Brooke Boyanton

How did you get into your current job/field?

My high school offered an extracurricular course in Printing at Graphic Design after school. The school guidance officer suggested I take this course as my best subjects were art and computer science. I then went on to do a Certificate and Advanced Diploma in Multimedia. This included all types of digital media: 3D animation, website, video and way back then, interactive programs on CD to run on kiosks... which were supposed to be the next big thing back in the 90s.

My first job in the industry was for a large Australian building company. I actually applied for a drafting position as I had been finding it difficult to find work in design. I thought a trainee drafter would be a good move out of hospitality (which I had been working in around school since I was 14) and into an office environment. I was also interested in learning AutoCad as my favourite subject in college was 3D.

When I applied for the job, I included my design portfolio with my application as it was all the experience I had. The day after I posted my application, I was called in for an interview as a designer instead of drafter, as their designer had handed in their resignation the day before. I was asked to come in for an interview at their head office the same day, and straight after the interview, I was offered the job!

What's a fun fact about you that people may not know?

I'm a bit boring actually... haha. Hmmm, if you've never met me in person, I'm 6ft tall, which usually surprises people when I meet them face to face.

I love to travel, but then lots of people say that, although it did show pretty early in life for me. I lived in the same house from the day I was born until I moved out; my parents still live there now. I used to get so bored with living in the same space, I would move the furniture in my room around every few months. When I moved out, I once moved house in Brisbane 4 times in one year before eventually moving overseas in 2005.

I've lived in Australia, different parts of England and briefly in India. I left Brisbane in 2005 with a backpack and a design portfolio and returned to Australia in 2021 with a family and a shipping container. I've travelled extensively with friends, family and even as a solo traveller.

My oldest child's baby passport is full of stamps and pretty impressive. We have taken many long-haul flights just the two of us. Our first solo flight together was from England to Australia when he was 3 months old. He also lived in India with us while his dad was working there, and the first thing he did on arrival at 3 years old was lick a pole at a petrol station on a really busy, dusty street in Bangalore... His immune system is very good. I intend to give his baby passport back to him on his 18th birthday so he can see all the places he went to that he probably won't remember.

What is your favorite project you've worked on at Octopus?

There are so many projects I could mention as we get to do some amazing work at Octopus. I really like where we're currently heading with our internal branding, and the graphics for these posts are part of that. However, my favourite job would definitely be last year's KubeCon NA (2024). I enjoy the buzz around events, and this would have been our most high-profile so far. I specifically enjoyed animating our GitOps courses story for airport advertising.

Do you have any hobbies outside of work?

With a full-time job, 2 young children, and a dog, there isn't much time outside of work, but I do love gardening. The style of the garden at our new house is a bit older. I want to move to a more modern subtropical theme with palms, ferns, stag horns, and native grasses. When I lived in the UK, I just loved an English cottage garden. Our last home was a new build with a bare block, and I had lots of fun planting all the beautiful English bulbs, annual plants, and roses. My gardens in the UK were a bit bare in the winter as I just loved European flowers. I really enjoy the seasons in Europe and the coming alive of life in the spring.

What excites you most about working at Octopus Deploy?

We work on a wide variety of creative in the Marketing design team at Octopus. One day we might be creating a 3D elevation for an event booth, another animating for a Times Square billboard (this was another favourite project). We might be creating illustrations to visualise complex technical content or having fun creating characters for swag.

I've never liked to be boxed in my creative endeavours, and with 25+ years working in the industry, I've enjoyed branching into various disciplines. I love to learn, I like to be challenged, particularly when it comes to design, and I love to create. I enjoy seeing how projects perform and how customers react. I find human beings and how they work fascinating. Seeing the effects of applying the findings of research to improve our work is really interesting and satisfying.

If you could eat one meal for the rest of forever - what would it be?

Salmon sashimi, dragon sushi rolls with miso soup on the side.

Is there anything else you'd love to share with us?

If I were to advise someone starting out, I would say take every opportunity as it presents itself, even if it feels hard or it pushes you to your limits. One day, you'll have no choice but to slow down, and in the quieter times, you'll have all those experiences and memories to remember, feel proud of, and enjoy.