Today we’d like to introduce you to Robin Ireland.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Robin. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’ve known since I was a kid that I would do something having to do with art when I grew up. It was always my passion, and I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. So, of course, I studied art when I went to college. One of the counselors suggested I look into the graphic design and I never looked back. I found that old saying to be true, “if you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.”
While attending Cal State LA, I took a couple classes in the printing department in addition to my art classes and other coursework. One of my professors hooked me up with a printing company in East LA, about ten minutes from the campus, and I started working there doing paste-up during my senior year. This was during the dark ages before the mac was introduced and only a few months after the infamous 1984 Apple commercial aired. We were still doing everything by hand with waxers, T-squares and X-Acto® knives. While there I learned how to use the darkroom and camera to shoot and develop negatives and make plates for the printing presses. I worked in printing for the next nine years, from East LA to Carlsbad, finally landing in Altadena.
It was while I was working for the printer in Altadena, that the mac was introduced and soon became the “tool of choice” for designers and printers. I realized that I would need to learn how to use the computer or find another line of work, so I spent hours with the manuals, during and after work, teaching myself how to use the new equipment.
Since graphic designers and everyone in the printing industry and service bureaus were learning how to use the mac at the same time, we worked together and shared what we learned with each other. In addition, I was able to apply my experience doing paste-up and pre-press to layout and photo retouching on the computer. As a result, I found myself in a unique position to know how to design more effectively for printing.
In 1989, I was introduced to Tom Sawyer Camps whose office was located a couple doors away from the printer I was working for at the time. They were looking for help designing their annual camp calendar and I got the job. They were my first client as a graphic designer, so I decided to start my own business, Ireland Graphic Design, and take on work on the side. I finally got my first job working for a graphic design and advertising agency, Art Direction Services, in the fall of 1993, and continued working there for the next 12 years. While there, I also did my own design work and built up my client list.
The year after I graduated college, I got married and moved near Camp Pendleton where my husband was stationed. While living there, I decided to go back to school and get my teaching credential in art. I did all of my classwork there, then returned to Pasadena and did my student teaching at my alma mater, John Muir High School, when my husband was sent to Japan and Korea for a year. I worked full time for a printer while doing my student teaching and continued thereafter I received my certification because the need for art teachers was small.
It wasn’t until years later when one of my clients told me that she was teaching an interior design course in the evenings and suggested that I see if they had any openings for computer graphics teachers, that I considered teaching again. I spent the next four years teaching computer graphics in the evenings to juniors and seniors in high school as well as adults through the Regional Occupational Program (ROP) at La Canada High. Teaching turned out to be one of my favorite things in my professional life.
In 2005, I decided it was time to take the leap and go full time with my own business.
Since then, I’ve had the pleasure of working with several different authors and magazine publishers and do the layout and design for the paperback, hardcover, and e-books, and 3 award-winning magazines. The most recent book is a biography of the artist Joe De Yong (the only protege of Charlie Russell), written by William C. Reynolds. I also spent a number of years doing advertising and auction catalogs for two Old West and Native American auction companies. I was there when the original tintype of Billy the Kid sold for $2.3 million. It was very exciting.
Growing up, music was always a part of my life. As a result, I was always happy to work with various musicians and musical groups. I’ve done cd packaging for several classical and pop musicians and have been the designer for the Southwest Chamber Music Society, Glendale Symphony Orchestra and Mobile Symphony Orchestra. I’m currently working with the Pasadena Symphony and Pops designing the invitation package for their annual gala, Moonlight Sonata.
Through it all, I never forgot my first client. In fact, I still do work for them. Tom Sawyer Camps has continued to work with me and send many new clients my way. Through them, I’ve done work for a number of summer camps, the American Camp Association, The Junior League of Pasadena, Saint Mark’s Episcopal School, the Santa Barbara Zoo and indirectly the California Adolescent Health Collaborative, Anza Borrego Foundation & Institute, and the Center for Social Innovation – Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Of course, no road is smooth, the bumps and struggles are what make life interesting and teach us new things. I’ve lost jobs and clients, had to learn new technology, and spent years working multiple jobs. But as a result, I’ve learned new things, met some wonderful people, and got to travel to Washington D.C., Arizona, Wyoming, Texas and Colorado for work.
Please tell us about Ireland Graphic Design.
Ireland Graphic Design is a full-service graphic design firm specializing in design for print and web. Over the years, I have worked with individuals and a wide range of small businesses including authors and publishers, auctions, non-profit organizations, interior designers, musicians and orchestras, accountants, dentists, manufacturing companies, and of course summer camps.
My years working in the printing industry have given me the necessary experience to get the best quality and prices for my clients. I am known for developing long-lasting relationships with my clients and get the majority of new clients through referrals. I am used to working under the deadline and make it my goal to complete work on time while meeting my clients’ needs.
I am most proud of the relationships I’ve developed through the years. I am still working with my first client and remain in contact with a number of my former students.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I don’t have a specific memory that is my favorite, rather my favorite memories are of my summers traveling with my family. My dad was a teacher, so once summer school was over, my mom, dad and I would take off for our annual adventure.
We went to a lot of the National Parks and roadside tourist traps, climbed mountains, walked through caves, caverns and mines, and toured the Civil War battlegrounds, all while staying at campgrounds, and occasionally a low budget motel. I shared a pie with my dad at 2 am at a diner counter in Tennessee and made s’mores over a campfire in Kings Canyon. I saw America from the road and met other travelers from all over the world.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.irelandgraphics.com
- Phone: 626-792-5504
- Email: [email protected]
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IrelandGraphicDesign/
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robin-ireland-a603114/
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