2 September 2025
It’s been an exciting year for NMTAFE Graphic Design graduate, Jessie Smith, whose talent has been recognised locally and nationally.
At the 7News Young Achiever Awards in June this year, Jessie was awarded the Insurance Commission of Western Australia Road Safety Advocate Award for her strategic and emotionally thought-provoking work, most notably, her powerful road safety campaign The World Can Wait.
“The message for this campaign was that there is nothing more important than the safety of yourself and others when driving on the roads – we live in such a crazy, busy digital world today, mobile phones have become an extension of ourselves, we now feel pressure to respond, even while driving” she said.
Jessie’s campaign struck a chord with young audiences, sparking conversation and behavioural change. It stood out for its ability to connect emotionally and drive awareness around a critical issue affecting young drivers. The campaign also reached nearly 600,000 people through billboards and wide media coverage, which was a remarkable achievement for a young designer early in her career.
More recently, Jessie was awarded the state as well as national winner for the Design Institute of Australia Graduate of the Year Awards held in August.
“I was nominated in the INTERACT and CONVEY categories and was also awarded the WA Design Graduate of the Year which is the overall state prize. It’s such an honour to receive these awards and I am so incredibly proud to have been acknowledged for not only my work, but my ethic, design approach, thinking and process ,” she said.
Driven by a deep passion for art and design and working in the visual merchandising industry after she left school, she pursued graphic design studies at NMTAFE, where she earned several accolades, including being a competition winner for a WA TAFE Campaign.
“It all started when my dad asked me to help design a neon sign for Crown Resorts - from that moment, it sparked a new creative direction. The project ignited my love for signage and neon installations, leading to the launch of my freelance design studio, Rusty Creative,” Jessie said.
We’re excited to see where Jessie’s journey takes her next. With her artistic vision, technical skill, and unstoppable drive, there’s no doubt she’ll continue to make bold, beautiful marks wherever she goes.