Beth Wilkinson

I am the founder, Editor and Creative Director of Lindsay, an international and independent print and online magazine celebrating the importance of culture and place. I also run my own creative studio Oak Park, which has an artisanal approach to editorial design, custom publishing, photography, branding and web design, and works with clients internationally in the areas of arts, culture and fashion.

Can you provide us with a brief description of your trajectory from Top Designs until now?

I studied Visual Communication and Design at Monash University. During my studies, I volunteered for the Oaktree Foundation as a graphic designer and marketing team leader. I also interned at Frankie magazine, where I was offered a full-time position as an Editorial Assistant. Upon graduating, I worked at Craft Victoria and the Abbotsford Convent in roles that encompassed design, photography, writing and communications. In 2017, I took a giant leap and left full-time work to start my own magazine, which I named Lindsay, after my grandfather. I have since taught editorial design for RMIT University’s Master of Design and now run my own creative studio, Oak Park.

Creating Lindsay has been an extraordinary experience that has led me to various corners of the world, meeting so many inspiring people along the way. I’ve had the honour of photographing Italian director Luca Guadagnino, Oscar-winning composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, Australian fashion icon Jenny Kee and also inside the Parisian ateliers behind couturiers such as Chanel, Dior and Givenchy.

Do you feel that Top Designs had an impact on your personal/professional development? Do you have any advice for people wanting to work in your field?

I think any acknowledgement of your work in some shape or form is always encouraging.

It's a challenging industry to work in; you need both passion and resilience. I’ve always had the passion, but I’ve certainly had to become more resilient. My advice is: be prepared to fail along the way. We all do at some point. Don’t take it to heart; it’s just part of the industry. In fact, it’s part of life.

What is your design philosophy?

For me, I’ve always had a very multidisciplinary approach to design. I’ve never been strictly just a designer, but rather a designer and a photographer and a writer and a filmmaker and so on. I’ve always loved it all equally. I’m always thinking about the story. Everything has a story and there’s always someone who that story is for and there’s always a way that story is best told. That’s what I’m interested in.

What are your future plans/goals?

I now have a small team, including a Top Designs alumna from 2015, Ella Fajdiga, who works with me at Lindsay and Oak Park. I want to continue to grow that team, build a creative community and work on projects that are meaningful – projects that add value, not unnecessary noise, to our fragile world. I want to continue to work with a diverse group of international contributors to share stories that celebrate the differences that exist in the world. And I want to forever remain curious about the possibilities that lie within the integration of design, photography, the written word and film, and the role of different mediums in a fast-changing technological landscape. I want to embrace technology where it serves us best, while remaining committed to the quiet, romantic and intentional nature of print.