Andy Shillington

Back in 1997 our design studio was screaming out for young designers/graduates who could jump straight into our studio and be productive immediately. It was an almost impossible task finding this talent so Shillington Education was born. From the outset we were determined that we were going to have a course that was focused on the needs of the industry. It would be no longer than absolutely necessary and it would ensure that the students graduating had a portfolio that was industry relevant and that they could confidently present it to their peers. I am very proud to say that that is what we did and I feel sure that that is what we continue to do today. We have over 11,000 Shillumni, our term for our grads, working in and running some of the best agencies in the world. Many run their own studios and many of those have done so in partnership with other Shillumni they met in their courses. Some are freelancing from their homes in far away places balancing families and other creative outlets. At a recent graduation I attended the mum of a gradate said to me, ‘Andy, do you remember me?’ I did, I taught her in 1999 and her daughter had just graduated. Our biggest challenge in recent times was converting from a fully on campus school to fully online. I admit that I questioned whether we could create the same intimacy and community online. My team eventually convinced me that we could and I am very pleased to say that they were right. I have now attended many online graduations and to see the work that is created and the friendships that have been forged with both fellow students and their teachers is wonderful. I’m thrilled the we have now added our 'motion course for designers' to our courses. Built on the same principles of live teaching, small classes, relevance and speed. It’s amazing to see where the industry has evolved too, the challenge is to keep up!