5 Years Since Shillington: Olivia Naden.

Childhood chaos and curiosity eventually led Olivia Naden to navigate a marketing career before finally embracing design. In this interview, Olivia reflects on her time at Shillington during the Covid pandemic, the lessons she learned balancing work, study and life.

She’s now carving out a path as a freelance designer with big plans for the future.

It's been 5 years Olivia, it's great to have you back!

Let’s go right back to the beginning. What did you want to be when you were younger?

Honestly, I don’t think there was too much concern about what I wanted to be when I grew up. Six-year-old Olivia was far more focused on wreaking havoc, making a mess, and pursuing her curiosity with a slight death wish. Think jumping into ponds, getting my head stuck between barriers, and dismantling toys just to see how they worked. Some might say not much has changed! But it was clear from early on that I was always going to end up doing something expressive that made me question ‘why?’

Did this continue into teenager years? What were you up to at school or in your spare time?

Not to sound like a sob story, but I never quite fitted in at school. You’d often find me at lunchtime in the art room painting, or tinkering away on a dodgy copy of Photoshop CS4. Outside of school, netball was my escape as I played at regional level. While I didn’t quite fit into the team clique, the life lessons I gained from it. Competitiveness, discipline in practice, resilience in the face of disappointment, and opportunism have stuck with me and shaped how I approach challenges to this day.

So..when did you know you wanted to go into a creative field?

It’s almost easier to explain when I didn’t choose creativity. When it came to picking a degree, I was torn between graphic design and marketing. I chose marketing at the time, thinking it was the safer, more well-rounded option. £27,000 well spent!

While I’m incredibly proud of graduating with a First from the University of Manchester, I found myself writing yet another quarterly SEO and PPC report and realised something was missing. After some reflection, all the signs pointed back to design: the chaotic creativity of my childhood, birthday invitations made in Microsoft Paint, and hours spent in the school project court. It all finally made sense, design was always the answer.

What were you up to before starting Shillington?

I was living it up in Altrincham with a generous marketing role at a fantastic company and working with great people. There were plenty of trips to the local wine bar, I travelled to South East Asia, and probably treated myself a bit too often. From the outside, it looked like I’d hit the jackpot but deep down, that nagging feeling of unfulfilment in my career wouldn’t go away. I knew something had to change, and it was worth the risk.

Oliva's Packaging project at Shillington, Soapbox.

What then made you decide to study at Shillington?

It actually started with a Facebook post I saw one lunchtime. I think it was a Grad Show, and I remember wishing I could create work like the pieces in the portfolios. After a bit of digging, the part-time course and Manchester location felt like the perfect fit. It meant I could keep my day job while doing Shillington in the evenings. Credit where it’s due, my employer at the time was brilliant and incredibly supportive when I decided to enrol.

How about the Shillington experience, how did you find it?

Pretty sure it was the first or second class when John Palowski teased me about laminating some homework I’d done! That, and his no-nonsense reminder that we had to put our pride aside and not take critique personally, something I really respected. That kind of shock factor stuck with me and kept me on top of my game. Honestly, I still think John is my biggest critic. Is it weird to say I have a mini version of him in my head, critiquing everything I design!?

The course started in person and all was going smoothly… until COVID hit. Suddenly we were catapulted into Slack, Notion, and Zoom. Fortunately, we were in the portfolio stage by then, so we could be fairly self-sufficient. Highlights include nearly burning my house down completing the handmade brief (turns out Monopoly money is highly flammable) and my ‘Cried During Portfolio tally on the wall (eight, if you’re wondering).

But it was all worth it. I walked away with a portfolio I was genuinely proud of. Beyond just technical skills, I learned how to meet deadlines, challenge briefs, and confidently sell my ideas to others.

What else were you juggling in life at the time?

COVID was a huge curveball. Not having that in-person feedback or the ability to bounce ideas off each other was tough, especially when we were all starting out in design. On top of that, I had to adjust to working from home in my day job, and just to keep things interesting, I was having a new kitchen fitted at the same time!

