Hear straight from our graduates.
Studying at Shillington is up there with the best experiences of my life, and I can say that without even thinking about what it has done for my career.
Freelance Graphic Designer
Sinead Murphy
What does your typical day look like as a designer?
I run my own little design studio called Lovelock Studio in the lovely little seaside town of Port Fairy in Victoria. I usually take my dog for a walk on the river or to the beach, and start thinking about my jobs for the day before I look at any type of screen. Then I’ll do whatever I need to do on the internet before heading to my sans-wi-fi studio (sounds crazy I know, but it has actually been amazing for productivity and creativity!). I share a space with my fiancé who makes furniture so we help each other out with designs and critique each others ideas. I usually do a couple of hours for an animation client, developing concepts and/or storyboards, and I’m usually working on a branding project, which involves sketching until my hand falls off basically, and then refining from there. I do lots of document layouts, print designs, wedding stationery, meet with clients, liaise with printers and then work on personal projects when I need a break from the real things.
What do you love about design?
I love that each project I work on is completely different. Each brief is exciting for different reasons and I feel like the more whacky you get in your development stage, the more you learn. I love that doing all of the things that were once my hobbies-that-I-never-had-time-for, are what I do for work now every day.
How has your experience at Shillington shaped/influenced your career?
I would definitely not be able to work for myself had Shillington not provided a studio environment to work in, tight deadlines and covered content that is so relevant. I feel truly blessed having the amazingly talented and experienced lecturers we had, who pushed us the way that Creative Directors would in the real world. My design style has definitely been shaped by studying at Shillington too—you are encouraged to go nuts in the research and development stage but also taught how to to refine that into something that tells a relevant story to truly answer the brief. It also helped to develop my love of coffee and Friday night beers and break time hula hoop sessions.
Any advice for someone trying to decide if they should sign up for the course?
Studying at Shillington is up there with the best experiences of my life, and I can say that without even thinking about what it has done for my career. The friends I’ve made, the support and direction we were given, the skills we learnt and the sense of achievement I felt at the end of it were worth the outlay of funds 10 times over.
Visit Sinead’s website.
Studying at Shillington is up there with the best experiences of my life, and I can say that without even thinking about what it has done for my career.
Freelance Graphic Designer
Sinead Murphy
What does your typical day look like as a designer?
I run my own little design studio called Lovelock Studio in the lovely little seaside town of Port Fairy in Victoria. I usually take my dog for a walk on the river or to the beach, and start thinking about my jobs for the day before I look at any type of screen. Then I’ll do whatever I need to do on the internet before heading to my sans-wi-fi studio (sounds crazy I know, but it has actually been amazing for productivity and creativity!). I share a space with my fiancé who makes furniture so we help each other out with designs and critique each others ideas. I usually do a couple of hours for an animation client, developing concepts and/or storyboards, and I’m usually working on a branding project, which involves sketching until my hand falls off basically, and then refining from there. I do lots of document layouts, print designs, wedding stationery, meet with clients, liaise with printers and then work on personal projects when I need a break from the real things.
What do you love about design?
I love that each project I work on is completely different. Each brief is exciting for different reasons and I feel like the more whacky you get in your development stage, the more you learn. I love that doing all of the things that were once my hobbies-that-I-never-had-time-for, are what I do for work now every day.
How has your experience at Shillington shaped/influenced your career?
I would definitely not be able to work for myself had Shillington not provided a studio environment to work in, tight deadlines and covered content that is so relevant. I feel truly blessed having the amazingly talented and experienced lecturers we had, who pushed us the way that Creative Directors would in the real world. My design style has definitely been shaped by studying at Shillington too—you are encouraged to go nuts in the research and development stage but also taught how to to refine that into something that tells a relevant story to truly answer the brief. It also helped to develop my love of coffee and Friday night beers and break time hula hoop sessions.
Any advice for someone trying to decide if they should sign up for the course?
Studying at Shillington is up there with the best experiences of my life, and I can say that without even thinking about what it has done for my career. The friends I’ve made, the support and direction we were given, the skills we learnt and the sense of achievement I felt at the end of it were worth the outlay of funds 10 times over.
Visit Sinead’s website.
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