Hear straight from our graduates.
Studying online exceeded my expectations. We were always connected as classmates and to the teachers throughout the day.
Designer, OnThree
Becky Dore
Why Shillington? What made our design course stand out from the rest?
I’d known about Shillington for a number of years and had always wanted to pursue it, but the timing was never right for me until more recently. I knew of designers who had come through the course and then gone on to have a career in the industry—that was a big part of why I felt it was the right course for me to do. I wanted something that would be rigorous but wouldn’t take a long time, so the full-time option was perfect.
You studied on our January 2021 full-time course in London—which coincided with a pretty strict lockdown in the UK. What was your experience of the course in lockdown like? Was there benefits to learning online?
Studying online exceeded my expectations. I was hoping to be able to go in, but I felt that the teachers handled the online learning experience very well. They had some nifty digital tools in place and everything ran smoothly. I felt that they made an extra effort to help us get to know all of our classmates at the start of the course, which helped to quell any nerves about joining a class online. We were always connected as classmates and to the teachers throughout the day.
What was your favourite brief on the course? Tell us your process!
It has to be the corporate identity brief. This was what you would call a ‘dream brief’ basically! We were each given a city and an architect, then we had to use the design process we’d been taught to research and create an identity for a new events venue. I love the initial research phase so enjoyed looking at competitors, understanding the city (I was given Barcelona) and the audience.
It was engaging to conceive big ideas, to present them to the class, to decide which idea to move forwards with and to then design the brand rollout. Having to give a reason for every decision you made was an awesome learning process.
And did it help you on the course at all? Had you built any experience with design from your previous jobs?
I did not have any direct design experience prior to the course, but have worked in more administrative roles within the creative sector and maintained a strong interest in graphic design. This helped a lot; just having a keen interest in what’s happening in the design world and maintaining a desire to learn.
Finally, as a graduate, if you could give one piece of advice to someone starting at Shillington, what would it be?
Massive cliche but just enjoy it and get stuck in. The time goes really quickly. And, in more stressful or time-pressed moments (perhaps during portfolio time) just remember why you wanted to do the course in the first place and you will be fine! If you give it your all, it will pay off in the end.
Check out Becky’s website and read her full interview on the blog.
Studying online exceeded my expectations. We were always connected as classmates and to the teachers throughout the day.
Designer, OnThree
Becky Dore
Why Shillington? What made our design course stand out from the rest?
I’d known about Shillington for a number of years and had always wanted to pursue it, but the timing was never right for me until more recently. I knew of designers who had come through the course and then gone on to have a career in the industry—that was a big part of why I felt it was the right course for me to do. I wanted something that would be rigorous but wouldn’t take a long time, so the full-time option was perfect.
You studied on our January 2021 full-time course in London—which coincided with a pretty strict lockdown in the UK. What was your experience of the course in lockdown like? Was there benefits to learning online?
Studying online exceeded my expectations. I was hoping to be able to go in, but I felt that the teachers handled the online learning experience very well. They had some nifty digital tools in place and everything ran smoothly. I felt that they made an extra effort to help us get to know all of our classmates at the start of the course, which helped to quell any nerves about joining a class online. We were always connected as classmates and to the teachers throughout the day.
What was your favourite brief on the course? Tell us your process!
It has to be the corporate identity brief. This was what you would call a ‘dream brief’ basically! We were each given a city and an architect, then we had to use the design process we’d been taught to research and create an identity for a new events venue. I love the initial research phase so enjoyed looking at competitors, understanding the city (I was given Barcelona) and the audience.
It was engaging to conceive big ideas, to present them to the class, to decide which idea to move forwards with and to then design the brand rollout. Having to give a reason for every decision you made was an awesome learning process.
And did it help you on the course at all? Had you built any experience with design from your previous jobs?
I did not have any direct design experience prior to the course, but have worked in more administrative roles within the creative sector and maintained a strong interest in graphic design. This helped a lot; just having a keen interest in what’s happening in the design world and maintaining a desire to learn.
Finally, as a graduate, if you could give one piece of advice to someone starting at Shillington, what would it be?
Massive cliche but just enjoy it and get stuck in. The time goes really quickly. And, in more stressful or time-pressed moments (perhaps during portfolio time) just remember why you wanted to do the course in the first place and you will be fine! If you give it your all, it will pay off in the end.
Check out Becky’s website and read her full interview on the blog.
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