Print DNA’s Chloe Rudd has taken out the SA LIA Graduate of the Year Award, and will compete at the national awards later this year.
Chloe Rudd is the third female to win an LIA state award, following from Laura Burgett of Spatial Services in NSW, and Colorcorp’s Queensland winner, Sarah Kennedy.
Rudd says, “It is an amazing opportunity, not something that I would expect as a small country town girl against the big city print shops. I am excited to take on the national awards now in November.
“I am feeling confident. At the start I was a bit nervous with the first round of awards, but now I feel I can do the next round.”
When it comes to what she enjoys most about the industry, she says, “The satisfaction of starting with a brief, and going through the whole process.
“Then, walking into a supermarket, seeing it on a shelf and saying ‘I did that’ and knowing you took it through from a concept.”
Rudd also promotes print in the local community along with Print DNA, giving talks in high schools on the processes of print, and what happens behind the scenes.
“While finishing year 12, I applied at the local printing place and got the job. Now I have been here for two and a half years and finished my apprenticeship. Digital media was a hobby in highschool, so it is exciting that it is now my full-time job,” says Rudd.
Ian Andrews, owner, Print DNA says, “Chloe winning the award is special to us. Our previous apprentice took silver for Australia, which is a massive achievement as well. Chloe is coming up behind, has taken the state award, and moving up to the national.
“As a business owner, I enjoy the rush of doing business. People are happy to give us their money and put their trust in us to produce the work that we do. It is lovely to have a young person who shares the passion of wanting to do the best we can for our clients, to their benefit.”
Gordon Wilson, president, SA LIA says, ‘’The standard of this year’s nominees was exceptionally high, with the judges commenting on how difficult the final decision had been. It took us an unprecedented two or so hours to reach our final decision. Our industry should be incredibly proud of the calibre of apprentices we are attracting and producing.”
Fellow judge Mary Jo Fisher, director government relations, Printing Industries says, ‘’Merit matters. It is the beginning and the end. So it was fabulous for us in SA to interview more young women than men. Equally fabulous is the fact that two thirds of SA’s 2017 candidates work in regional SA.”
Printing Industries’ Fisher went on to issue a challenge for the upcoming biennial national competition, saying ‘’With SA’s finalists being 2016’s Jason Turai and 2017’s Chloe Rudd, other states had better be good. Watch out – South Australia is here, front and centre.’’
Fisher notes that Chloe’s fellow-contestant, Taylor O’Brien’s country SA boss, Rob Hansen (Hansen Design and Print) was himself 1974’s SA LIA Graduate of the Year. ‘’Modest as Rob (Hansen) is, clearly these awards are a big deal and an indicator for a really successful future”, says Fisher.
‘’SA’s competition proved that family businesses are here to stay and prosper. Youthful as she is, regional Reid Print’s contestant Tess Edmonson has already suggested to her Dad that he needs to figure out how to give over the reins … pretty soon.
‘’Good managers encourage those in their team who want the boss’s job. Country Barossa’s CCL Clear Image has done just that, supporting candidate Jack Greatorex to enunciate his managerial path and detail the courses and learnings he wants to pursue to get there.’’
Sponsored by Heidelberg nationally since 1972, SA’s event was jointly hosted by Fuji Xerox and Printing Industries Association of Australia.
With two national scholarships up for grabs in Brisbane in November 2017, SA’s 2016 winner Jason Turai and 2017’s Chloe Rudd will compete for the biennial national Visual Connections-LIA National Scholarship Prize ($15,000) and LIA-Printing Industries Futures Leaders Award, which covers an all-expenses-paid trip to Drupa or IPEX.
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