Hear straight from our graduates.
What are you afraid of? I know 3 months seems like a long time to go without a steady income but it’ll all pay off.
Junior Designer, Principals
Jordan Demetriou
What were you up to before Shillington? Did you have any previous design experience?
Before Shillington I was working full time in retail. I had previously studied design. Initially I studied branded environment which I loved however I went travelling as you do when you’re young and studying, and when I came back the course was no longer being offered. This lead me to finish my design degree in interior design. I briefly interned and worked in the field and unfortunately had a bad experience which shattered my confidence completely and made me turn back to retail.
Why did you decide to study design? Why Shillington?
I decided to study design initially because I had done a subject in high school which very briefly touched on different design disciplines and I really felt drawn to the design world. I was always artistic but I never wanted to study fine arts, I liked that design had the creative and conceptual side but also had a function, purpose and problem to solve.
I decided to return to study design because although I had a bad experience I knew this was the career I wanted to have. I was always more drawn to communication and graphic design I just didn’t listen to my gut. I had seen Shillington come up on social media and the more I looked into it the more convinced I was that needed to do it. I tried and tried to find a bad review about Shillington but there was nothing but glowing reviews and recommendations. I loved the idea of studying full time mostly because it would be like a real job but also because I didn’t want to waste time! Everything we do is current and I didn’t have to worry about only seeing my lecturer for a few hours a week.
How did you land your job at Principals?
I actually saw an internship opportunity posted on a design Facebook community page. I had my reservations about doing an internship. I didn’t want to be taken advantage of and I didn’t want to give up paid work if I wasn’t going to get anything out of it. I did a bit of research on them and looked into not only what they do/ what they have done but I also checked out their socials to see what their culture was like. I obviously liked what I saw and applied for the internship. They had actually already gone through my portfolio before I came to the interview. They said they saw a lot of potential, which I think was because my Shillington lecturers made sure my portfolio showed a variety of skills. We chatted and they got to know a bit more about me and then they just started talking about what I would be doing when I was here. It was a sort of “can we just jump back a couple steps” moment because what I thought was an interview for being an intern turned out to be a pre internship meeting of sorts.
They were really flexible with when I could come in and made sure that I started at a time when I would also be given attention and guidance. I got to work on a couple projects and have my work presented to clients which was great, they actually treated me like a designer and not just some rookie they needed to find something meaningless to do. After my stint as an intern one of my creative directors said that he wanted to make sure when I left they would help me out, they offered to get me in touch with recruiters and some of their connections at their studios. A few days later I had a call offering me a full time designer position at Principals, which I didn’t take my time to think about… it was a definite yes!
What would you say to people who are sceptical about Shillington’s fast-paced design course?
What are you afraid of? I know it seems like a long time to go without a steady income but it’ll all pay off. In the grand scheme of things three months really isn’t that long. Also, what better learning experience is there than being in a studio setting and coming in and working on realistic briefs Monday-Friday. Having also studied a design degree in a university type timetable I can honestly say there is such a huge advantage of learning this way. I personally think it’s such a waste of my time and brain power having a week between classes and trying to cram as much lecturer time and attention into a mere few hours a week. Let the creative juices flow and immerse yourself into Shillington’s way of learning and you will noticed how quickly design becomes your life in the best way imaginable, you will thank yourself for doing it.
Anything else you’d like to share?
I know a lot of people I studied with didn’t want to intern, and maybe it was because I was younger and hadn’t really had a career, some said they didn’t want to start at the bottom of the barrel in a junior position. A word of advice that someone gave me…
Sometimes it’s more than a monetary value. You can work at a job you’re really good at and get paid really well but never grow, learn or be promoted or you can work at a job where you don’t get paid a lot but you will grow, learn and be promoted. I think as a designer (or anyone, really) the latter should be the only option, you should always want to become a better designer. Don’t settle, you can do it!
Visit Jordan’s website.
What are you afraid of? I know 3 months seems like a long time to go without a steady income but it’ll all pay off.
Junior Designer, Principals
Jordan Demetriou
What were you up to before Shillington? Did you have any previous design experience?
Before Shillington I was working full time in retail. I had previously studied design. Initially I studied branded environment which I loved however I went travelling as you do when you’re young and studying, and when I came back the course was no longer being offered. This lead me to finish my design degree in interior design. I briefly interned and worked in the field and unfortunately had a bad experience which shattered my confidence completely and made me turn back to retail.
