – not being able to find work, not having your support network around you and literally have no money, to finally getting my ‘dream job’ which was the VM for Mimco when they launched in the UK. Working for an Australian brand trying to establish itself in the UK was a challenge as the UK and Ireland is such a broad, established and saturated retail environment. At the same time it was lovely to work with familiar people (Australian HQ and lots of Aussies in the UK stores) and brand. It was a hard slog, but again I learnt so much about people and communication and working in different cultures and across very distant time zones! The retail environment in the UK, particularly London is so inspirational. I loved nothing more than heading into central London on the weekend and checking out Liberty, Selfridges or Harvey Nichols latest windows and collections.

What is the Australian fashion industry like compared to UK/European industry?

The Australian industry is small and it doesn’t have the hundreds of years of history, which is great in one way as we get to be more innovative as we don’t have the established rules of working. However, because we are not so established and also a relatively small population compared to the other big fashion centers of the world there is not the investment or support for Australian fashion brands as there is in UK, Europe or the US. In saying that the advent of the Australian Fashion Chamber recently has been a positive step for the support and strengthening of the industry both here and overseas.

Where do you often find the most inspiration?

In working with other creative women. Working with our various creative collaborators’ provides us with endless inspiration.

What is the best advice you have ever been given?

To always follow your gut and that cash flow is king!

Do you have any recommendations for others wanting to pursue a career in fashion?

Don’t do it unless you mean it and although it’s a cliché, you have to be prepared to give it your all.

 

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Collaboration 101: Painting

CWC_2016-01-21_georgia-phase_insta-graphic_template Making an art piece with another artist is so rewarding, whether it is a small illustration, a series of canvases or a giant mural. Together, you can make things you could never create on your own. You can teach each other new techniques, finish bigger projects and reach new audiences.

For shy people (like myself) it's also one of the best ways to network both at home and when traveling. You can easily reach out to an artist you admire, and meet up to do something you both love.

A successful collaborative piece achieves a common vision. It uses each artists strengths to create a result that is unique and that they could not have created alone. After painting with someone, you should feel that the piece is a good joint effort that displays both your skills, surprises you in a good way, and that you are both proud of.

When collaborating goes wrong, the final result leaves you feeling that you've compromised your art and ended up with a piece that is below your standard, looks disharmonious, or favours the work of only one of you. Here are a few tips that can help you avoid that:

Develop a shared vision

Choose a theme that you are both excited about and that you are both comfortable painting. It can be something broad that you both draw inspiration from, or as specific as a particular type of animal. Take time to discuss ideas and experiences around it.

Agree on a common goal, discussing what effect you'd like your piece to have on people. Maybe you are trying to create something calming, communicate a political message, or just weird everyone out. Whatever it is, it should be clear to both artists before you start.

Share inspiration and ideas visually. If you have particular colours, reference photos or artists that inspire you, show them to each other (apps like Pinterest are a great way to do this).

Plan your process

Think carefully about your colour palette. If you paint with heavy contrasts, and the other artist uses subtler colours, your work might overpower theirs. Discuss how you can adjust your use of colour to complement each other's work.

Be mindful of each other's rhythm. One of you  might paint a lot faster than the other. Keep this in mind when setting up your workspace and your timeline so that no one feels rushed or bored. Spend some time getting to know your own rhythm so you can communicate about it.

Delegate sections of the painting to each other, choosing in advance which elements will be painted by who. You should both be happy with what you are painting, and if one of you is uncomfortable about their section, discuss alternatives. Share tasks and sections that you might both consider monotonous or challenging.

Communicate openly

Before, during and after the painting, chat regularly  about your experience and how it's coming along.

Be honest but constructive with your feedback.  Before criticizing the other, question your reason for doing so: is something compromising the quality of the work, or are you just not liking it because of your personal preferences? If you think you need to speak up, do so in a sensible way.

Give each other advice in a respectful way. One of you might be more experienced or more skilled, but avoid turning the painting into a one-sided coaching session.

Respect each other's art

Stay flexible and open minded to things not going exactly as you expect. Remember that the result will be something you could not create individually. Respect that your styles might be very different, and try to use those differences to create a dynamic piece. Don't try to control each other's creativity.

Don't make major changes to the piece without consulting each other. If you feel the need to paint over the other's work, speak to them first.

The more you collaborate, the more you'll get to know what works for you and what your boundaries are. Why not get started? If there's an artist you'd love to work with, message them today and invite them to create with you.

