Hear straight from our graduates.
It took me a year and 1000 packs of instant noodles to save up for Shillington, but I did.
Founder, frank wo
Janno Saft
Why did you decide to study at Shillington?
In the beginning of the third year at University I decided to take a year off (never returned) to figure out what else is there in the world. In 2006 I took a flight to Melbourne and it was an eye opener. The art scene there was and is insane. I went out almost every day to search artworks around the city. The stencils were my favourites. That was the moment I acknowledged that this is my thing also.
Google told me that I have to go to Shillington College. Best short-term design school in Australia (visa restrictions). My bank account told me that I should start building a cardboard house. So I took a train ticket outside from the city and got myself a job that includes a lot of blisters and hate. I was so into making it, that I totally zoned out from the life I had. In every few months I did sent a text to my mom “I am alive” and she replied “I know”. Some of my friends thought that I am dead. So thanks to Google I made my decision. It took me a year and 1000 packs of instant noodles (Shin Ramyun) to save up for Shillington, but I did.
You graduated from Shillington 10 years ago. Walk us through your creative journey since then!
I took a flight back to Estonia only few days after graduation and at the end of the week I already had a job: Junior designer at Y&R. I was so happy and full on confident. I am officially a graphic designer…but in an advertising agency. At that time I never thought that there is such a big difference between design studio vs. advertising agency. I went there to do identity design, but thanks to my pen-tool skills I ended up cutting out diapers for a catalogue. Now I am a father and I know everything about baby diapers. So of course I did quit. I didn’t learn much from that time as a graphic designer, but one thing I got was patience.
In 2011 I started my own business, but I also needed to do a bit of traveling and I combined those two. Traveling and Design. So I spent 4 years abroad. Working in the mornings on design projects and getting intoxicated and educated from afternoon on in Portugal / France / New Zealand / Thailand / Bangladesh / Nepal / Myanmar / Thailand / Malaysia / Vietnam / Laos / Cambodia / Oman / Spain. So I think the design quality was on a standstill. At that time my credo was “Done is better then perfect”. I learned to work really fast, because there was a lot of things to do and see beside design. Waking up in Bangkok knowing that you can not hit the city before a design project is done makes you work fast. I also finished one project while trekking on Himalayas.
I think it was not only a creative journey but also a journey about finding myself. Maybe even more about myself. I turned 33 on July. Now I feel ready to start as a full time designer. My studio frank wo is only six months old and I am so amped up to create.
How did Shillington play a role?
The biggest advantage that Shillington gave me is how to handle a pressure of time. If something has to be done in an hour, then it’s done in 50 minutes. Thanks to that I had everything done before afternoon, so I was able to do some sightseeing.
What do you love about being a designer?
I actually get an adrenalin rush every now and then while working on a design project. And I start jumping around like a kid. But I never show or tell this to anyone. I am a design junkie. Always looking for a new high. Maybe I should see someone about it.
Visit Janno’s webiste and read his full interview on the blog.
It took me a year and 1000 packs of instant noodles to save up for Shillington, but I did.
Founder, frank wo
Janno Saft
Why did you decide to study at Shillington?
In the beginning of the third year at University I decided to take a year off (never returned) to figure out what else is there in the world. In 2006 I took a flight to Melbourne and it was an eye opener. The art scene there was and is insane. I went out almost every day to search artworks around the city. The stencils were my favourites. That was the moment I acknowledged that this is my thing also.
Google told me that I have to go to Shillington College. Best short-term design school in Australia (visa restrictions). My bank account told me that I should start building a cardboard house. So I took a train ticket outside from the city and got myself a job that includes a lot of blisters and hate. I was so into making it, that I totally zoned out from the life I had. In every few months I did sent a text to my mom “I am alive” and she replied “I know”. Some of my friends thought that I am dead. So thanks to Google I made my decision. It took me a year and 1000 packs of instant noodles (Shin Ramyun) to save up for Shillington, but I did.
You graduated from Shillington 10 years ago. Walk us through your creative journey since then!
