About:
Frankie Ratford is a Graphic & Interior Designer, Entrepreneur, Nomad and All Round Sunshiney Human.
She is a sunny Sagittarius who finds joy in reading, meeting good humans and getting planes to warm places. She loves nothing more than browsing real estate listings and dreaming up ridiculous business ideas, rolling up her sleeves and getting the paint on the wall and throwing everything she owns into a small backpack and taking off on yet another life adventure.
After an extensive career in Graphic Design for 20 years, in 2025 she pivoted into interiors and branding spaces for herself and clients.
Skills:
Project Manager
Interior Design
Basic carpentry
Resourceful hacks
Social media
Photography
Business set up
Community
Signage
Brand
Marketing
Graphic Design
Experiences:
Featured interviews, podcasts & magazines
DSR Branding podcast Ep.04 Brisbane (2020)
One Wild Ride magazine (2020)
Design Your Life with Vince Frost podcast Ep. 017 (2019)
Ladies Wine & Design GC & Brisbane (2019)
One Wild Ride podcast Ep. 01 (2019)
Word-Form: Sacrifice Melbourne (2019)
99% Lifestyle in Birmingham podcast (2019)
PRINT Magazine London (2019)
33 Female Storytellers Changing Travel (2018)
weAre the future, Guangzhou, China (2018)
The Bare Road magazine, Byron Bay (2018)
Monster Children magazine (2018)
Passion Passport Layovers (2018)
High on Design @wix, Israel (2018)
Calcalist magazine, Israel (2018)
The Design Kids interview (2018)
Passion Passport, Melbourne (2018)
Design Sponge (2018)
MOO London (2018)
Dubai Business News podcast (2018)
Extraordinary Routines Ep.20 (2017)
Half & Twice, Madrid (2017)
Fresh Books blog, Toronto (2017)
Formfiftyfive podcast, Episode.04 Berlin (2017)
Australian Design Radio, San Diego (2016)
Porter Novella Magazine (2016)
Pencil vs Pixel podcast, LA (2016)
The Collective, Sydney (2016)
Desktop Magazine (2015)
AIGA Eye on Design, New York (2015)
The Walz Happens, Germany (2015)
Tractor Design blog, Sydney (2015)
Studio Home New Zealand (2015)
NZ Herald (2015)
ADR podcast, Sydney Ep.02 (2015)
Smith Journal, Melbourne (2014)
IdN Magazine, Singapore (2013)
The Gold Coast Magazine (2013)
Formfiftyfive, Berlin (2013)
Oh 8 Blog, Australia (2013)
Aus Infront, Australia (2012 – 2014)
No Cure Magazine, Brisbane (2013)
Frankie Magazine (2013)
Collective Magazine, Gold Coast (2013)
The Native Press (2012)
InsideOut Magazine (2012)
Frankie Magazine (2010)
The Brag Magazine (2010)
Conferences
and talks:
ABC Radio, Townsville (2021)
Owners Collective, Byron Bay (2021)
Billy Blue Graduation Speaker, Sydney (2020)
Shillington Education Graduation, Sydney (2020)
Creative Mornings Brisbane Speaker (2018)
WIX Playground, NYC (2018)
OFFF Festival, Tel Aviv (2018)
TDK x ADR x NNC, Perth (2018)
#TDKtuesdays, Gold Coast (2018)
OFFF Barcelona (2018)
ING Creatives, Dubai (2018)
SYD Design Week x AGDA Pecha Kucha (2018) MEL Design Week x AGDA Pecha Kucha (2018)
GDEN Conference, Sheffield UK (2017)
The Future, Dublin (2017)
Creative Mornings Milwaukee key speaker (2016)
Ligature Conference, Florida (2016)
Jacky Winter JWGYTB, Melbourne (2015)
University lectures x200 globally (2011-2018)
Awards and achievements
AGDA Awards 2016 judge (2016)
University of Florida judge (2016)
Decks For Change judge (2016)
Top 33 Digital Influencers, Pedestrian TV (2015)
ISTD Awards judge (2014) AGDA Awards (2012)
Desktop Create Awards (2011)
Graphic Design Annual Gold (Frost*)
Create Awards finalist (2010)
AGDA Awards finalist (2008)
MADC Award Best Student (2008) Runner up,
Ignite Best Folio (2007) Finalist,
Lab 3000 Student Awards (2007)
Grenadi, Student of the Year (2004)
Companies I've worked with/for:
Heading up The Design Kids for 15 years
Graphic Designer at Frost*
Community building with Tractor Design School
Running events for Apple
Interviewing people in a teepee at Supergraph
Running side events for Semi Permanent
Shooting adventures for Herschel Supply Co
Curating the speakers at Creative Mornings MEL
Blogging for Australian Infront
Running exhibitions with Desktop Magazine
Lecturing at Shillington Education
Lecturing at Billy Blue College of Design
Designing award winning signage at Buro North
Community building at Inspire 9
Collaborating with AGDA
Running 10,000 people events for Finders Keepers
2025 SPAIN
Hiked half of the Camino De Santiago (El Norte)
2024 USA
Hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, 2650 miles from Mexico to Canada, with everything on my back for a 5 month hike
2023 MEXICO
I did a Silent Retreat for 5 days in the Oaxaca Mountains, meditating 14 hrs a day
2013 – 2018 GLOBAL
I completed a six year road trip to 33 different countries helping 500,000 emerging graphic designers find their way in the industry for my company The Design Kids
2002 – 2025
I've currently been to 92 countries solo + hand luggage only, and hoping to hit 100 next year. Only 100 left to go haha!
Other cool
stuff I've done
