Hear straight from our graduates.
Although I was already practising as a designer, I had been primarily self-taught. I was curious what my blind spots were, since ‘you don’t know what you don’t know’. Shillington proved to be a relevant course that would push me to think conceptually across every medium.
Designer, Christopher Doyle & Co.
Stephen Grace
How did you land your role at Christopher Doyle & Co.?
Thanks! I followed Chris—founder of Christopher Doyle & Co—on social media and he put a call out for young designers right as I was finishing at Shillington. By the time I reached out he had already filled the role. After a brief bout of disappointment I got an email saying there was another spot available and inviting me to come in. He went through my portfolio and politely laughed at my jokes. We had a follow up chat over breakfast where we didn’t discuss design at all—we talked about family, music and Sydney. At the end of our breakfast rolls he graciously offered me the studio role. He’s incredibly down to earth, so—as cliche as it sounds—they didn’t feel like interviews at all, just conversations.
Before Shillington, you were a self-taught designer. Why did you decide to study at Shillington?
Before Shillington I was living in Adelaide. I actually grew up in the Barossa Valley, but wine-making was never in my blood. From school I had been interested in graphic design and had been doing little self-initiated projects and sharing them online. Post-school I started a law degree, which helped me realise how much I didn’t want to study law. I dropped out and was lacking a bit of direction when I got an email from a digital studio in Adelaide called Boylen. They had come across my work and wanted to talk. They amazingly took me on without ever having worked, let alone studied, as a designer. They shaped and mentored me into delivering real projects and working with clients. I’m always grateful to them for taking that chance because I can’t imagine doing anything else now.
Although I was already practising as a designer, I had been primarily self-taught. I was curious what my blind spots were, since ‘you don’t know what you don’t know’. I looked for a relevant course that would push me to think conceptually across every medium. My experience had leaned heavily in digital but I wanted to leave that cocoon and become a beautiful print and branding butterfly too.
How did you find juggling work and part-time study? Any tips for part-time students?
Honestly it was exhausting, there’s no sugar coating it. Towards the end of the course I took some time off work so I could fully throw myself into creating the portfolio I wanted. At times it felt like I wasn’t going to finish and I hated everything I had ever done, but I persevered and ultimately it got me the interview with Christopher Doyle & Co. Getting my Monday and Tuesday nights back after the course was an incredible feeling—it’s basically 30% more free time!
What was the biggest lesson from Shillington that will carry throughout your career?
How to make myself generate more ideas. The teachers forced us to sketch and sketch until our hands were sore and our brains were empty. It’s easy to fall in love with the first solution, but I’m learning the first idea may be too obvious or already done.
Visit Stephen’s website and read his full interview on the blog.
Although I was already practising as a designer, I had been primarily self-taught. I was curious what my blind spots were, since ‘you don’t know what you don’t know’. Shillington proved to be a relevant course that would push me to think conceptually across every medium.
Designer, Christopher Doyle & Co.
Stephen Grace
How did you land your role at Christopher Doyle & Co.?
Thanks! I followed Chris—founder of Christopher Doyle & Co—on social media and he put a call out for young designers right as I was finishing at Shillington. By the time I reached out he had already filled the role. After a brief bout of disappointment I got an email saying there was another spot available and inviting me to come in. He went through my portfolio and politely laughed at my jokes. We had a follow up chat over breakfast where we didn’t discuss design at all—we talked about family, music and Sydney. At the end of our breakfast rolls he graciously offered me the studio role. He’s incredibly down to earth, so—as cliche as it sounds—they didn’t feel like interviews at all, just conversations.
Before Shillington, you were a self-taught designer. Why did you decide to study at Shillington?
Before Shillington I was living in Adelaide. I actually grew up in the Barossa Valley, but wine-making was never in my blood. From school I had been interested in graphic design and had been doing little self-initiated projects and sharing them online. Post-school I started a law degree, which helped me realise how much I didn’t want to study law. I dropped out and was lacking a bit of direction when I got an email from a digital studio in Adelaide called Boylen. They had come across my work and wanted to talk. They amazingly took me on without ever having worked, let alone studied, as a designer. They shaped and mentored me into delivering real projects and working with clients. I’m always grateful to them for taking that chance because I can’t imagine doing anything else now.
Although I was already practising as a designer, I had been primarily self-taught. I was curious what my blind spots were, since ‘you don’t know what you don’t know’. I looked for a relevant course that would push me to think conceptually across every medium. My experience had leaned heavily in digital but I wanted to leave that cocoon and become a beautiful print and branding butterfly too.
How did you find juggling work and part-time study? Any tips for part-time students?
Honestly it was exhausting, there’s no sugar coating it. Towards the end of the course I took some time off work so I could fully throw myself into creating the portfolio I wanted. At times it felt like I wasn’t going to finish and I hated everything I had ever done, but I persevered and ultimately it got me the interview with Christopher Doyle & Co. Getting my Monday and Tuesday nights back after the course was an incredible feeling—it’s basically 30% more free time!
What was the biggest lesson from Shillington that will carry throughout your career?
How to make myself generate more ideas. The teachers forced us to sketch and sketch until our hands were sore and our brains were empty. It’s easy to fall in love with the first solution, but I’m learning the first idea may be too obvious or already done.
Visit Stephen’s website and read his full interview on the blog.
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