Despite all the chaos, our class stayed positive and really supported one another. Our WhatsApp group chat became a place to vent. Not just about design, but about life. I have to say, John and Mehul were brilliant during what must’ve been a pretty hectic time for them too.

We know it can be a really intense experience, would you do it anything differently if you could do it all over again?

For me, Shillington was like having a second job, one could argue I should’ve taken more breaks and prioritised a better work-life balance. My biggest piece of advice would be to stay organised and build in time for when things don’t go to plan creatively. Don’t be afraid to ask for help or say you’re struggling, your tutors are there to guide you, not to judge you.

Avoid falling into the trap of following trends and make sure your work is grounded in solid reasoning, not just aesthetics. Showing your rationale and process is what builds client confidence, not just pretty visuals.

Olivia's Editorial Shillington project, Resonate.

Do you still have a favourite piece from your Shillington portfolio?

The campaign brief is still one of my favourites. It was the moment I realised I could blend my marketing background with design. As it was an open brief, I created a dog first aid and CPR awareness campaign ( partly because of my slightly obsessive love for dogs!)

I also challenged myself to include illustration so I could show a range of styles in my portfolio. It was that little bit more satisfying to complete, especially since I created my own mockups using photos of my childhood dogs!

What are you doing for creative inspiration at the moment?

Most of my work lately has been website design, and I’ve really thrown myself into the digital space over the last 18 months. My bookmarks folder is bursting at the seams! I try to spend 20 minutes a day scrolling through the latest ‘Site of the Day’ picks and see what techniques I can experiment with in Figma.

Even though a lot of my work is online, I still make time to attend creative events in Manchester, listen to industry leaders, and connect with other designers. I’m even heading to the Config Figma conference in London this year with a fellow Shillington graduate and close friend, can’t wait!

What are the goals for next year?

I’ve recently taken the leap to go freelance, which is both terrifying and exhilarating! It’s been a steep learning curve, but I’m embracing the chaos and the late nights. My main goal is to find my feet with business ownership and get a good accountant along the way!

Creatively, I’ve got some exciting websites launching soon that I can’t wait to show off. I’d also love to explore 3D and maybe mentor a junior designer. I find I learn a lot through teaching, and it would be great to see how the next generation approaches briefs and find their inspiration.

Do you stay in touch with your fellow classmates?

All the time. Jess Mosoph at Dinosaur and Alex Pollitt, a brilliant freelancer, are my day-one Shillington mates. We’ve got a group chat where we bounce ideas around, share design content, and plan to meet up at events. It’s been amazing to watch them grow as designers over the last five years, and it really feels like we’ve been on this journey together as a trio.

I also have to mention Kitty Hopkins, another Shillington graduate. I worked closely with her at Future in Stockport, and she’s the reason I became so nerdy about website design. Her enthusiasm and infectious positivity have meant we’re still close friends to this day. And to really highlight how tight-knit the Shillington community is, I also learnt a great deal from Katie Mihailovits when I worked with her, she is a current Shillington teacher. Katie’s experience was incredibly valuable and helped me navigate some tricky client situations.

If you could dream up your perfect creative brief what would it be?

Anything dog-related, sign me up. I recently had a brief land to design a comic book e-commerce website, which has been a brilliant opportunity to get really creative with the design and experiment with new scrolling animations!

And finally, whats the 5 year plan?

It would be amazing to expand and potentially be laying the foundations for a team or studio of my own. If there’s an opportunity to travel while creating great work, that would be the dream. Whatever the future holds, my goal is to keep improving, learn from mistakes, take on advice from experienced figures in the industry, and embrace new technologies. I’ve taken a risk this year, and whatever comes of it, I’m proud to have given it a go and know I’ll come away with valuable experience.

As Olivia looks ahead to building her freelance business, exploring new creative mediums, and maybe even starting her own studio one day, one thing’s for sure: that spark of curiosity from her childhood is still very much alive.

And if her story is anything to go by, it’s only the beginning.

If you're curious to see how our Graphic Design course could change your journey, check it out here!