Hi, I’m Caleb.

I’m a graphic designer based in Tāmaki Makaurau. I’ve got experience in graphic design, customer service and low-code development, and I like making things that look good and actually work, in print and on screen.

Caleb Dunthorne

What I do

Brand & identity

Logos, brand elements and guidelines that stay consistent from social posts to shop signage.

Digital & social

Shopify product pages, e-commerce assets and social campaigns.

Tools & automation

AppSheet apps and dashboards that save the team time and track what matters.

Tools

FigmaAdobe PhotoshopAdobe IllustratorAdobe XDAdobe AnimateAffinity DesignerAffinity PublisherAffinity PhotoShopifyAppSheetCanvaGoogle SheetsExcel

How I got here

I took the long way round to design. Every job along the way taught me something I still use, and they all come back to one thing: I like finding what’s not working and fixing it.

  1. Until 2017Tāmaki Makaurau

    Making things online

    I grew up on the North Shore and went to Glenfield College. Outside school I was always online making something: Photoshop edits, YouTube videos, game mods and my first websites. In Year 9 my IT teacher pulled me aside after class, showed me a Yoobee showreel and put me on their holiday programme. Spending whole days making album covers and learning InDesign really stuck.

    Me at 13
    Me at 13
    Me at 16
    Me at 16
    Baby me
    Baby me
  2. 2017 to 2019Tāmaki Makaurau

    Learning the craft

    I left school after Year 12 and went straight to Yoobee School of Design, first for a Certificate in Digital Media and then a Diploma in Web and Graphic Design. That’s where I properly learnt the Adobe tools and how to work to a brief, with real deadlines and real feedback. I built my first website there too.

    At Yoobee
    At Yoobee
    Friends at Yoobee
    Friends at Yoobee
    My first website
    My first website
  3. 2020Blenheim

    A fresh start

    After Yoobee I wasn’t ready for a design career yet, so I moved to Blenheim to grow up a bit. I DJed and bartended at night, did morning shifts at a gas station, and towards the end groomed rental cars in Picton. It’s where I learnt to stand on my own two feet.

    My brief DJ career
    My brief DJ career
  4. 2021 to 2022Rotorua

    Odd jobs and bikes

    In 2021 I moved back to Auckland for a year of car grooming, then down to Rotorua as an EFTPOS technician at Techlogic. After McDonald’s and another gas station job, I landed at Evo Cycles. That’s where I got into mountain biking, and where I designed info cards for the products in store.

    Back in Auckland
    Back in Auckland
    Rotorua
    Rotorua
    Out biking
    Out biking
  5. 2022 to nowTāmaki Makaurau

    Design on the job

    In 2022 I moved back to Auckland, met my girlfriend Lauren and started at Storm Rides. It’s a small business, so I got to try a bit of everything, and my design training kept coming in handy for in-store assets, ads and our social media. I also kept spotting processes that could work better, which is how I ended up building STRM, our workshop system. It was the first time my design skills were doing real work for a business.

    My bike
    My bike
    Lauren ❤️
    Lauren ❤️
    Maple 🐶
    Maple 🐶
  6. 2026Tāmaki Makaurau

    Back to study

    My plan was to build up experience at Storm Rides and then move into design full time, but I wanted more depth than I could pick up on the job. Talking with a friend who works as a UX/UI designer made me realise how much I still wanted to do this properly. So this year I started a Bachelor of Media Design at Media Design School, which has major pathways in Graphic, Motion and Interactive Design. I came in planning to major in Interactive, but I’ve realised graphic design is what I love most: making documents, posters and brands. Building websites and things people use is still something I enjoy, almost as a hobby.

    Starting at Media Design School
    Starting at Media Design School

Where I’ve worked

Graphic Designer & Frontline Support

Storm Rides

Oct 2022 to now

I design all the marketing and promo material, from brand elements and guidelines to social posts, digital signage and print. I also build AppSheet tools that track data for the service team, look after our Shopify product pages, set targets for the workshop and help run the showroom.

Graphic Designer

CMD Creative (freelance)

Jul 2023 to 2025

I did logos, branding and social content for small businesses, and handled each project myself, from the first brief to the final presentation, including talking to clients and doing revisions.

Retail Staff

Evo Cycles

Apr 2022 to Sep 2022

I got to combine my cycling hobby with customer service, and designed information cards for products in store.

What I’ve studied

Bachelor of Media Design

Media Design School · leaning towards the Graphic Design major

Now

Diploma in Web and Graphic Design

Yoobee School of Design · Auckland

2018 to 2019

Certificate in Digital Media

Yoobee School of Design · Auckland

2017 to 2018

Good design for good people

People first

Design should make everyday life easier or nicer, and never harm the people using it.

Honest, intentional work

No manipulating people, and no design that only exists to sell a bad product.

Credit where it’s due

Collaborators, designers and font makers get fair credit and fair pay.

Made for Aotearoa

Work that’s accessible and meaningful, and reflects the diverse people of Aotearoa, guided by Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Looking for a junior designer?

I’m looking for a junior or internship role at an agency. I’d love to have a chat.