Hear straight from our graduates.
Creativity is not something that can be taught. It’s either there or it’s not. But I do believe it can be nurtured, and the technical skill that’s needed for the real world can be honed. Shillington is the perfect environment for that.
Creative Director, Hello May
Sophie Lord
Where do you work?
I run Hello May, a bridal magazine for the creatively-inclined, Etsy-loving, non-bridal bride. I founded the magazine in 2012. Hello May is jam-packed full of fashion, DIY and real weddings, and focuses heavily on the talented humans that make up the creative side of the wedding industry. Graphic artists that branched off into designing wedding invitations, fine art and fashion photographers that dabble in shooting weddings on the weekends, production designers that have turned to styling and event planning … that kind of thing.
What do you love about magazine design?
I love that you’re just given a bunch of Word documents and photos and it is down to you to put all that content together in a way that will draw a reader in and take them on a journey cover to cover. Technical skill is really important. I can spot something that is 1mm out from a mile away! Margins, column widths and clear navigation are all extremely important, and consistency is key. There’s nothing worse than reading a magazine and not knowing if a feature has ended and another has begun. That leads to a very frustrated reader who won’t be picking up your magazine again. Reading a magazine is meant to be relaxing!
Most of all, I love that, at the end of the deadline, and after a whole heap of blood, sweat and tears, you have a tangible product that you can hold in your hands. When we get the preview copy back from the printers there’s always that moment of “Shit, I made this magazine!” It’s a pretty cool feeling!
Any advice to graduating students?
Get all the experience you can. If you know someone in the industry then heckle them like crazy about coming in to the office and working for free. You want to be there when a job becomes available because you’ll be the first person they think of! That’s how I got my start and that’s how the majority of my magazine friends started out too. If you don’t know anyone, persistence is key. I know there’s a lot of negativity around internships and unpaid work. Look at it this way: you’re getting paid in valuable experience. Just be careful that you’re not used and abused.
Another great tip for those looking to get into the big bad world of publishing is to intern at smaller publications with smaller staff numbers. Trust me. It’s the difference between spending six months getting coffee, opening mail and cleaning out the fashion cupboard or spending those six months actually designing pages and learning about the production and the pre-press process and how to mark up a proof and lay out a feature.
But the most valuable piece of advice I can give is just be a nice human being. Nobody wants to share an office with an a**hole.
Creativity is not something that can be taught. It’s either there or it’s not. But I do believe it can be nurtured, and the technical skill that’s needed for the real world can be honed. Shillington is the perfect environment for that.
Creative Director, Hello May
Sophie Lord
Where do you work?
I run Hello May, a bridal magazine for the creatively-inclined, Etsy-loving, non-bridal bride. I founded the magazine in 2012. Hello May is jam-packed full of fashion, DIY and real weddings, and focuses heavily on the talented humans that make up the creative side of the wedding industry. Graphic artists that branched off into designing wedding invitations, fine art and fashion photographers that dabble in shooting weddings on the weekends, production designers that have turned to styling and event planning … that kind of thing.
What do you love about magazine design?
I love that you’re just given a bunch of Word documents and photos and it is down to you to put all that content together in a way that will draw a reader in and take them on a journey cover to cover. Technical skill is really important. I can spot something that is 1mm out from a mile away! Margins, column widths and clear navigation are all extremely important, and consistency is key. There’s nothing worse than reading a magazine and not knowing if a feature has ended and another has begun. That leads to a very frustrated reader who won’t be picking up your magazine again. Reading a magazine is meant to be relaxing!
Most of all, I love that, at the end of the deadline, and after a whole heap of blood, sweat and tears, you have a tangible product that you can hold in your hands. When we get the preview copy back from the printers there’s always that moment of “Shit, I made this magazine!” It’s a pretty cool feeling!
Any advice to graduating students?
Get all the experience you can. If you know someone in the industry then heckle them like crazy about coming in to the office and working for free. You want to be there when a job becomes available because you’ll be the first person they think of! That’s how I got my start and that’s how the majority of my magazine friends started out too. If you don’t know anyone, persistence is key. I know there’s a lot of negativity around internships and unpaid work. Look at it this way: you’re getting paid in valuable experience. Just be careful that you’re not used and abused.
Another great tip for those looking to get into the big bad world of publishing is to intern at smaller publications with smaller staff numbers. Trust me. It’s the difference between spending six months getting coffee, opening mail and cleaning out the fashion cupboard or spending those six months actually designing pages and learning about the production and the pre-press process and how to mark up a proof and lay out a feature.
But the most valuable piece of advice I can give is just be a nice human being. Nobody wants to share an office with an a**hole.
Becky Dore
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Shireen Roy
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Daniele Regan
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Jeremy Somers
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Darsh Seneviratne
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Ximena Jimenez
Graphic Designer, The Multicultural Centre for Women's Health
Karina Aslikyan
Freelance Graphic Designer for Music
Ayesha Mansour
Freelance Designer, Aah Yes Studio
Georgia Latham
Designer & Strategist, Imagist
Mary Lin
Freelance Graphic Designer
Sophie Bo Schmidt
Freelance UX, Visual & Web Designer
Ben Thaler
Senior Brand Designer, Common
Liam Speranza
Art Director, THE CHARLES
Natalie Taylor
Designer, Mobkoi
Oyinkan Karunwi
Founder & Brand Strategist, Aseda Design Agency
Elizabeth Diffey
Freelance Graphic Designer, Kate McLeod
Rory Knibbs
Designer, The Midnight Club
Stephanie Halovanic
Writer, Pinterest
Eman Abdallah
Graphic & Experience Designer, KAIRO
Mark Osmond
Lead Designer, Whalar
Araki Koman
Freelance Illustrator and Designer
Veronica Humphris
Digital Designer, Mapway
Benjamin Ngooi
Visual Designer, Great Wrap
Khadijah Adbul Nabi
Creative Director & Brand Strategist, Ya Khadijah
Ella Donald & Charlotte Carnegie Brown
Co-Founders, Duzi Studio
Jamie Krups
Design & Communications Manager, BALNCE
Megan Dweck
Senior Design Lead, McKinsey & Company
Miwako Bishop
Regional Creative Director, The Great Room
Eleanor Robertson
Middleweight Designer, Here Design
Kylie Meller
Founder, duosista Web and Graphic Design
Babeth Olde Hanter
Desiger, Doop
Ashley Ronning
Illustrator and Founder, Helio Press
Anara Davletaliyeva
Product Designer, PLAYGROUND XYZ
Amy Sheehan
Design Director, Dotdash
Alexis Waller
Creative Director, For The People
Arnold Omanyo
Freelance Digital Designer
Kelly Hansen
Content Manager, Outreach
Stephen Grace
Senior Designer, Christopher Doyle & Co.
Bea Sambalido
Co-Founder & Creative Director, Renegade Folk
Peta Harris
Graphic Designer, Macquarie University
Pete Conforto
Senior Designer, Canva
Rachel Lee
Freelance Graphic Designer
Olivier Adam
Freelance Graphic Designer
Meg Walker
Freelance Digital Designer
Ina Estrada
Founder & Creative Director, Par Vous Designs