Paper & Desk

Paper & Desk Paper & Desk is a Brisbane-based freelance designer who helps businesses connect with their audience through tailored, on-brand design.

Another “here’s what I do outside of design work” post. Such a fun evening at CLOUDZ, which turned out to be the closing...
17/10/2026

Another “here’s what I do outside of design work” post. Such a fun evening at CLOUDZ, which turned out to be the closing night of German Week (news to me until I arrived! 😄). That makes it German event #2 of 3 for me this month!

A beautiful evening bringing art, food and w**e together. In the event host’s words (far more eloquent than I could put it!):

“German Michelin-star-awarded chef Robert Maas and leading First Nations artist Gordon Hookey collaborate in a live creative performance unlike anything previously presented at Brisbane German Week. Throughout the evening, guests will witness the creation of an original artwork before experiencing its extraordinary culinary interpretation as the finale of a multi-course dining journey accompanied by carefully curated w**e pairings.”

A huge thank you to Chris Maas (event architect and organiser extraordinaire, among other things) for the invite and for putting together such a beautiful event and fundraiser.

AISA CyberCon 2026 wrapped up in Melbourne today, and one of the highlights was the launch of the new CyberCon Review ma...
16/10/2026

AISA CyberCon 2026 wrapped up in Melbourne today, and one of the highlights was the launch of the new CyberCon Review magazine, themed Empowered Together.

I had the pleasure of being part of the team bringing this publication to life, laying out the stories, images and quotes across a nice and juicy 92-page magazine.

Along the way, I discovered so many fascinating things about cybersecurity that I’d never really thought about before (well, mainly because I don’t operate at the Chief Information Security Officer level… but wow, the decisions these people have to make!).

And how cool is it to have a magazine like this launch at an event where its audience is already gathered? Bringing these stories and perspectives together in one publication, then putting it straight into the hands of the people they matter to.

And by the way, if you’re looking to bring a magazine, journal or other publication to life, I’d love to help with the design 😊 (from January 2027 onwards of course!)

Apologies to new clients: I've got bad news 😔 but I also have good news 😉And thank you to my existing clients for fillin...
13/10/2026

Apologies to new clients: I've got bad news 😔 but I also have good news 😉

And thank you to my existing clients for filling my calendar. My calendar is as free as a car park outside a sold-out concert!

One design detail, carried across the whole publication. For this Annual Review, rounded rectangles became a recurring e...
13/10/2026

One design detail, carried across the whole publication. For this Annual Review, rounded rectangles became a recurring element, appearing everywhere from the statistics pages to the Chair’s report.

They help tie different types of content together, creating a visual thread throughout the publication while allowing each page to do its own job.

It’s one of the things I love about publication design: finding ways to make a document feel cohesive, even when the content and layout change from page to page.

I’ve been doing a heap of reports lately, and let’s just say I wouldn’t mind a bit of a change! I’m still very much into publications, but I’d love to get my hands on more lifestyle and editorial projects.

So, if you’ve been thinking about self-publishing something of your own from 2027 onwards, ahem… let’s chat 😉

September was a BIIIIGG month. So this weekend, it was time for a little fun 🍻🥨My regular programming (i.e. posting abou...
12/10/2026

September was a BIIIIGG month. So this weekend, it was time for a little fun 🍻🥨
My regular programming (i.e. posting about my magazine/publication work) will resume shortly, now that a huge September is behind me.

That said, October’s shaping up to be another big one, especially with some time off planned for November. So I’ll be sharing a little bit of both this month: the work AND the fun I’m making a point of squeezing in along the way.

Also, a little confession… Earlier in September, I attended an amazing Uplevel Day hosted by and it got me thinking about how I show up on social media. Yes, I’ll be sharing more about what I do, but I’d also love to share more about the designer behind the work: my passion for design, how seriously I take my work, and… how unseriously I take life sometimes 😂

When I’m scrolling through social media and discovering someone I might want to work with, I want to get to know the person behind the work too. And you can’t do that if I only ever show you the professional side of me, right? So consider this me pulling back the curtain a little.

First up? Oktoberfest 🍺 A big thank you to Inano and Kevin for the invite, and for getting me out from behind my desk for a bit!!

“Can you take photos of my nuts?” 😂 (I designed the packaging for these nuts a while back)I would like to clarify that i...
21/08/2026

“Can you take photos of my nuts?” 😂
(I designed the packaging for these nuts a while back)

I would like to clarify that if you would me to take photos of your nuts, I also accept macadamias and almonds. A little behind the scenes of the other stuff I do besides magazine design. I actually frequently get asked to do a lot of photo editing, whether for magazines or for products. Just putting it out there 😉

NEW WORK ALERT 🚨 I'm stoked to reveal the new look for Equity Magazine, the flagship monthly publication by the Australi...
18/08/2026

NEW WORK ALERT 🚨 I'm stoked to reveal the new look for Equity Magazine, the flagship monthly publication by the Australian Shareholders' Association. What was the challenge, the solution, and the outcome, you ask? (Let's be real here, with Meta's algorithm, NO ONE is asking 🤣). But if you're curious, head on over to my website in the "Publication design" tab, scroll down to find the Equity magazine photo, and click to read.

Every now and then, clients ask if I can design with, specifically, light text on a dark background across A LOT of page...
13/08/2026

Every now and then, clients ask if I can design with, specifically, light text on a dark background across A LOT of pages. It’s usually for something a little special, like an event program, awards night, special section in an annual report, that kind of thing.

And while it can look very nice, there’s a reason most of the stuff we read day-to-day is dark text on a light background. So I thought I’d dig into it a little…

Dark vs light backgrounds: which is better for magazine & annual report readability? I've popped up a short (ish) blog on this topic on the Insights tab of my website (paperanddesk.com/insights)

A magazine design detail you may or may not have noticed 👀In this spread for Rio Tinto's Simandou publication, see how t...
10/08/2026

A magazine design detail you may or may not have noticed 👀

In this spread for Rio Tinto's Simandou publication, see how the person sits on the left, and they’re looking across the spread (roughly) towards the quote at the top of the right-hand page? That wasn’t accidental. I could’ve popped the quote anywhere, but I loved the idea of using their eyeline to pull the reader across the page. A small detail that nudges you in how you move through the spread.

THIS is the fun stuff about publication design. It goes beyond just “does this look nice?” to thinking about what catches your eye, where it travels next, and how all the little pieces work together.

When a client says, "We need six images in this spread," my brain immediately starts asking, "What's the most effective ...
06/08/2026

When a client says, "We need six images in this spread," my brain immediately starts asking, "What's the most effective and interesting way to do that?"

I could've dropped them into a neat 3 × 2 grid. It would've worked, but I wanted the images to have more impact. One image gets to be the hero across the full left page, while the purple band (which matches the main superhero character in the drawing) leads you across to the remaining images on the right. Some images take centre stage, while others play a supporting role, creating a clearer visual hierarchy and a more engaging journey through the spread.

This is one of the things I love most about magazine design. The first solution is usually the easiest. But a little push and exploration leads to something that feels far more dynamic and memorable. A really fun spread to design for the Queensland Ambulance Service!

If you're looking for someone to lay out a magazine or publication that makes your content easier to read, I'd love to help 📩

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