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Byline: STEPHANIE WHITTAKER

Name: Michele Andreano
Age: 36
Position: Graphic designer
Employer: Self employed
Salary: Wouldn't say
Vacation: Two weeks per year
Perks: Flexible hours, satisfaction of "seeing your work out there, in magazines and journals, advertising on the side of buses."
Education: Diploma in graphic design from Rosemount Technology Centre
First job: Layout designer at Corriere Italiano
Resides: St. Michel
Personal information: Enjoys golf, movies, reading

Career Path:

Michele Andreano didn't enjoy the academic path during his high school years.

First studied auto mechanics: A student at St. Pius X High School, he decided to go the vocational route by trying his hand at auto mechanics before he realized it wasn't the right career choice.

Switched programs: "So I studied electrical technology, but that didn't suit me either," he said.

Switched again and found his passion: It wasn't until Andreano studied photo lithography that he discovered his passion. It proved to be the beginning of a career that has morphed into a creative and satisfying pursuit.

"I loved photo lithography," he said." It brought out the creative side in me."

Landed a job upon graduation: Andreano learned the elementals of printing and took his skills to an Italian weekly newspaper, Corriere Italiano, after graduation from high school.

"I was hired right away," he said.

His job, which lasted 14 years, entailed cutting and pasting the newspaper's ads and editorial content onto the pages.

Upgraded training: "That's where I got the bulk of my experience," he said. "The newspaper introduced computer technology about five years before I left."

The company sent their employees for training to upgrade their technical skills and Andreano began doing some freelance work in addition to juggling his full-time job.

Set sights on graphic designing: When he left the newspaper, it was because he realized there was no possibility of career advancement at his place of employment.

"By then, I wanted to train as a graphic designer," he said.

Opted for Rosemount Tech: So Andreano began researching programs in the field and chose one at Rosemount Technology Centre, an east-end vocational high school.

"The program ran for a year-and-a-half," he said.

"I learned everything, from colour theory to the software."

Started working in a design shop: Upon graduation, he began looking for work in the job market and landed a position at a design shop. It proved to be short-lived. Far from being able to exercise his creative talents, Andreano was simply preparing files for print that had already been designed.

"I was there a month at the most," he said. "It just wasn't creative enough."

Moved to another gig: Next came a job in which he spent the next month covering for a graphic designer who was absent. The job disappeared when the permanent employee returned.

Finally returned to first employer: Andreano returned to his former employer, Corriere Italiano.

"They offered me a job designing ads," he said. "I did that for two years."

Launched own business venture: Then, a friend approached him about a business idea.

"He was starting his own newspaper, an advertising paper that would be published monthly. So I left Corriere Italiano and we launched our own paper, which we ran for almost a year. My friend sold the ad space and I laid it out."

Branched out, offering more services: Meanwhile, Andreano's business partner began selling printed products: business cards, catalogues, flyers. And the two became printing brokers, helping clients find printing services at the best prices.

"We did the printing brokerage to help keep the newspaper afloat and ended up making more money from it than as newspaper publishers," he said. "After awhile, we folded the newspaper."

The two also began offering graphic design services and have since built up their business, UVM Inc., to include Web site design, Web site hosting and the sale of domain names. They also continue to produce graphic designs for hard copy advertising and journals.

On a recent evening, Andreano sat in his St. Leonard office surrounded by posters he had designed that displayed mouthwatering iced cappuccinos. He also recently tackled a colourful brochure for a shoe company. Another recent project involved building a vinyl boutique/tent for a trade show in Las Vegas that was covered in advertising.

He does about 90 per cent of his business for American companies.

"We marketed ourselves through the Web," he said.

Andreano admits he clocks long days on the job, about 12 hours, six days a week.

"It's stressful work," he said. "Every day, you have to be creative. And you have to be patient with clients. You can take a design to them and they can refuse it. So you have to start again."

Among the skills he says graphic designers need are creativity and business acumen.

"Ideally, you should also be a good photographer," he said.

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His advice

Anyone aspiring to a career in graphic design should immerse himself in the design world, Andreano says.

"Be aware of what's around you in terms of design," he said.

"Don't be afraid to use other people's designs and make them flourish. You have to understand the design look of the times in which you live.

"I'm always picking up brochures and looking at advertising to see how other designers have worked.

"When I go to a club, I see what people are wearing. It helps me."

If you're already artistic, try to learn how to draw on computers, he added.

And seek out academic programs that train graphic designers, he said.

"There are a lot of graphic designers on the job market right now," Andreano said.

"I believe that you don't really become a graphic designer. You are a graphic designer. It's something that's in you."

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