Rachel Zhu
About Rachel
I’m Rachel, a Sydney-based designer working on Wallumedegal and Gadigal land and a recent Bachelor of Design in Visual Communications First Class Honours graduate from UTS.
I like to work with print and publication work, being hands-on in my practice and playing around with unique ways to make images. You can find my work on my website rachelzhu.site.
Why UTS?
I chose to study at UTS because I was drawn to the Visual Communications course and the flexibility it provided in the creative pathway you could pursue through the degree. UTS also has a strong reputation in the realm of design that appealed to me.
I entered the course in 2019, so my experience has been hit particularly hard by the COVID lockdowns encompassing almost all of my second and third years. Not being able to interact with my peers and being stuck at home taking classes over Zoom took a toll on my mental health and I hit a depressive slump in my second year. Thankfully, the mental health resources at UTS including counselling in addition to external therapy as well as the overwhelming support and kindness of my lecturers and tutors ensured I was able to produce work that I am proud of today.
I decided to extend my course by an extra year, using that year to do an internship and the UTS Shopfront project which proved to be extremely beneficial. The UTS Shopfront group project I worked on A Journey in Solidarity for Project Didi Australia was also an AGDA finalist for their Student Digital category in 2023.
I decided to take honours to help me figure out which area of design I would like to go into and to have a strong project for my portfolio. Under the amazing mentorship of Zoë Sadokierski and Aaron Seymour, I was able to strengthen my skills as a designer and produce my best work!
Studying honours proved to be challenging but extremely rewarding, leaving me with greater confidence in myself and where I see myself as a designer. Being a part of the honours cohort and having made new connections helped me realise the creative community I can be a part of at UTS in contrast to my isolating undergrad experience. Studying honours at UTS is truly an experience that I will cherish.
My internship experiences were overwhelmingly positive, providing me with opportunities to experience working within the creative industry and to learn more about what areas I wanted to pursue in my career.
ABDA Win
My honours project Amplifying Voices in Frankenstein recently won ABDA’s Best Designed Student Book which I am extremely honoured to be the recipient of.
Upon the suggestion of my mentor Zoë Sadokierski, I decided to enter my honours project for ABDA’s Best Designed Student Book category. I did not have any expectations of winning anything and thus was very pleasantly surprised that I made it to the shortlist much less the winner of the award.
I am very honoured and humbled to have my project listed alongside such other amazing student works including that of another UTS alumni who was runner-up. I had the pleasure of attending the award show in Melbourne and getting an insight into what it is like to work as a designer in the publication industry in Australia.
Winning the award has given me a much-needed boost in confidence and pride in my work - it proved to me my capabilities as a designer to produce quality work and broadened my perception of the pathways I can take in my career. I also have to contribute the success of my win to the mentorship of my tutors, peers in my cohort, and friends I made during my honours year who gave me crucial feedback and guidance that pushed the project to new levels.
What’s next?
I am currently taking a gap year, taking on small freelance jobs, and volunteer work, as well as having plans to travel later this year. I recently finished a freelance job designing a guide that brings awareness to fostering toxic-free childcare for the Institute for Sustainable Futures, which is a consulting agency that is a part of UTS. I am also currently volunteering as a designer for Studio A, assisting them with digital projects and with the artists who work there. Some projects I have worked on for them include designing education resource documents, merchandise and signage.
My current career goal is to land a full-time position as a graphic designer in a professional design studio. In the long term, I aspire to be able to collaborate and work with other creative professionals on fun and exciting projects that range a variety of disciplines. Being able to do meaningful work that helps communities and brings forth positive change would also be a career highlight for me.
What’s your advice for incoming students?
I found that it is the community and connections you make during your uni experience to be the most valuable, so I highly encourage students to reach out and try new things beyond just their studies. I would encourage students to study something they are interested in because it is going to be a few years of your life that you will dedicate your time to. Time will fly by but make it worth your time and something you can hopefully look back on in a positive light and with cherished memories.
Uni is also the period of your life to explore and make mistakes in a safe environment so don't be afraid to try new things and experiment with your practice. This can apply to the course you study too - the degree you pick at the beginning is never set in stone and you can always change the path you set foot on. It is never too late to change careers and pathways - life goes on and there is no shame in being uncertain about what you want to do whether you are a high-school graduate, in your twenties, thirties, forties and so on.
