Hello! I'm Danie
I'm a Melbourne-based creative with a foundation in Graphic Design.
For the past three decades, I have also developed my passions as a maker, photographer, ceramicist, and food lover. Real magic happens when these worlds come together.
I love food, and especially love cooking and sharing meals with friends and family around a communal table. Food is a predominant theme in both my work and home life!
I have extensive experience across a wide variety of creative projects, including cookbook design, brand identities, food packaging, web design, DIY craft projects, and photography for food, restaurant and product. I also founded Blank Goods, a craft supplies business, which fuelled my passion for hands-on making.
This experience gave me great insight into the challenges that small business owners encounter.
I'm dedicated to providing impactful, purposeful and meaningful creative solutions while building genuine and supportive relationships with my clients (Some clients have been with me for more than 20 years!)
I thrive on working with big hearted people who are also passionate about what they do. If you’re interested in working with me, I would love to hear from you.
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CONTACT ME
Hello! I'm Danie
I'm a Melbourne-based creative with a foundation in Graphic Design. For the past three decades, I have also developed my passions as a maker, photographer, ceramicist, and food lover. Real magic happens when these worlds come together.
I love food, and especially love cooking and sharing meals with friends and family around a communal table. Food is a predominant theme in both my work and home life!
I have extensive experience across a wide variety of creative projects, including cookbook design, brand identities, food packaging, web design, DIY craft projects, and photography for food, restaurant and product. I also founded Blank Goods, a craft supplies business, which fuelled my passion for hands-on making. This experience gave me great insight into the challenges that small business owners encounter.
I'm dedicated to providing impactful, purposeful and meaningful creative solutions while building genuine and supportive relationships with my clients (Some clients have been with me for more than 20 years!)
I thrive on working with big hearted people who are also passionate about what they do. If you’re interested in working with me, I would love to hear from you.
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My creative services include:
CONTACT ME
Art, Image & Craft
Photography
Styling and props
Art Direction
Illustration / Image making
Ceramics
DIY Crafts
Creative Services
Design
Book & Publication Design
Packaging Design
Print design
Marketing collateral
Print management
Digital
Website Design (Squarespace, Showit & Shopify)
Email newsletters
Social media branding
Brand Strategy -
(Defining who you are, your audience, your brand message, your business goals and a plan how to accomplish them.)
Brand identity -
(Perception of your company to the outside world – how you look, sound and make people feel.)
Brand identity services include:
– Logo design
– Colour
– Typopography / font palettes
– Bespoke patterns + illustrations
– Brand tone of language, key messaging + copywriting
Brand Strategy -
(Defining who you are, your audience, your brand message, your business goals and a plan how to accomplish them.)
Brand identity -
(Perception of your company to the outside world – how you look, sound and make people feel.)
Brand identity services include:
– Logo design
– Colour
– Typopography / font palettes
– Bespoke patterns + illustrations
– Brand tone of language, key messaging + copywriting
Design
Book & Publication Design
Packaging Design
Print design
Marketing collateral
Print management
Digital
Website Design (Squarespace, Showit & Shopify)
Email newsletters
Social media branding
Art, Image & Craft
Photography
Styling and props
Art Direction
Illustration / Image making
Ceramics
DIY Crafts
As a multi-passionate creative, I bring a diverse mix of skills — from design and photography to ceramics, craft and food — to produce unique, strategic solutions. My process always begins with getting to know you and understanding your business, audience, needs and goals. Let’s chat about how I can support your next creative project.
''We have been working with Danie since 2002, and she has been a true partner in our business. Not only has she expertly designed our packaging and website, but her strategic insights have been invaluable in shaping our brand. Danie’s role has gone far beyond that of a designer—she has consistently gone above and beyond, helping us overcome countless challenges over the years.
Her unwavering dedication, passion for thorough research, and attention to detail have been nothing short of exceptional. We deeply value not only her outstanding work but also her ongoing support and commitment to our success. Danie’s contributions have played a pivotal role in our growth, and we couldn’t recommend her highly enough to any business seeking a talented, dependable, and truly invested designer.''
Monique & Glen Ueckerman, LARDERFRESH
''As the owner of Melbourne's iconic Donovans Restaurant for the past 29 years, I have had the pleasure of working closely with Danie. Her commitment to Donovans has been instrumental to our growth and success. More importantly, Danie has helped us build lasting connections with our customers, fostering loyalty—a dream for any business owner.
