Candice Carlin
Q What do you do?
“I create exciting brands for startups and brand elevation for existing businesses.”
I create bespoke, strategic visual identities and offer design solutions for every touchpoint of your business. This looks like full-service graphic design, websites, print and packaging. I love working with interesting type and creating something really unique, personalized and strategically formulated.
Q What steps did you take to get to where you are now?
I began my career as a photographer, before studying design in Tasmania (an island state of Australia). My studies were through the university art school there, so it gave me a strong conceptual basis for all the work I do. There was a great creative community there. I then worked in studios around Melbourne for a couple of years, getting experience in agencies and freelancing in a boutique branding and packaging studio, before making my way back to Newcastle where I gained great experience in a digital agency. So I was quite lucky to gain a lot of variety in my experiences, and designing for pretty much any medium. This past 12 months I've been running my own studio full-time and it's definitely been such a great shift for me to serving clients one-on-one and building those relationships.
Q How do you stand out in your field?
I offer brand strategy as a work-shop add on for my brand packages; as I consider myself a very purpose-led designer. I don't like to create something based purely on aesthetics, and I think some times in the industry it can be very trend-driven; which can be a bit confusing for clients and where they sit in the market. I like to create clarity around this so we can both feel really grounded in the visual direction and sure about what we're trying to do.
Q What are you working on right now?
I'm working on a website for an Austalian film maker, some packaging roll-out for a Canadian brewery; as well as two brand elevation projects in the pipeline (which involves a brand audit, brand strategy workshop and an evolved visual direction and creation of a brand book). If you couldn't tell, variety is the spice of my life! That's why I love doing what I do.
Q What’s your style?
I think I have two sides to me in this respect.. I love a really paired back minimalist aesthetic with loads of restraint and beauty. But I also have a place in my heart for classic rock vinyl records and psychedelic-inspired 70s design. But I guess I really love things with a good historical reference and anything of high quality, no matter the look. I will never tire of well-considered, beautiful typography that is interesting and has unique details, I just love how expressive great type can be.
I have two projects which show-case both of these sides to me.
carlinstudio.com.au/work/film-club
carlinstudio.com.au/work/mindset-and-me
Q Out of all your slashies, which one do you wish you could do more often?
Branding and creative direction is my strength, so my goal is to mainly do this; with the design projects that result from this being an extension of branding essentially.
Q What is frustrating you right now?
My marketing! Enter... this profile (thank you!). I actually really love doing my own marketing and socials, it's such a great creative outlet. But when the to-do list piles high, it inevitably get's pushed lower and lower on the list. My goal is to be able to create a day for this week.
Q If you could hire someone for $20/hour, what would you have them do to make your day easier?
Possibly design changes and adhoc design tasks, finalising projects, responding to emails. Oh - and if they could link my Dubsado to my accounting software I'd love them forever. I'm realizing I hate the technology side of things, another thing to learn!
Q What do you wish you could have told yourself, when, and why?
I'd tell myself that you can be happy doing whatever you want, and you don't need to tolerate things that aren't meant for you. I did a lot of things that I thought I 'should' do early in my career and life, instead of what I authentically wanted to do, and found myself quite unhappy and confused because I thought I had ticked the proverbial life boxes one should. I thought I had to work a conventional job with an employer, and I had no idea that life could look like it does now, with more freedom, creativity, less stress and ultimately more fulfillment. I think i'd also tell myself to lean in to my weirdness and know that it's my superpower - you don't have to follow any other path.
Q If you could talk to an expert to gain more insight on something, what would it be about?
I'd love to talk to a some sort of business mentor to get their advice on the studio, and take stock of how I've bene approaching things. I currently have been binging business and design content trying to learn as much as I can about marketing, finances and business, so any insight around those topics would be amazing.
Q What kind of opportunities/projects are you looking for?
Branding projects that extend to many interesting touchpoints, like an awesome web/social presence or product based businesses with fun packaging and print collateral. I love creating the brand and applying it across all the touch points - it's the best!
Q Describe your ideal job/client/collaboration.
I really like working with alternative/health products or practitioners - it's a space I'm really interested in personally and I think you can aesthetically have fun and push boundaries as it's kind of a new space with not a lot of historical precedent. I like projects that fundamentally help the world too, anything with an environmental focus really gets me excited.
Q What is your rate?
Brands can start from around $3k depending on scope, and design deliverables are add on's from there. My pricing is currently pretty bespoke, and while I do have an hourly rate but I tend to use value based pricing which includes the purpose of the product, turnaround, value to client and clients budget. I'm always open to working with clients to see if we can achieve their goals with a price that feels good to both of us.
Q How should someone approach you about working together?
I'd love it if you would fill out a project form on my website or flick me an email and we can set up a call. Let me know what the project is about, when you'd like to have it wrapped up and your ideal budget and I then assess your needs, and make some recommendations for how we could work together.
hello@carlinstudio.com.au
Q Who is a creative you admire?
Jesse Hunniford - he's a gun photographer in Hobart and Senior Photographer at MONA, very a talented and all round legend.
Q Oh! and… how do you stay creative?
Long walks, moving my body, good music
This member profile was originally published in September 2023