KEY POINTS:
Name: Christopher Waldvogel.
Age: 45.
Role: Artearoa commercial art designer.
Working hours: 10-hour days, up to six days a week.
Qualifications and institution: Diploma in Industrial Design at Wellington Polytechnic (now Massey University in Wellington).
Describe what you do.
I make commercial art under the Artearoa label, using mainly photographs.
I create cards, tags, tiles and canvas images. I also make albums or notebooks. My design series are contemporary and tend to be very Kiwi: scenic New Zealand, Kitemoana, native birds, pohutakawa and the tropical series of frangipani, hibiscus and bougainvillea. I also travelled to Europe last year and did a Paris-based series. I find my main inspiration is God's creation: nature. Being a Christian strongly affects me.
Your history?
I trained in industrial design which is about designing products to be manufactured, but I was always also doing art as well.
After qualifying, I worked as an industrial designer for a couple of years doing interior design. During that time, I became a Christian and did some missionary work in New Zealand. Then I went overseas for a year and worked for a while in Switzerland as an interior design draughtsman.
I came back to Rotorua in 1991 and began creating old-style photo albums with a contemporary form (flax and paua inserts). Then I noticed people looking for smaller, cheaper products, such as stationery, and I realised there wasn't much gift stationery that reflected New Zealand and Pacific themes in a contemporary way.
So I decided to fill that gap. I went on to sell through the New Zealand craft shows and, more recently, I've started selling at the trade gift fairs.
In 1994, I moved to Auckland and found a bigger place which meant I could create more. But winters were slow so I also began buying and selling '50s and '70s collectibles as a sideline. I ended up doing that for 10 years, but stopped when I realised it was distracting me from my art too much.
And then you got into photographic card ranges?
Yes. I've always been keen on photography but got into it commercially only in 2003 when I started using a digital camera. Digital really changed things big time.
Who are your clients?
Gift shops, design stores, gallery shops, museums and florists - retailers wanting unique New Zealand-made things.
How long does it take to produce a series?
It depends. The beach series took a weekend of photography. The bird series took a period of months of travelling around the country.
On the production side, it's a bit hard to say exactly how much time I spend making the cards as there tends to be a lot of variables, particularly on the run size and trimming and wastage.
Basically I do the print finishing (trimming and creasing) in house and employ an outworker to bag the cards with envelopes.
Run sizes vary on demand for different designs but usually from the tens to hundreds.
What skills and knowledge do you need?
A design background is helpful. Industrial design taught me how to work out the best processes.
You have to think about the materials, their appeal, and what will work and last.
Having an eye for selection and composition is essential. I try to compose the picture while shooting so it truly represents a moment in time, rather than cropping later.
You also have to sell the product. Marketing is not a natural tendency for me but I do it if I have to. Currently I have a rep which is great.
Best part of the job?
Being self-employed gives me great flexibility in terms of travel and time and I love travelling, meeting people and taking photos so I do that as much as I can. I travel within New Zealand when time permits; a few days here, a couple of weeks there. I also recently went to Paris, London, Zurich, Hong Kong and Singapore. I also really enjoy the creativity involved in photography and turning my photos into product.
Most challenging part?
Dividing my time between all aspects of the business; design, production, administration and sales. I would love to just take photos all day.
Administration isn't my favourite task, but it is just something I have to do. Keeping up with orders can be challenging because I'm not a big importer - I don't have boxes of flax albums sitting in a warehouse.
Advice to someone wanting to do same thing?
People come into this kind of design work from all sorts of places. The most traditional path would be graphic design or photography.
If people wanted to specialise in card design, I'd say somewhere like Hallmark Cards would be a good starting place.
It's a good way to make a living out of something you love, but it is a way of life, not a great income.
*www.artearoa.com