Danie developed Donovans brand look and feel, brand strategy, web design and social media identity. She also produced high-quality, engaging photography and video content that captures the essence of Donovans, from food photography to our personality and story.
Her expertise also includes creating seasonal marketing strategies and business collateral that keep our customers engaged year-round.
Danie’s creativity extends to our publications, including the design of our first book, Salute: Food, Wine, Travel in Southern Italy with Penguin Books, as well as the design, photography, and writing of our three Donovans' Year Books, which truly capture the heart of our restaurant.
Danie has brought our branding to life, making it resonate with our community. I highly recommend Danie Pout to anyone considering a partnership with her.''
Gail Donovan, DONOVANS RESTAURANT
''I recently had the pleasure of working with Danie, who I employed to photograph my range of greeting cards. I also needed some help and advice about Instagram and what is involved in starting an account. Danie went above and beyond this brief. She had so many great ideas about how to best showcase my cards, and her styling and props for the photo shoot were exactly what I had hoped for.
Danie’s enthusiasm is infectious, and she genuinely cares about what she does and the people she works with. For these reasons it was a no-brainer to turn to Danie to help me grow my business! She is talented, creative, kind and generous with her time. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Danie to those wanting to grow their creative business.''
Kate Richmond, ELLY OAK
Sunroom Studio is a welcoming, safe and inclusive space with a purpose of providing the therapeutic benefits of making art while nurturing a sense of belonging and community.
This warm and vibrant workshop space offers a diverse range of art-based classes through supporting local artists and teachers. Sunroom studio provides a unique space for individuals to explore their creativity and find solace in the process and that thrives on creativity, collaboration, and mutual growth
Lovely, relaxing environment with helpful staff who taught us about hand building techniques while encouraging us to do our own thing, reassuring us that whatever we create will be a unique expression of ourselves, no right or wrong. Looking forward to picking up our finished products in a few weeks time. It definitely was fun.
I really LOVE this space! Signing the lease for this cosy 35sqm studio in 2021 was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
We gave it new life by removing partitions and tearing up the old carpet. With my family’s help, we took on the challenge of scraping and steaming away 50 years of black carpet glue before grinding the concrete floor. After sealing the floor and painting the walls, the studio was ready for its fresh start.
The studio is more than I hoped for — a sanctuary where I can soak in the morning light and take a moment to breathe. It’s a place to reflect, unwind, and dive into creative projects.
The studio comes to life when friends gather for coffee, cake, lunches, and long chats around the old-school art room tables (a Facebook Marketplace find!). With music playing (often Simon & Garfunkle!) while playing with clay, enjoying gooey cheese with a glass of Pinot Noir and browsing the shelves filled with inspiring books.
It's a true haven, and I'm excited to share this special space with you.
The Studio
A special gift
My friends and family know how much I love my studio space, so when I received the most incredible gift for my milestone birthday, I was completely blown away. It was such a special surprise. Anna Walker, a dear friend since our university days, is an incredibly talented children's book illustrator and maker. Her beautifully crafted story houses, filled with tiny magical worlds and hand-made scenes, are truly something special. And for my birthday, Anna made a story house just for me! It’s a miniature version of my studio, complete with a little scene featuring my cat, Mojo. It's absolutely magical!
The detail is incredible. I love there's a mini Portuguese tart - one of my faves to have with coffee. Above all, I am touched that a friend has spent so much time and love making something for me. Thank you Anna!
An arty history
When I moved into the studio, I was thrilled to discover that Melbourne artist Robert Clinch had been the previous tenant for 15 years! Intrigued, I did some research and was amazed by what I found.
Robert Clinch is a renowned Australian artist, celebrated for his meticulous technique, imagination and distinctive style. His egg-tempera paintings are known for their incredible detail and subtle surrealism, often featuring his signature paper planes against serene cityscapes—it's fun to spot familiar Melbourne landmarks in his work.
I even found some interview footage of Robert working in this very studio and took a screenshot. It turns out we both sit in the same spot under the left window — so great!
Robert Clinch, 24 Variations On A Theme By Paganini, 1991, Gouache/Watercolour/Drybrush
92cm x 148cm
Robert Clinch, Solitary, 2008, egg tempera on panel, 45 x 91cm
Robert Clinch, Spartacus, 2013, pure egg tempera on panel, 107cm x 105cm