Welcome. Put your feet up. Care for a wine? It is a lovely shiraz.
Now that you’re comfortable, let me introduce myself. My name is Mitch Hawkins. I am a Newcastle based freelance designer who goes by the dual identity the Ginger Ninja.
Why the Ginger Ninja? Well, you can read more about my origin story by clicking here. Today I am here to explain why I made the move to consolidate my online presence.
For the past five years I have traded under the name Turboface. Turboface was a name my brother and I came up with. It became the name for our joint venture. A side business for myself while I worked full-time but for my brother it was a way to get some work and experience under his belt, to build up a portfolio and land a full time gig in the competitive design industry. When my brother moved to the Gold Coast he was able to get a great job with Peas in a Pod because his talent was able to be put to use. I couldn’t have been more proud of him. It did mean however that I would now be the sole Turboface.
I stuck with the name for a few years after my brother left (I mean, I had the business cards after all) but it never felt right, it never felt like me. I felt it no longer represented me as a freelance designer. Being freelance is hard when you have a full time job, you’re trying not to step on your employers toes but at the same time trying to get a couple of small gigs helping out friends and family who don’t require a full agency to do their work. As my full time job began to move into the more niche area of Search Engine Optimisation and digital marketing I felt more comfortable offering my skills to do more affordable work for small businesses.
So it came time to retire Turboface. It was fun but it served its purpose. I have decided to now promote my freelance skills as the Ginger Ninja. GingerNinja.com.au was originally the name of my personal blog where I would write my silly stories and some inane musing (of which you can read here) that I didn’t want on my professional Turboface website. But I couldn’t help but feel that it was that personality, that light heartedness, that is what made me approachable as a designer.
So here I am, the Ginger Ninja. Ready to help with all your businesses digital needs. New website? I can sort you out. Impressive logo and design work? I’m your man. Need help branding your social media? No worries. Contact me about whatever your need. I look forward to hearing from you.
You going to finish that wine?
