How Tim Walter Found His Creative Direction at Shillington.

After graduating from Shillington in July 2025, Tim Walter moved into a fast-paced design studio role in Bristol. Here, he reflects on the creative risks, mindset shifts and hands-on process that helped him get there.

Before studying graphic design at Shillington, Tim Walter was already working creatively, just in a different medium.

“I was mainly doing video production at quite a low level,” he says. “So I had a little bit of knowledge with moving pixels around screens, but I had a real interest and love for graphic design.”

That interest quickly turned into action. After hearing about Shillington from a graphic designer friend, Tim made what he describes as a “short, sharp decision” to take the plunge. Within days, he’d committed to the course.

Tim's Company Rebrand project at Shillington, Lift Off.

It was a significant step, especially because his previous experiences with education hadn’t left him feeling inspired.

“I didn’t really enjoy school at all,” he explains.

“I got out of it as soon as I could.”

But Shillington felt different. It wasn’t about following a traditional academic path. It was about immersing himself in a creative discipline, learning by doing, and building a future that felt genuinely exciting.

That clarity of purpose shaped Tim’s experience from day one. He arrived knowing why he was there and what he wanted to get from the course. And over the three months, that focus helped him push through one of the biggest challenges many emerging designers face: learning how to trust the process.

One project in particular became a turning point.

For a rebrand brief, Tim chose a local pizzeria called Diana Pizza. A place he described as serving “incredible pizza” but lacking the visual identity to match. “It doesn’t get the custom that it deserves,” he says, “because it looks like you’re going to get murdered when you go in there.”

The goal was to create something more inviting, energetic and memorable. His concept centred on the joy of opening a pizza box, which led to the brand idea Lift Off. Complete with messaging like Unbox the heat, cue the joy.

But getting to the final design was far from straightforward.

“This was almost the most love-hate project at points. I was just looking at what I had on the screen, just thinking, I can’t stand this.”

While parts of the identity were working, especially the typography and logo lockup, something still felt off. The missing piece was colour. Tim found himself returning again and again to his mood boards, revisiting references, testing new directions and resisting the urge to force a solution too early.

Eventually, a breakthrough came from an earlier visual reference that had more energy and playfulness. From there, the project evolved into an Italo disco-inspired direction, full of fuchsia pinks, electric greens and a sense of fun that finally matched the concept. It was bold, strange, commercially relevant and full of personality.

Tim's Comedy Festival project at Shillington, A Belly Full of Laughs:

Just as importantly, it taught Tim something deeper about design.

“One of the hardest things pre-Shillington, and occasionally still now, is going into a project and thinking of the final result before I’ve even begun to play around,” he says. “This made me realise that I shouldn’t be afraid of not having the final outcome straight away. I should relish in the experimentation.”

That willingness to experiment, step back and rethink became a defining part of his creative development. Instead of seeing uncertainty as a weakness, Tim began to recognise it as part of the work. Not knowing where an idea will land can be uncomfortable, but it can also lead somewhere better than expected.

That mindset has proved especially valuable since graduating.

Today, Tim works at design studio Pretty Good in Bristol, in a role that draws together his long-standing interests in music, art direction and visual storytelling. The pace is fast, the expectations are high, and the deadlines are often tight. But rather than feeling overwhelmed, he sees Shillington as the ideal training ground.

For Tim, one of the biggest takeaways from the course was learning not to overprotect ideas. Strong concepts don’t always arrive fully formed, and early iterations don’t need to be polished to be useful. “The iterations can be as basic as hell,” he says. “If it’s a good iteration, you’ll be able to see it.”

That ability to move quickly, explore multiple routes and stay open-minded is something the design industry values deeply and it’s something prospective students often underestimate. Design isn’t about waiting for perfect inspiration. It’s about showing up, testing ideas, refining your thinking and building confidence through practice.

Looking back, Tim describes joining Shillington as one of the best decisions he’s made.

For those three months, he was all in. In fact, on the day of his twin brother’s wedding, Tim was still studying with Shillington until the moment he had to leave for the ceremony.

That story says a lot about his commitment but it also captures something important about the experience itself. When you find the right creative environment, learning stops feeling passive. It becomes energising, immersive and transformative.

Tim came to Shillington with a love of design, a background in video, and a sense that he wanted something more. He left with a portfolio, a new role in the industry, and a creative process he trusts.

For anyone considering a future in design, Tim's story is a reminder that you don’t need to have everything figured out before you begin. Sometimes the most important thing is simply to start and let the process take you somewhere new.