New USC graduate Claudia Oberholzer of Dalby has turned a keen eye for design into a career and is using her creativity to promote a home-town business to international markets.

After graduating from USC recently with a Bachelor of Design and Communication, the 22-year-old returned home to take up a role in marketing and sales for DOM Distribution, a national and international supplier of agricultural and farming machinery.

“My job allows me to produce a range of creative and informative marketing materials that help improve sales and inform clients and customers about new products and promotions,” Claudia said.

Banners and flyers for Queensland field expos and social media promotions are some of the marketing she is generating for the Dalby-based business that sources and exports light and heavy machinery into markets in Australia, Asia, Africa, Europe and North America.

“I am pleased that I get to use both my graphic design and communication skills from my degree to help raise awareness of this local business,” she said.

Claudia said studying at USC allowed her to turn a zeal for creating illustrations, exploring design techniques and researching different ways to generate art into formal qualifications.

“Graphic design has been a passion of mine since high school,” said Claudia, who moved to Dalby from South Africa when she was 12 and attended Our Lady of Southern Cross College until Year 11, receiving awards for being top of her class in graphic design.

“I completed Year 12 at Dalby State High School and, when I first left school, worked as an administrator at a local business before deciding to go to university to start my creative career.”

While studying closer to home was an option, she chose USC’s Sunshine Coast campus because of its beach location and it had a program that was exactly what she wanted.

“Studying both Design and Communications gives you skills to work in a wide variety of industries once you graduate, while adding the communication element into my studies helps me in the finer details of design.”

Claudia said graduation was one of the highlights of her time at USC. “It was wonderful to see all my years of hard work pay off and feel that sense of accomplishment at the end of all the assignments, groups projects and late nights.”

Her dream job is to work for Frankie Magazine, a national bi-monthly based in Australia that features music, art, fashion, photography, craft and other cultural content. In the meantime, she plans to stay in Dalby.

“I have ended up getting a great job working for a local family business and I am doing what I love,” she said.

Apply now to study at USC in 2019.

— Clare McKay