Screen Goddess Retta

I have been working as a graphic designer for 5 years in our family business, Encompass Presentations, an award winning design, print and web firm at Goolwa, Our company services the popular South Australian tourist area the Fleurieu Peninsula, south of Adelaide as well as many other regions of SA.

My clients include tourism operators, the business community, charity organisations, wineries, food producers, government and the health sector.

My design focus is on logos, corporate identity, brochures, magazines, food and wine labeling, product packaging, and websites a just to name a few. It's exciting work creating a business image for my clients. I get to see inside all sorts of businesses and experience many of the top tourism activities here in South Australia. It's really good to go into a store and see my designs on the shelf and the brochures I have designed in the racks.

I come from a creative family, my mother is a painter and designer, my father is musician, my brother is a boat builder and junk art sculptor, and my step father is a printer.

Out of work I enjoy walking and staying fit. I have joined the Centacare's 'Gift of Time' Challenge to get fit and raise money for respite care for children with intellectual disabilities. As part of the challenge I will be traveling to Peru and climbing the Inca trail to Machu Pichu.

I also love food and wine ... and enjoy cooking for friends and relaxing with a few drinks. This is a great way to unwind after a week of deadlines.

Painting is a passion of mine... mostly abstract, with bright colours and interesting shapes. The walls at home are my art gallery. I hope to have an exhibition of my painting early next year.

I was asked to do the calendar as previously in 2003 and 2005 I did some photographic shots with an Adelaide photographer, for the national Australian Institute of Professional Photographers awards. We won 2 silver awards in the exhibition. I thought that this calendar would be a fantastic way to encourage more young women to be involved in the IT industry and the perception that this is a male dominated industry.

As a graphic designer my creativity is dependant on the flow of IT, we use software, digital photography and scanners to create, this limits us in some ways yet provides us incredible creative freedom limited only by our imagination, the fact that this is such an exciting industry is why I love IT.