Alumni Stories Garrett Reil
‘Enjoy yourself – it will show in your work.’
Name: Garrett Reil
Current Career: Brand Consultant
Graduation Year: 2008
Discipline: Design
Location: Ireland
What career path did you want to follow as a child?
I was an avid reader, so naturally I wanted to be a writer. My happiest time was that phase in school where copybooks were half-ruled, with the head of the page blank for your picture. It only occurred to me in recent times that that was prescient – I’m still most happy when designing the words as well as the visuals.
Why did you decide to study at National College of Art & Design?
I had already done an undergraduate degree at Limerick School of Art and Design. In my final year, I won an RSA bursary, which led me to working in London with a string of great design and branding agencies. When I returned to Dublin, I founded a design business and was caught up in the cut and thrust of it – the MA was a chance to focus on something different and unconcerned with commercial realities. NCAD seemed most aligned with me. I’d visited a few times to do portfolio shows and I liked the vibe there.
How did you develop your career towards your current job / practice?
I went from very ‘serious’ design agencies – jeez, some agencies take themselves far too seriously! – into design for retail and more research-led branding. Those very different experiences served me well and taught me harsh commercial lessons that the very purist agencies were not even interested in learning. I was fascinated by different workplaces – this, combined with an innate drive to tell stories, was a natural fit for branding.
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What is the one experience during your time at NCAD that has informed you most in your career / work to date?
Choosing subjects that set me alight, things that made me feel like I was making a difference. At NCAD I learned that life’s too short to fit into someone else’s ideas of what you should be doing.
If you were chatting with current NCAD students today what is the one piece of advice you would offer?
Ask questions. Enjoy yourself – it will show in your work. Remember you are not your career or your work – that’s mistake number one for many designers. And don’t blindly take advice.
Given the global turmoil and change accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, what in your opinion are the opportunities for those in creative industries?
Working from wherever you choose, for whomever you chose! And not letting the work take you over. We need to refill the well we draw on. So, that means taking care of yourself and nourishing your body and mind for professional as well as personal reasons.