Júlia Palazzo is a visual artist from Brazil. Since moving to Melbourne in 2013 she has been running a partnership, Mayfield Palace, creating mural art for businesses and organisations all over Australia. She shares her art daily on Instagram: @julia.palazzo

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My CWC: Narelle Lemon

CWC_2016-01-21_georgia-phase_insta-graphic_template By Emma Clark Gratton

Creative Women's Circle attracts members from all stages of their creative careers. Our members include established professionals in the creative industries, ladies with flourishing part-time handmade gigs and women at the very beginning of their foray into creative work, and everyone in between. We frequently hear from people who are looking to make a career change into something more creative, more collaborative and more 'them', and today's interviewee is the perfect example!

Dr Narelle Lemon is a Melbourne-based arts educator and researcher with a background working with artists, teachers, students of all ages, cultural organisations, arts community festivals, and schools to deliver and experience creative arts experiences in the visual arts and performing arts. Narelle has published widely on arts education and the use of social media for learning  while working as an academic. Excitingly, she is now adventuring into facilitating workshops for learners of all ages to engage with the arts and supporting artists to run their own workshops. Watch out for Explore and Create Co as it emerges through the workshopping with CWC’s The Resolution Project this year.

On joining Creative Women’s Circle.

CWC was the first collective group of creatives I came across where I could sense the creation and sustainability of a community right from the start. I wanted to be a part of it. Creative Women's Circle, and especially The Resolution Project,  came into my world at a time when I was beginning to feel (once again) the tension and push-pull between full time work that wasn’t really working for me, doing creative things, bringing people together for creative and exploration endeavours, being mindful, and being true to myself.

A random Instagram keyword search flashed up this really cool community of creative people – the CWC. To my amazement a Resolution Project to focus in on goals and your creative passion was being promoted. It was to begin in the new year...not too far away and fresh on my mind.

The whole idea of a supportive community of creatives really resonated with me. I had this bizarre mix of feelings – excited and nervous – but I knew that I needed to take the plunge and join. The intrigue just didn’t go away. I’d been burying and ignoring the call to do multi-projects, reconnect with the creative and maker scene, and well I just needed to address my elephant in the room (time to answer the call to step up to the challenge and finally do all these cool ideas I have been sitting on for some time now).

First impressions.

Innovative, supportive, welcoming, organised, progressive, and encouraging are all words that come to mind with my first impressions of CWC.

The tension between questioning what I am doing and having a deep feeling of needing to be doing something different and connected to what is more sustainable, mindful and creative, is not something that many people in my current world acknowledge or do anything about. I now know this is called making “the leap” – makes so much sense and being around so many who have done this or are in the process of doing this is wonderfully supportive. The CWC community are incredibly generous. I’m taken aback from being around women who are so open to sharing their experiences, both on the emotional and nitty gritty of things such as branding, web design, business set-up or even how to set up new partnerships. Julia May’s comment of “just any question, that’s what we are here for” has stayed with me the very beginning of joining CWC. So supportive and encouraging as I try to figure everything out in my next moves.

The upside.

The biggest benefit for me has been the extension of my networks. I’ve been able to meet, listen to, and ask questions to creatives with so many diverse experiences. That has just been so beneficial for both my creative life but also my career.

During the first Resolution Project face-to- face intensive day, Bec Mackey introduced herself. We immediately connected. I went away thinking I’d love to chat to Bec more. I was drafting an email to send her about a week after the meeting when in my inbox popped up an email from her. We both had been in each other's thoughts and had seen how we could work together to support one another with our creative endeavours – specifically how we could create and offer workshops for educators in all fields of the arts. So after an initial email conversation about possibly collaborating, we have pretty much met up for a couple of hours every six weeks to work through how we could collaborate and what workshops we could deliver. We get together and just talk, talk, talk…our ideas just bounce off each other. The connection has been amazing. For me the opportunity to talk with a like-minded person, both from creative perspective who also has similar values and belief in mindfulness and the bigger picture, has been one of the best outcomes from CWC and The Resolution Project. The energy from our meetings is just electric. So motivating and inspiring.

Once we landed how we complimented each other and started actioning our vision so many opportunities begun to become a reality for us. The pairing together, our strengths and our partnerships, just allowed us to progress so much quicker with ideas and action than if we had approach it by on our own. Our collective strengths in the arts are much more powerful together for future audiences we will engage with. This all came from meeting at CWC.

Bec also has been incredibly generous to me in offering support in those initial set up aspects of branding, website, and audience profile identification. Her experiences and her openness to share and pass on her learning has been so valuable.

Join our network of creative women.