Why did you decide to study design? Why Shillington?
I decided to study design initially because I had done a subject in high school which very briefly touched on different design disciplines and I really felt drawn to the design world. I was always artistic but I never wanted to study fine arts, I liked that design had the creative and conceptual side but also had a function, purpose and problem to solve.
I decided to return to study design because although I had a bad experience I knew this was the career I wanted to have. I was always more drawn to communication and graphic design I just didn’t listen to my gut. I had seen Shillington come up on social media and the more I looked into it the more convinced I was that needed to do it. I tried and tried to find a bad review about Shillington but there was nothing but glowing reviews and recommendations. I loved the idea of studying full time mostly because it would be like a real job but also because I didn’t want to waste time! Everything we do is current and I didn’t have to worry about only seeing my lecturer for a few hours a week.
How did you land your job at Principals?
I actually saw an internship opportunity posted on a design Facebook community page. I had my reservations about doing an internship. I didn’t want to be taken advantage of and I didn’t want to give up paid work if I wasn’t going to get anything out of it. I did a bit of research on them and looked into not only what they do/ what they have done but I also checked out their socials to see what their culture was like. I obviously liked what I saw and applied for the internship. They had actually already gone through my portfolio before I came to the interview. They said they saw a lot of potential, which I think was because my Shillington lecturers made sure my portfolio showed a variety of skills. We chatted and they got to know a bit more about me and then they just started talking about what I would be doing when I was here. It was a sort of “can we just jump back a couple steps” moment because what I thought was an interview for being an intern turned out to be a pre internship meeting of sorts.
They were really flexible with when I could come in and made sure that I started at a time when I would also be given attention and guidance. I got to work on a couple projects and have my work presented to clients which was great, they actually treated me like a designer and not just some rookie they needed to find something meaningless to do. After my stint as an intern one of my creative directors said that he wanted to make sure when I left they would help me out, they offered to get me in touch with recruiters and some of their connections at their studios. A few days later I had a call offering me a full time designer position at Principals, which I didn’t take my time to think about… it was a definite yes!
What would you say to people who are sceptical about Shillington’s fast-paced design course?
What are you afraid of? I know it seems like a long time to go without a steady income but it’ll all pay off. In the grand scheme of things three months really isn’t that long. Also, what better learning experience is there than being in a studio setting and coming in and working on realistic briefs Monday-Friday. Having also studied a design degree in a university type timetable I can honestly say there is such a huge advantage of learning this way. I personally think it’s such a waste of my time and brain power having a week between classes and trying to cram as much lecturer time and attention into a mere few hours a week. Let the creative juices flow and immerse yourself into Shillington’s way of learning and you will noticed how quickly design becomes your life in the best way imaginable, you will thank yourself for doing it.
Anything else you’d like to share?
I know a lot of people I studied with didn’t want to intern, and maybe it was because I was younger and hadn’t really had a career, some said they didn’t want to start at the bottom of the barrel in a junior position. A word of advice that someone gave me…
Sometimes it’s more than a monetary value. You can work at a job you’re really good at and get paid really well but never grow, learn or be promoted or you can work at a job where you don’t get paid a lot but you will grow, learn and be promoted. I think as a designer (or anyone, really) the latter should be the only option, you should always want to become a better designer. Don’t settle, you can do it!
Visit Jordan’s website.
Vanessa Castiglione
eCommerce Designer at PepsiCo Foods Canada
Rob Key
Founder of Studio Change and Change Space
Carl McBride
Junior Designer at Toyfight
Melody Yee
Lead Designer at
The Daily Edited
Darsh Seneviratne
Designer at Canva
Matt McKay
Designer at Kensa Creative
Ximena Jimenez
Web Designer at Blackmagic Design
Kinda Savarino
Designer at Billion Dollar Boy
Chantel Charchalis
Marketing and Content Creator at The Dog Mum
Tom Noon
Freelance Graphic Designer
Lauren Danger Koste
Studio Manager at The Design Kids
Karina Aslikyan
Freelance Graphic Designer
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
Anna Dai
Freelance Graphic Designer
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
Laura Welch
Enviromental Designer at Sundance Film Festival
Sophie Bo Schmidt
Senior UX Consultant at PeakXD
Sivim Ly
Junior Graphic Designer at Loeffler Randall
Ben Thaler
Junior Designer at Common
Rosylvia Wang
Design and Brand Officer at Historic Houses UK
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