I actually wanted to be an architect

Hello out there everbody! My name is Linda Jakeman. I am a 46 year old (!) graphic designer, illustrator and copywriter with over 20 years experience in the design & advertising industries.

And yes, it's true I wanted desperately to be an architect as a kid (a famous one, of course), but I love what I do... and look forward to expounding on this and many other design related topics on this very blog site! I also remember wanting to be a journalist or a writer, but we can't be everything, can we?

One thing I never had any doubt about was how much I loved to create. My 'professional' beginnings were humble and hard earned, however, through young motherhood - creating murals for local schools & shopowners, chalking up blackboard menus at pub drive-throughs and clubs, painting caricatures for private clients and doing the odd freelance design job to get by.

One day I decided that I wanted to be a 'professional' graphic designer but realised if I was ever going to be taken seriously, I needed to get back to school. Not so easy with three children, an overworked husband trying to build his own business & no spare funds to pay for tuition... I needed a plan- a very creative plan!

I started slowly, driving to Brisbane one night a week to study part time. After 12 months and a two week stint at 'summer school', I set about persuading my husband that full time study would work far better, finish far sooner.... and allow me to get a great job!

So, in spite of initial howls of protest, I nevertheless enrolled in the full time course at Design College Australia under Julie Phitzner in 1998. At the end of 1999, I achieved my Adv Diploma in Visual Communication & Design, during which time I was also selected for an additinal 3 months at AWARD School (Australian Writers & Art Directors) where I was taught advertising communication & copywriting by some of the best Art Directors in QLD. I was on my way!

But you know what they say... Be careful what you wish for in case you get it! In 2005, after years of constant, never-ending pressure in a small but extremely busy agency, no holidays and very little time at home with my family - I decided it was time for a change - so I cast off the corporate digs and went back into my own studio. I formed my own agency - BUZZ Design House - and have been slowly building relationships with a small but strong client base since. If you're interested check out my website @

Now, this blog isn't just for designers. It isn't just about design. It's about a designer's journey and as it happens, I'm that designer. I think I've got a pretty interesting story to tell and hope some of you out there might agree :-)

So with this in mind I'll attempt to take you on my journey. From convoluted beginnings, full of stops and starts, to here - still convoluted, still full of stops and starts; blogging away into cyberspace @ 1.30am on a Tuesday morning, possibly talking to no-one but myself, but certainly doing so with great gusto and enthusiam!

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Getting to this point has been a long and bumpy road with lots of ups and downs and lessons learnt along the way. And I'd love to share them. So let's get started .... back to where it all began....