Hear straight from our graduates.
Shillington really did prepare me. Changing careers has been a whirlwind, and I am still in no doubt that it was the best decision I have made to date!
Designer, ThumbsUp
Andy Tharagonnet
Where are you working?
I am working for ThumbsUp a gift and gadget company. I am part of the in-house graphic design team that create the bespoke packaging for their bigger clients. Each varies but its always busy. I could be checking artwork from the factories, readying the artwork files to send for production, creating dieline cutters for new packaging, creating concepts for new packaging for clients or even mocking up some proposals of new products for future lines and season trends. If there is a job that needs a creative eye or hand, then the design team pitches in.
I’ve learnt a lot and have been able to show the company that Shillington graduates are more than ready to hit the ground running. The course really did prepare me, and since changing careers it’s been a whirlwind, I’m still without a single doubt that it was the best decision I have made to date!
Tell us about your time at Pentagram.
It was a week placement. The team really utilised me as they would a junior designer—there was no tea-making or photocopying. It was straight to work making changes to designs for a client on a live project following feedback they had received that morning. The experience really gave me a taste for studio life and made me more eager to get straight into a job.
What was the most surprising thing you learnt?
Just how much Shillington teaches you in three months and genuinely how it’s structured to get you studio ready, I was scared that I would be out of my depth, but I was more than fine. I felt confident doing everything that was asked of me—even the “boring jobs” were fun.
Why did you decide to take the plunge and enrol at Shillington?
I never intended to to work in IT, but kind of got stuck in a rut. I didn’t really enjoy the job. There was no job satisfaction, nothing spurring me on and no creativity. Each day was pretty much the same as the last so it came to the point where I thought “enough is enough” and decided to jump feet first into a new career. I had seen the course advertised and had been saving for it, but something had held me back, and I think that it was fear that I might not be good enough. However, as soon as the course started, I realised that enthusiasm and passion for design would carry me through until I perfected the skills that the course would teach me.
How did you feel celebrating at your Shillington Graduate Exhibition?
I think the overwhelming feeling was that of pride, not only for what I had achieved but also the rest of my classmates. The buzz in the gallery was electric and just looking around and seeing my friends showing off their work to friends, family and industry, made all the hard work and sleepless nights worthwhile.
Visit Andy’s website and read his full interview on the blog.
Shillington really did prepare me. Changing careers has been a whirlwind, and I am still in no doubt that it was the best decision I have made to date!
Designer, ThumbsUp
Andy Tharagonnet
Where are you working?
I am working for ThumbsUp a gift and gadget company. I am part of the in-house graphic design team that create the bespoke packaging for their bigger clients. Each varies but its always busy. I could be checking artwork from the factories, readying the artwork files to send for production, creating dieline cutters for new packaging, creating concepts for new packaging for clients or even mocking up some proposals of new products for future lines and season trends. If there is a job that needs a creative eye or hand, then the design team pitches in.
I’ve learnt a lot and have been able to show the company that Shillington graduates are more than ready to hit the ground running. The course really did prepare me, and since changing careers it’s been a whirlwind, I’m still without a single doubt that it was the best decision I have made to date!
Tell us about your time at Pentagram.
It was a week placement. The team really utilised me as they would a junior designer—there was no tea-making or photocopying. It was straight to work making changes to designs for a client on a live project following feedback they had received that morning. The experience really gave me a taste for studio life and made me more eager to get straight into a job.
What was the most surprising thing you learnt?
Just how much Shillington teaches you in three months and genuinely how it’s structured to get you studio ready, I was scared that I would be out of my depth, but I was more than fine. I felt confident doing everything that was asked of me—even the “boring jobs” were fun.
Why did you decide to take the plunge and enrol at Shillington?
I never intended to to work in IT, but kind of got stuck in a rut. I didn’t really enjoy the job. There was no job satisfaction, nothing spurring me on and no creativity. Each day was pretty much the same as the last so it came to the point where I thought “enough is enough” and decided to jump feet first into a new career. I had seen the course advertised and had been saving for it, but something had held me back, and I think that it was fear that I might not be good enough. However, as soon as the course started, I realised that enthusiasm and passion for design would carry me through until I perfected the skills that the course would teach me.
How did you feel celebrating at your Shillington Graduate Exhibition?
I think the overwhelming feeling was that of pride, not only for what I had achieved but also the rest of my classmates. The buzz in the gallery was electric and just looking around and seeing my friends showing off their work to friends, family and industry, made all the hard work and sleepless nights worthwhile.
Visit Andy’s website and read his full interview on the blog.
