Hear straight from our graduates.
The course was intense but in a really good way. It’s fast-paced but because everyone else is in the same boat, there’s a nice support system from your fellow students.
In-House Designer, Brew Tea Co
Halah El Kholy
You studied on the full-time time course at our Manchester Campus. What was your experience of the course, any key takeaways you’d like to share?
The course was intense but in a really good way. It’s fast-paced but because everyone else is in the same boat, there’s a nice support system from your fellow students. The tutors (hi John & Ed!) are great and put you at ease straight away. They have a real love for design and their enthusiasm was infectious. The briefs are all well-chosen and cover a range of projects, but the difficulty ramps up pretty quick. Program shortcuts are your friend!
What was your background before studying at Shillington and would you recommend the course to others in a similar situation?
I’ve got a degree in Illustration, but had absolutely no idea how to translate that into commercial work. I had a bar job and told myself that I’d do creative work on the side, which of course only happened in drips. I’d definitely recommend Shillington to other people in my position—the course connects you with the wider design world and gives a lot of confidence when it comes to working in an actual studio.
You currently work as a designer for Manchester based company Brew Tea Co. What an exciting brand to work for! Can you tell us a bit about your role there?
Basically, I get paid to draw dinosaurs AND I never run out of amazing tea. I’m Brew’s first in-house designer, so I get to do all sorts of work that I normally wouldn’t. I work on everything from swanky new packaging, to our seasonal campaigns. There’s a lot of on-the-job learning, which I find very rewarding, and because it’s such a small company I feel like I’m making a difference there. It’s nice.
Do you think your time at Shillington prepared you for the expectations of industry?
Absolutely—if you can make it through portfolio week, you can make it through ‘need-this-yesterday’ deadlines. The course teaches you a lot about working in groups on creative projects, which I found invaluable because I was very much used to working solo. There’s also the technical side of the course, with insanely helpful software-focused days.
Visit Halah’s website and read her full interview on the blog.
The course was intense but in a really good way. It’s fast-paced but because everyone else is in the same boat, there’s a nice support system from your fellow students.
In-House Designer, Brew Tea Co
Halah El Kholy
You studied on the full-time time course at our Manchester Campus. What was your experience of the course, any key takeaways you’d like to share?
The course was intense but in a really good way. It’s fast-paced but because everyone else is in the same boat, there’s a nice support system from your fellow students. The tutors (hi John & Ed!) are great and put you at ease straight away. They have a real love for design and their enthusiasm was infectious. The briefs are all well-chosen and cover a range of projects, but the difficulty ramps up pretty quick. Program shortcuts are your friend!
What was your background before studying at Shillington and would you recommend the course to others in a similar situation?
I’ve got a degree in Illustration, but had absolutely no idea how to translate that into commercial work. I had a bar job and told myself that I’d do creative work on the side, which of course only happened in drips. I’d definitely recommend Shillington to other people in my position—the course connects you with the wider design world and gives a lot of confidence when it comes to working in an actual studio.
You currently work as a designer for Manchester based company Brew Tea Co. What an exciting brand to work for! Can you tell us a bit about your role there?
Basically, I get paid to draw dinosaurs AND I never run out of amazing tea. I’m Brew’s first in-house designer, so I get to do all sorts of work that I normally wouldn’t. I work on everything from swanky new packaging, to our seasonal campaigns. There’s a lot of on-the-job learning, which I find very rewarding, and because it’s such a small company I feel like I’m making a difference there. It’s nice.
Do you think your time at Shillington prepared you for the expectations of industry?
Absolutely—if you can make it through portfolio week, you can make it through ‘need-this-yesterday’ deadlines. The course teaches you a lot about working in groups on creative projects, which I found invaluable because I was very much used to working solo. There’s also the technical side of the course, with insanely helpful software-focused days.
Visit Halah’s website and read her full interview on the blog.
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