With Year 12 students soon to begin their university applications, we thought we’d take a look at the success of one of Kerang’s former students, Glenn Thomas. Glenn, who was born and grew up in Kerang, is a graphic designer in Melbourne, and he shared his graphic design journey with us, proving that kids from the country can chase and realise their dreams.

Imagine walking through the supermarket and seeing your artwork everywhere. That’s a privilege former Kerang man, Glenn Thomas, gets to do regularly.

Stemming from an early childhood interest and inquisitiveness into product packaging, Glenn is the creative mind behind logos and packaging for products you use every day. From Morning Fresh, Redheads matches, Vegemite, Cadbury chocolates, DON sliced meats to QV Skincare, Glenn has designed, or been part of a team that has designed logos or packaging for those and many others.

It was the ‘Fags’ (now Fads) packaging that piqued his interest as a youngster. Fascinated by the design, he would marvel at the packaging. Wizz Fizz was another that took his curiosity. But it was a segment about being a graphic designer that aired on the 1980s television program Simon Townsend’s Wonder World that had him drawn in and realising that was what he wanted to do.

“I knew from that point,” he said, “everything for me for schooling was focussed towards becoming a graphic designer. That’s the main point I would say to anyone, if you have an interest in something and you’ve got a passion for it, keep on doing that. It’s a bit of a cliché, but I don’t really work – I do what I love every day. So, if you’ve got a passion, whether it be sport, engineering, the arts, science, cars – anything, you keep following your passion. Who cares what everyone else says or thinks.”

Failing Year 12 could have put an end to that dream, but Glenn wasn’t giving up and completed a bridging year at TAFE in Bendigo. In 1997, he graduated from Swinburne University with a Bachelor of Design – with Honours. “For someone who failed Year 12, I ended up with an honours degree. Just because you fail at something doesn’t mean you can’t pick yourself up to achieve your goals.” 

His first job was with Penguin Books Australia, then in corporate design – he designed the Country Racing Great Day Out logo – before finding his niche in packaging.

Glenn now works as a packaging specialist for one of Melbourne’s leading studios. A senior design director, he works on Fast-Moving Consumer Goods – products you see on the shelf – and leads a team of ‘creatives’. Currently, his team is responsible for clients like Cadbury, Oreo and PZ Cussons (Morning Fresh and Radiant to name a few).

To give an idea of what his work involves, Glenn explained the process for working on a line extension – a product that is an extension of an existing product line, like a new chocolate block – and while he does so, he throws around some impressive industry terms like ‘path to purchase’, ‘touch point’, ‘desirability’ and ‘brand world’. 

The project direction depends on the client brief and the product. In a nutshell, the team decides where the new product fits in with the existing product range, and keeping in mind the client’s brief, they brainstorm product names, the ‘narrative’ of the product, design territories, and visual, semiotic and flavour cues. As Glenn explains this to me, his eyes are lit up and he throws examples of adjectives at me. These initial insights are presented to the client and if they are happy with the direction, the next step is the process of creating and refining the designs and taking it through to production.

Glenn’s role is to make the product stand out from the competitors’ products on the shelf. 

“It’s always about making a point of difference for the product and making sure that the assets of the brand are communicated clearly, especially when you’re dealing with a brand that has an already well-established brand presence. This is critical for effective design.”

But getting the product ‘shelf ready’ isn’t the end. The next step is marketing and point of sale materials, like shelf wobblers (the little promotional tags that wobble from the shelves), web banners and online advertising. Then, there are marketing materials for trade fairs and in-house supermarket magazines.

From first brief, initial research and insights through to concept development, refinements, market research and then promotion, projects can take over a year to make it on the shelf. 

While he loves every minute of it and is thankful to work in his dream job, he admits the reality is you must develop a thick skin. 

“You can’t have an ego in this industry,” he said. “You have to take on board criticism very easily and take on board someone else’s opinion. You can present to a client and they won’t like it, they’ll ask what else have you got. So, you’ve got to have a thick skin and you can’t be precious about anything you create.”

He also says you must have perseverance. “There are always going to be walls of your own and others to break through, so you’ve got to be strong willed. If you stick at it, it’s incredibly rewarding. When I see the products I’ve designed on the shelf or someone eating or drinking something I’ve designed, I always think, how cool is that.”

Some tips, skills and qualities required (and home truths) from Glenn:

• This is a client-based industry and while you’ve got artistic involvement, you’re not a fine artist. What you do is for the client based upon a set of specific needs.
• If you haven’t got passion, you won’t last.
• Drive is the key. You’ve got to love what you do.
• Perfection is an illusion, there is always room for improvement.
• Have an open mind and view the world in a different way.
• Problem solving is always the key aspect of your work.
• The ability to draw and visualise your ideas is crucial.

For those who are interested in this industry but unsure if they can get there, remember that Glenn graduated with honours despite failing Year 12. 

Glenn’s final words:

“Don’t give up on your dreams. If you believe in it, follow and chase them. Look into it to see if you’re really interested in that desired path. Find out what’s involved, find out what’s required. Get a taste of it with work experience. Don’t worry about the naysayers, just go ahead and do it. You’ve got to be happy with what you do for the rest of your life, so make sure you enjoy it.”

Remember one of Glenn’s earliest fascinations with packaging – Wizz Fizz? He was fortunate to redesign the Wizz Fizz packaging – and it’s one of his favourite pieces of design. Dreams really do come true.

This article appeared in The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper, 27 July 2023.