Lauren Danger Koste
Studio Manager at The Design Kids
Robyn M-C
Freelance Graphic Designer
Lauren Stevens
Freelance Graphic Designer/ Junior Designer at NRMA
Karen Liang
Learning Experience Designer at Standards Australia
Ayesha Mansour
Freelance Designer, Aah Yes Studio
Georgia Latham
Intern at Imagist
Natasha Michels
Designer at Nine Publishing and Creative Director at Sweaty City magazine
Mary Lin
Graphic Designer, Colette Werden
Carla Zimbler
VJ and Designer, Tszuj
Wyatt Welles
Freelance Graphic Designer
Sophie Bo Schmidt
Senior UX Consultant at PeakXD
Sivim Ly
Junior Graphic Designer at Loeffler Randall
Ben Thaler
Junior Designer at Common
Liam Speranza
Associate Design Manager at Tushy
Em Storey
Junior Designer, NU Creative
Natalie Taylor
Designer, Mobkoi
Ella Caseley
Winner of the Shillington x Champion Agency Scholarship
Oyinkan Karunwi
Founder at Aseda Design Agency
Sylvan Hillebrand
Midweight Creative at HarrimanSteel
Maria Vazquez
Freelance Designer and Art Director
Alessandra Conti
Designer, RAPP
Elizabeth Diffey
Freelance Graphic Designer, Spotify
Majo Crespo
Co-Founder and Strategic Designer, Facético
Lorenzo Mengolini
UX Designer, AKQA
Abbey Swinn
Designer, Frost*collective
Angeline Chan
Communications Specialist, The University of Melbourne
Julia Hoolahan
Art Director, Home Beautiful
Seyi Ogunlade
Freelance Graphic Designer and Photographer
Rory Knibbs
Designer, The Midnight Club
Jess Goodall
Digital Designer, Pistachio Design
Stephanie Halovanic
Creative Producer, &Walsh
Megan Voo
UX/UI & Content Designer, Ignite Online
Gerald Torto
Strategist, Re Agency
Eman Abdallah
Graphic & Experience Designer, KAIRO
Ariana Villegas
Designer, Simplecast
Ray Wong
Designer, Oink Creative
Johanna Hagenauer
Brand / Product Designer, Rexlabs
Kris Klein
Experience Design + Videography at AKQA
Emily Campos
UX Designer, Wix
Rawin Keo
Lead Graphic Designer, Dermalogica
Mark Osmond
Designer, Thumbs Up!
Vanessa Bertagnole
Graphic Multimedia Designer, Surf Life Saving Queensland
Araki Koman
Freelance Illustrator and Designer
Arwa Al-Salam
Designer, Human Appeal
Benny Hinman
Designer, Frost*collective
Em Stokes
Junior Designer, MOO
Veronica Humphris
Digital Designer, Mapway
Leila Bartholet
Designer, Chandelier
Jared Worthington
Designer at Media Playground
Alexandra Francis
Designer, Flow Creative
Benjamin Ngooi
Graphic Designer, Cox Architecture
Sophie Lord
Creative Director, Hello May
Khadijah Adbul Nabi
Freelance Graphic Designer
Frankie Young
Founder, Studio Neubau
Ella Donald & Charlotte Carnegie Brown
Co-Founders, Studio Duzi
Amy Forsyth
Graphic Designer, Alfresco Emporium
Jaira Adlawan
Senior Visual Designer, Sephora
Jamie Krups
Creative at Stab Magazine
Keiran McCann
Graphic Designer, Victoria’s Secret
Greg Bemis
Creative, Nike
Anastasiia Vinnichenko
Designer, ToyFight
Lori Beth Kaye
Senior Product Designer, The Iconic
Megan Dweck
Visual Designer, McKinsey & Company
James Freebairn
Junior Graphic Designer, Dark Mofo
Irina Manning
UX Designer, Manning Labs
Shannon Gordon
Designer, R/GA
Sinead Murphy
Freelance Graphic Designer
Lauren Koste
Freelance Designer and Craft Beer Specialist
Ani Monteleone
Designer, The Wall Street Journal
Caitlin Clancy
Designer, The New York Times
Miwako Suzuki
Integrated Creative Director
Linda Gao
Designer, HBO
Rachel Urquhart
Founder, Pony Gold Studio
Will Batrouney
Graphic Designer, Ignite Online
Ellie Pinney
Freelance Designer
Katie Lodge
Business Development Manager, Frost* collective
Joseph Lebus
Designer, Made Thought
Jordan Demetriou
Junior Designer, Principals
Hamish Snow
Product Designer, Rexlabs
Emily Somers
Founder, Bravery Co.
Eleanor Robertson
Designer, Paul Belford Ltd
Estefi Panizza
Junior Designer, Design Bridge
Erin Gale
Designer, Target
Kylie Meller
Founder, duosista Web and Graphic Design
Yarron Frauenfelder
Design Director
Bianca Chu
Senior Designer, eBay
Bianca Oggiano
Designer, FutureBrand
Alexander Rog
Junior Designer, oOh!
