He may be only 19, but former Rotorua man Ryan Romanes is already making a name for himself in the design world.
One of his designs was chosen from hundreds of entries to feature on new Kiwi clothing label wearingJACK, which launched last month.
Ryan's design, entitled JACKPipe, features on a range
of t-shirts. Two other designs of his - one a pair of eyes and the other a mouth - will feature on a future range of t-shirts.
The design initiative was promoted through universities, polytechnics and art and design schools across New Zealand, with young designers invited to submit their artwork.
Ryan was born in Rotorua and attended Lynmore School before completing his schooling at St Peter's School in Cambridge. His parents still live in Rotorua and he heads home usually once a month.
Now in his second year of a Bachelor of Graphic Design at Auckland design school Rassles College, Ryan said he enjoyed painting, drawing, graphic design and anything creative.
"Most of my ideas come from my sketchbook, which I use for pretty much everything. Often I see patterns and prints when I'm walking down the street, like a t-shirt or a gig poster stuck on the side of a brick wall."
He is certainly making a name for himself in the design world.
He recently won $1000 in a competition to design logos for Master Furniture Makers and Master Cabinet Makers. The logos will be used as a "seal of approval" on products that reach a certain standard. Those logos will be seen across New Zealand and overseas.
"The most rewarding part is that they are going to be seen so much," Ryan said.
He was also the runner-up in a competition run by New Zealand band Mint Chicks to create a design for the band's official t-shirt. He saw entering the wearingJACK competition as a good opportunity to get his name "out there".
Seeing people he didn't know wearing his designs was rewarding but also "quite weird", he said.
Ryan plans to get involved in advertising, brand development and web design when he finishes his degree.