I took a flight back to Estonia only few days after graduation and at the end of the week I already had a job: Junior designer at Y&R. I was so happy and full on confident. I am officially a graphic designer…but in an advertising agency. At that time I never thought that there is such a big difference between design studio vs. advertising agency. I went there to do identity design, but thanks to my pen-tool skills I ended up cutting out diapers for a catalogue. Now I am a father and I know everything about baby diapers. So of course I did quit. I didn’t learn much from that time as a graphic designer, but one thing I got was patience.
In 2011 I started my own business, but I also needed to do a bit of traveling and I combined those two. Traveling and Design. So I spent 4 years abroad. Working in the mornings on design projects and getting intoxicated and educated from afternoon on in Portugal / France / New Zealand / Thailand / Bangladesh / Nepal / Myanmar / Thailand / Malaysia / Vietnam / Laos / Cambodia / Oman / Spain. So I think the design quality was on a standstill. At that time my credo was “Done is better then perfect”. I learned to work really fast, because there was a lot of things to do and see beside design. Waking up in Bangkok knowing that you can not hit the city before a design project is done makes you work fast. I also finished one project while trekking on Himalayas.
I think it was not only a creative journey but also a journey about finding myself. Maybe even more about myself. I turned 33 on July. Now I feel ready to start as a full time designer. My studio frank wo is only six months old and I am so amped up to create.
How did Shillington play a role?
The biggest advantage that Shillington gave me is how to handle a pressure of time. If something has to be done in an hour, then it’s done in 50 minutes. Thanks to that I had everything done before afternoon, so I was able to do some sightseeing.
What do you love about being a designer?
I actually get an adrenalin rush every now and then while working on a design project. And I start jumping around like a kid. But I never show or tell this to anyone. I am a design junkie. Always looking for a new high. Maybe I should see someone about it.
Visit Janno’s webiste and read his full interview on the blog.
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Rory Knibbs
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Jess Goodall
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Benjamin Ngooi
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Sophie Lord
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Khadijah Adbul Nabi
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Jamie Krups
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Greg Bemis
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Anastasiia Vinnichenko
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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
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Caitlin Clancy
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Linda Gao
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Rachel Urquhart
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Will Batrouney
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Ellie Pinney
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Katie Lodge
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Joseph Lebus
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Jordan Demetriou
Junior Designer, Principals
Hamish Snow
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Emily Somers
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Eleanor Robertson
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Estefi Panizza
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Erin Gale
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Kylie Meller
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Yarron Frauenfelder
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Alexander Rog
Junior Designer, oOh!
Christopher J Porter
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Babeth Olde Hanter
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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
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Jess White
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Bobby Hendry
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Jessica Bakker
Junior Graphic Designer, Beyond Communications
Lauren Dannenberg
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Arnold Omanyo
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Dawn Moloney
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Miranda Mayne
Freelance Graphic Designer
Caroline Keefe
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Paul and Amoni Liddell
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Meredith Wallis
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Ocki Magill
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Victoire Scherer
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Anika George
Designer, AKQA
Liana Modolo
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Kelly Hansen
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Mikel McCavana
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Alexander Wu-Kim
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Jing Ong
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Kirsten McColl
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Nicole Rogers
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Pooja Dharia
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Jackson Todd
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Andy Vargas
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Moshe Bien
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Crystal Lin
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Eleanor Rogers
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Andy Tharagonnet
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Ben Peters
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Brad Holten
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Natalia Baker
Freelance Graphic Designer
Molly Sitter
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Guy Pittard
Freelance Graphic Designer
Bea Sambalido
Freelance Graphic Designer
Peta Harris
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Oceane Combeau
Designer, Fernand et Firmin
Anna Mullin
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Theo Witrylak
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Stephanie Antill
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Paul McKie and Myles Sharpe
Directors, Autumn
Pete Conforto
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Roo Cassels
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Nicol Reid
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James Birks
Freelance Illustrator and Designer
David Scott
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Jane Durlacher
Graphic Designer, Paper Stone Scissors
Rachel Lee
Freelance Graphic Designer
Janno Saft
Founder, frank wo
Sean Raynor
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Vanessa Burgess
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Olivier Adam
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Alexandra Menzies
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Freelance Graphic Designer
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Christina Capetola
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Louise Hamer
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Sam Jacobs
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