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How to chuck a sickie when you're self employed

CWC_2016-01-21_georgia-phase_insta-graphic_template

By Jes Egan

Taking a sickie when you are running your own small business can be a very hard thing to do, with too much to do and no-one other than yourself or a few employees to pick up the slack. Sometimes it’s harder to accept illness and take a day to recover than it is to just keep on going and to put your health on the back burner.

When you are running a small creative business you are often doing a bit of everything, if not everything and having a day off sick can mean that things don’t get done on time or get done at all and this can lead to a loss of income, unhappy clients, delays etc. But sometimes an illness or bug will just stop you in your tracks.

Don’t feel guilty about taking a day to look after yourself, to be able to continue your business running you need to be fighting fit. And to do this sometimes it means you have to spend a day or two in bed, doing nothing, other than resting and recovering.

Here are a few of my tips on how to manage such days when they come around:

Write a list

Write down all the things you were planning on getting done that day, the little things plus the big things. Put it all down on paper or online so that it is out of your head.

Prioritise

Look at that list and prioritise it: is there anything that absolutely has to be done this day? If so, is it something that can be done from your bed or couch? Move all other non-vital tasks to the next day or later that week.

Delegate

If you have the option to delegate anything from that list then do so. Getting help where you can is really important to reduce your workload on these sick days. If you need to deliver, pick up, place an order etc then ask a friend or relative if they could help you out with that task.

Do it early

If you have to do something that can’t wait and that no-one can help you with, then do it early in the day so you can rest and not worry for the rest of the day. Get it over and done with so it isn’t weighing on your mind.

Manage expectations

If there is a knock-on delay for delivery from you taking a day or so, send a few emails and let people know that this is coming. Manage their expectations so when you are back you have less work to tidy up. It will also stop people chasing you up and hopefully stop any anxiety you may have about the delay. If you are a heavy email user, put your out of office message on, if it is an option. Once you have done what you need, turn your emails or phone off and try to rest fully without distraction.

Don’t feel guilty

Taking time out to look after yourself can be easier said than done - try not to feel guilty or worry about it. Stress doesn’t encourage recovery!

Taking time out and not continuing on is sometimes not an option, but either is looking after yourself. So where you can reduce the workload when you’re sick and take a day to focus on you, because without you there is no creative business.

Jes is a ‘practical creative’ and a very busy lady, doing the business in a digital agency, being an artist and an university lecturer. Follow Jes on Instagram.  

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CWC News, Events Emma Clark CWC News, Events Emma Clark

CWC's Annual General Hurrah!

It's been an invigorating, inspiring and emotional journey since Creative Women's Circle officially incorporated last July. Since that time, our hugely talented Board and sub-committees have not only continued to run CWC in its usual professional fashion (hosting events nationwide, writing blogs, running programs and more), but they have worked tirelessly to underpin our organisation with a clear set of values, policies and processes to ensure CWC continues to support, connect, and champion women in the creative industries, now and into the future. Join us as we present to you - our Members and the wider creative community - what CWC has accomplished over the last twelve months at our very first Annual General Meeting (AGM), and help us vote in our Board for 2016/2017.

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Notice of the Annual General Meeting of the members of Creative Women’s Circle Association Inc (“CWC”) (Registration No A0091653N):

Time: 1pm for 1.15pm start (end approx. 4pm) Date: Saturday 6 August 2016 Venue: Frankie & Swiss, Ground Floor, 199 Toorak Rd South Yarra, Victoria 3141 (entry via Claremont St) Cost: Free (drinks & nibbles provided) Note: Members and non-Members are welcome to attend, however only current CWC Members are eligible to nominate for Board positions and cast a vote on any resolutions (like who will be on the Board next year). RSVP: For catering purposes, please RSVP by Thursday 4 August and email us if you have any special dietary requirements.

So what exactly happens at an AGM?

  • First, there'll be Tess McCabe, CWC President’s, welcome address;
  • Then it's on to 'ordinary business' (a.k.a. presentations on our activity & achievements this year from our current Board and sub-committee members; details on our financials; nominating and voting of the next Board; and confirming our membership fees); and
  • After all of that, time for catching up over drinks and nibbles.

If you’d like to nominate for a position on the Board or as a Volunteer of CWC, please contact Yasmin Naghavi outlining your professional background and what you feel you can contribute to the CWC in 2016/2017 and beyond, or to request more information.

Voting in person

If you wish to attend and vote in person at this special general meeting, please RSVP here by 4 August 2016.

Voting by proxy

Any current CWC member entitled to attend and vote at the annual general meeting may appoint a fellow member of Creative Women’s Circle Association Inc to attend and vote as the member’s proxy.

