Mine is a humble design studio located in beautiful Lismore, NSW. My freelance colleagues and I are passionate about vibrant, intelligent and dynamic visual communication that’s inspiring, distraction free and that exemplifies elegance in problem solving.

 

cjp creative studio image

heidelberg platen

Arriving here has been a fascinating and enriching journey which bares a striking resemblance to the “recent” history of printing and graphic arts and provides me with cause for reflection as I race towards my 30th year as a part of it.

I started my journey into the world of Print and Graphic Design on one of these back in 84. It’s a Heidelberg Platen and though I didn’t know it then, a astonishing bit of engineering beauty. While the timeline is vague, I remember every detail of this machine’s function and the beauty that LetterPress printing can conjure.

As a printing apprentice, your first port of call was to soldier the often cruel practical jokes of well meaning Tradesmen, who “gave you heaps” if only because they themselves received same when they were first indentured. Your second port of call (in those days) was Letterpress either on a platen or Heidelberg Cylinder, it’s larger cousin.

This machine was my best friend and potential nemesis for the second year of my apprenticeship and I used it to create many a mess and many a masterpiece. Under the guidance of Bob Brown, a Master then in his mid seventies, I learned all of the in’s and outs of letterpress printing.

While doing so, I remember looking longingly at the larger, more state of the art offset equipment like the Heidelberg MOZP, a relatively recent aquisition which I witnessed being delivered and un-packed covered wax and oil to stop it rusting in transit from Germany. Then one day my Boss came over with a Tradesman and told me that soon I’d have to start learning how to run it given that I could demonstrate mastery over the critical RYOBI small offset to master, followed by a Heidelber KOR and then the lovely GTO56.

Alas, because of the persistent culture of “practical jokes” from the Tradesmen during my apprenticeship, I received my papers with a heavy heart and a competency at a trade that I vowed to stay well away from.

It wasn’t until many years later and after a patchwork career in hospitality and sales, that I re-discovered the Printing Trade through new eyes and under the thoughtful guidance of Forch Divito at Fivedock Printing. He and his family owned business was a perfect example of how a small to medium sized print shop should function, beautifully enveloped in the very Italian precept of “RESPECT”.

I will be forever grateful to Forch, Mr. Divito (his Father) and Tony (AKA Rembrant) for so sensitively teaching me the meaning of that word.

My Competitive Advantage in Designing for Print, has been that as a Trade Qualified Printer, I’ve been able to design for the whole process; often saving my customers considerable expense.

From the ground up experience.

The slider to the right shows in approximate order some of the equipment I’ve operated in my printing career. The incalculable hours I’ve tended these machines producing primarily jobbing work for various print companies around the country have provided me with a thorough knowledge of every facet of print production.

  • Vicabold Platen Letterpress
  • Heidelberg Platen Letterpress
  • Heidelberg KSBA Letterpress
  • Ryobi Small Offset
  • Heidelberg KOR Sheetfed Offset
  • Heidelberg GTO 46 & 52 Sheetfed Offset
  • Heidelberg MOZP 2 Colour Sheetfed Offset
  • MAN Roland 200 Single Colour Sheetfed Offset
  • Berthold Image Setter
  • Linotronic Image Setter with Early MAC front end

Profile & Career History

carl joseph paola
Carl Joseph PaolaSenior Graphic Artist
Carl is a accomplished Graphic Artist, Fine Artist, Writer and Marketing Expert with a passion for family, community, art, music, philosophy, poetry the environment and popular media.”His business axioms are “Anything Graphical”, “Enjoy the process” and a “A Country Mile”. With over 30 years experience in the Graphic Arts and Printing industry, Carl’s expertise and considerable knowledge has helped innumerable businesses in Australia and abroad progress their aims and achieve their goals.

Name: Carl Joseph Paola

DOB: 08.02.1965

Place of Birth: Johannesburg. South Africa.

Australian Citizenship: 1974

Higher School Certificate: Frankston High School, Frankston TAFE.

Further Eductation: Melbourne College of Printing & Graphic Arts – Offset Printing Machinist.

  • 1983 – Eden Wholesale Plant Nursery – Baxter VIC
  • 1984 – Canmakers Australia – Crabtree 4 Colour Metal Decorating Press – Clayton – Victoria.
  • 1985 – Dandenong Printing – Indentured apprenticeship – Printing & Machining – Dandenong – Victoria
  • 1987 – Craven Print & Pack – Berthold Prepress & Offset Capital Equipment Sales – Cheltenham – Victoria
  • 1990 – Fine Art – Private Studio – Dubbo NSW.
  • 1991 – Ecological Advantage – Sole Trader graphic design business – Newtown – NSW
  • 1993 – Fivedock Printing – Offset Printer – Fivedock NSW
  • 1995 – Westate Graphic Design – Graphic Artist
  • 1998 – Quality Plus Printers Pre-press & Graphic Design – Ballina NSW
  • 1999 – Keith Dubber Printing – Pre-press & Graphic Design – Mullumbimby NSW
  • 2000 – Camera House – Digital Print Manager – Ballina NSW
  • 2003 – North Coast Print Solutions – Pre-press Manager – Byron Bay NSW
  • 2007 – CJP Creative – Freelance Graphic Designer – NSW

Located in beautiful North Coast New South Wales, but accessible globally.