Christopher J Porter
Designer, I See Sea
Babeth Olde Hanter
Junior Art Director, SOV
Chrystal Christie
Photographer/Graphic Designer, One Round Entertainment
Tally Thompson
Graphic Designer, Awesome Creative
Dominika Stanczyk
Designer, Open Water
Lindsay Koffler
Graphic Designer, Refinery29
Amee Wilson
Art Director, Clemenger BBDO
Lily Moore
Designer at Sotheby’s
Braden Floris
Designer, GoFundMe
Ashley Ronning
Illustrator and Founder of Helio Press
Tahmena Lutfi
Digital Designer, Qantas and Jetstar Hotels
Anara Davletaliyeva
UX Designer and Developer, Appliances Online
Tiffany Yee
Designer, Forever 21
Amy Sheehan
Art Director, Insider Inc.
Emma Ladlow
Designer, University of Nottingham Students' Union
Alexis Waller
Design Director, R/GA
Halah El Kholy
In-House Designer, Brew Tea Co
Jess White
Junior Graphic Designer, Just Media Design
Bobby Hendry
Designer, Brilliant Logic
Jessica Bakker
Junior Graphic Designer, Beyond Communications
Lauren Dannenberg
Designer, Mary's Group
Arnold Omanyo
UX/UI Designer, Digital on Demand
Dawn Moloney
Founder, A Making Life
Miranda Mayne
Freelance Graphic Designer
Caroline Keefe
Freelance, Nickelodeon
Paul and Amoni Liddell
Graphic Designers, Westpac CX and Feel
Meredith Wallis
Designer, King & Partners
Ocki Magill
Founder, Letter Bug Studios
Victoire Scherer
Junior Graphic Designer, Neoscape
Anika George
Designer, AKQA
Liana Modolo
UX Designer, Rex Software
Kelly Hansen
Graphic Designer, Amazon Books
Mikel McCavana
Designer, Moment
Alexander Wu-Kim
Concept Creative, ANDPEOPLE Australia
Jing Ong
Designer, Autumn
Kirsten McColl
Designer, WH-O
Nicole Rogers
Designer, Birchbox
Pooja Dharia
Branding Designer, FCB Health
Erin Donati
Founder, Harley Quinn & Co.
Jackson Todd
Art Director, Van Der Zwaag
Andy Vargas
Designer, Bitâcora
Moshe Bien
Designer, Nucleus
Crystal Lin
Designer, DNA Design
Stephen Grace
Designer, Christopher Doyle & Co.
Eleanor Rogers
Letterpress Printer, Chapel Press
Andy Tharagonnet
Designer, ThumbsUp
Ben Peters
Freelance Graphic Designer
Brad Holten
Designer, Big Idea
Natalia Baker
Freelance Graphic Designer
Molly Sitter
Studio Designer, Spring St. Social Society
Guy Pittard
Freelance Graphic Designer
Bea Sambalido
Freelance Graphic Designer
Peta Harris
Graphic Designer, Macquarie University
Oceane Combeau
Designer, Fernand et Firmin
Anna Mullin
Illustrator, Sneaky Racoon
Theo Witrylak
Visual Designer, EPAM
Stephanie Antill
Founder, St Clement Creative
Paul McKie and Myles Sharpe
Directors, Autumn
Pete Conforto
Designer, For The People
Roo Cassels
Designer, Big Fish
Nicol Reid
Founder, Little Creative
James Birks
Freelance Illustrator and Designer
David Scott
Designer, The Mix
Jane Durlacher
Graphic Designer, Paper Stone Scissors
Rachel Lee
Freelance Graphic Designer
Janno Saft
Founder, frank wo
Sean Raynor
Designer, Watermark Studio
Vanessa Burgess
Graphic Designer, Tritium
Olivier Adam
Freelance Graphic Designer
Cari Sekendur
Art Director, LMNOP Creative
Alexandra Menzies
Freelance Graphic Designer
Margherita Baldi
Freelance Visual Designer
Tim Jones
Brand Experience Director, venturethree
Carla Scotto
Freelance Graphic Designer
Meg Walker
Designer, Milkshake
Christina Capetola
Designer at Wayfair
Louise Hamer
Design Lead, We Are Empire
Ina Estrada
Founder, Par Vous Designs
Sam Jacobs
Senior Designer, Time Inc.
Ulrika Johnson
Designer, Fantasia Accessories
Henriette van Baren
Graphic Designer, ABC Carpet & Home
Charly Tudor
Graphic Designer, Holdens
Lola Irwanto
Graphic Designer, Princess Polly