30 Years of Shillington: Andy Shillington.

Wow, I can’t believe we are turning 30. So much has changed and yet so much remains the same.

Shillington College (as it was then known) was started because the design industry was screaming out for graduates who could be useful to the studios and agencies from the day they graduated, able to take a brief, work under very tight deadlines and be able to think creatively. The industry is still screaming out for graduates who can think, work quickly and creatively.

Back when we started we were a print based course, today it is overwhelmingly digital with motion and clever use of AI becoming critical skills demanded and taught. What has not changed is that we still have no time to waste. All the student projects are still portfolio focused and there is still a creative process that is timeless and fundamental to creative outcomes. We never understood why the learning institutions that were and are still around were taking three years to teach what we were and still are doing in three months?

For me, that was and will always be the heart of Shillington. Small intimate classrooms where the students and teachers really know each other. It’s probably even more cosy now because we get to go into each other's living rooms and probably meet your dog or cat.

At a recent graduation a mum introduced herself to me as the mother of a student about to graduate in our graphics course. She said that her daughter had absolutely loved the course, then she said “do you remember me, Andy?” I thought for a bit and then realised that I did. I had taught her in one of our very first classes in Sydney back in the 90’s. Such lovely feedback.

Good luck everyone. Keep being brave. Dreams are there to be chased!

Andy Shillington - Founder