To vote by proxy, download and complete the proxy form and return by 1pm on 5 August 2016 by email.

(Proxy forms sent by post or electronically are of no effect unless they are received by CWC no later than 24 hours before the commencement of the Meeting.)

If you are unsure about your current CWC Membership status, if it has recently expired, or if you have any queries regarding your status, please email Membership Manager Phoebe Miller.

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Industry insights: Myf Warhurst's 5 tips for women in media

CWC_2016-01-21_georgia-phase_insta-graphic_template This is Part Two of our Industry Insights interview with media legend Myf Warhurst. Read Part One here!

By Annette Wagner

Over the course of your career, you've interviewed many amazing heroes, interesting and inspirational people. What happens when you meet those childhood crushes: are you enamoured by your guest, or potentially challenged by meeting someone like Germaine Greer?! How do you manage your most anxious moments, when you always appear with confidence?

Rest assured, I’m often terrified. I wonder where other people get their confidence from sometimes. I must have a calm exterior, because mostly I’m frightened on the inside. I always think everyone is more confident than me, but don’t we all? My remedy though, is to just plough on through. Once it’s over I often wonder what I was so worried about.

Germaine gave me the best advice before I sat down on a panel with her (and excuse the swearing). I asked if she was comfortable sitting where she was. She looked me directly in the eyes and said “I don’t give a f*ck”. And she doesn’t. It might be the best advice ever.

Women in Australian media, especially mainstream television, appear to be still in very stereotyped roles, however, the ABC has been really good to you over the years. The ABC is far more progressive in allowing women to challenge conventional perceptions and has made substantial progress behind the scenes in employing more women and promoting them to senior positions, making greater diversity a requirement. Having worked in both public and private media, what's your observation of women in the Australian media?

Australia’s still stuck a little in terms of the types of women we see on TV, but it is changing. And yes, the ABC and SBS are better but commercial TV is pretty dire, to be honest. I realised it recently when I went to America and saw so much more diversity on the screen. We really do need to lift our game in all TV that is produced here. It’s still pretty white, male and middle class.

Your broad appeal and genuine nature is incredibly identifiable for the majority of women. (Definitely the majority of us!) What happens when worlds collide, in full media attention? Can I ask about that dress, you were styled in by someone else, to wear to the Logies in 2009? The "shock frock" which you went on to ceremoniously burn? How do you deal with negativity and rise above other's expectations that aren't in line with your own values? Is there a flame, and an extinguisher, always close by? (I'd like to add, it is an incredible list of women's names on the "shock frocks" list we've all forgotten about over the years, but for all my searching, I couldn't find an equally well maintained list of badly fitting or 1980's inspired collarless shirts & suits for men. AND who hasn't had a bad formal number anyway?!)

I’ve worn a million crappy outfits, and had some incredibly big hairstyles and garish makeup over the years (and had fun doing it too), so it’s really best not to care to be honest. When that Logies stuff happened, it surprised me. I was only on a little ABC TV show and not a commercial network so I thought no one would care about what I wore. I just got a bad year. I should have been raked over the coals for far worse outfits, but who knows how it all works? I still don’t and I still don’t really care. I think it’s important to be thought of for what you do rather than what you wear.

Lastly, what are your top 5 tips for other women starting or currently in a career in the Australia media industry?

  1. I’m terrible at advice because I can’t even give myself any half the time. I still haven’t worked out how this thing works? If there’s an instruction manual I’d love to see it.
  2. The media landscape is constantly changing so you need to be adaptable more than ever before. It’s terrifying, but if you’re in the media you probably know this already. There aren’t any jobs for life in this business anymore, sadly.
  3. If you’re going for a radio or TV role, be yourself, don’t try and be someone you’re not. People can see through that in a heartbeat and in the end, it’s what you’ve got that makes you different from someone else.
  4. You only learn from doing in this industry. Throw yourself in the deep end often. You’ll be surprised by what you can do.
  5. A lot of the media jobs are decided by other people and they involve things you can't control – like whether or not other people like you or think you’re right for the gig. You can however, try to develop a reasonably good sense of self, so if you do get sacked, or don’t get that dream job or get made fun of in the media, you know you’re going to be okay. Good friends and family help with that too.

Annette Wagner is a designer, marketer, creative consultant, artist and writer. She is also on the board of the Creative Women’s Circle. Obsessively passionate about the arts and the creative process, she is determined to not talk art-speak and instead focus on supporting and sharing concepts and insights most creative types crave to know.

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