Hear straight from our graduates.
I had already studied for six years in college and I didn’t have the time to go back to school for an additional degree in graphic design.
Branding Designer, FCB Health
Pooja Dharia
You had a very different career before Shillington. Tell us about making the career change from Pharmacist to Designer!
Before Shillington, I studied pharmacy in college and I was living in DC working at the Food and Drug Administration as a project manager and also spent some time at a consulting company. I had always been interested in design but I never took the leap in college. I felt the itch to be more creative at my job and I kept thinking about Shillington. I finally started the program in September 2016 in NYC. I now work as a Branding Designer at a healthcare advertising agency working on the branding of new drugs, clinical trials, and healthcare campaigns. It’s a combination of all my previous healthcare and regulatory experience, plus branding design and strategy and I couldn’t ask for a better fit!
Why did you choose Shillington?
I had already studied for six years in college and I didn’t have the time to go back to school for an additional degree in graphic design. The 3-month full-time course was the perfect amount of time off to learn design and to figure out my next step. I had attended an Information Session over the summer and knew right away that the program was the right fit based on the curriculum, the teachers, and the portfolios of previous graduates. I was nervous, but I knew I would regret it if I didn’t take the chance.
Now you work as a Branding Designer at a healthcare advertising agency—such a perfect fit for your past experience and new graphic design skills. What’s your typical day like?
Since there are so many projects and timelines are quick, there’s an opportunity to work on something new each day, from color palettes, logo and system design, brand guidelines, and even naming of new drugs. The best part is that I can still use the science part of my brain to do background research and to inform the design and concept.
What advice would you give to a Shillington student on day one?
Really immerse yourself in the program and absorb every piece of advice from your classmates and your teachers—everything you learn will be so useful once you start working. Also have fun and enjoy the process. It’s a lot of work with some late nights, but it goes by fast and you’ll feel so accomplished afterwards. You might even miss the 8 AM start time!
Visit Pooja’s website and read her full interview on the blog.
Lori Beth Kaye
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Ray Wong
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Emily Campos
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Jaira Adlawan
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Ani Monteleone
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Hamish Snow
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Eleanor Robertson
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Gerald Torto
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Linda Gao
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Ella Donald & Charlotte Carnegie Brown
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Sinead Murphy
Freelance Graphic Designer
Bianca Oggiano
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Christopher J Porter
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Dominika Stanczyk
Designer, Open Water
Katie Lodge
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Amee Wilson
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Jordan Demetriou
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Ashley Ronning
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Emily Somers
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Anara Davletaliyeva
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Erin Gale
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Tiffany Yee
Designer, Forever 21
Amy Sheehan
Art Director, Insider Inc.
Emma Ladlow
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Braden Floris
Designer, GoFundMe
Alexis Waller
Art Director, Apple Inc.
Halah El Kholy
In-House Designer, Brew Tea Co
Alexander Rog
Junior Designer, oOh!
Jessica Bakker
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Bianca Chu
Senior Designer, eBay
Tally Thompson
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Greg Bemis
Creative, Nike
Arnold Omanyo
UX/UI Designer, Digital on Demand
Tahmena Lutfi
Digital Designer, Qantas and Jetstar Hotels
Meredith Wallis
Designer, King & Partners
Miranda Mayne
Freelance Graphic Designer
Lindsay Koffler
Graphic Designer, Refinery29
Bobby Hendry
Designer, Brilliant Logic
Anika George
Designer, AKQA
Mark Osmond
Designer, Thumbs Up!
Lily Moore
Designer at Sotheby’s
Liana Modolo
UX Designer, Rex Software
Victoire Scherer
Junior Graphic Designer, Neoscape
Mikel McCavana
Designer, Moment
Kelly Hansen
Graphic Designer, Amazon Books
Alexander Wu-Kim
Concept Creative, ANDPEOPLE Australia
Kirsten McColl
Designer, WH-O
Nicole Rogers
Designer, Birchbox
Frankie Young
Founder, Studio Neubau
Pooja Dharia
Branding Designer, FCB Health
Jackson Todd
Art Director, Van Der Zwaag
Dawn Moloney
Founder, A Making Life
I had already studied for six years in college and I didn’t have the time to go back to school for an additional degree in graphic design.
Branding Designer, FCB Health
Pooja Dharia
You had a very different career before Shillington. Tell us about making the career change from Pharmacist to Designer!
Before Shillington, I studied pharmacy in college and I was living in DC working at the Food and Drug Administration as a project manager and also spent some time at a consulting company. I had always been interested in design but I never took the leap in college. I felt the itch to be more creative at my job and I kept thinking about Shillington. I finally started the program in September 2016 in NYC. I now work as a Branding Designer at a healthcare advertising agency working on the branding of new drugs, clinical trials, and healthcare campaigns. It’s a combination of all my previous healthcare and regulatory experience, plus branding design and strategy and I couldn’t ask for a better fit!
Why did you choose Shillington?
I had already studied for six years in college and I didn’t have the time to go back to school for an additional degree in graphic design. The 3-month full-time course was the perfect amount of time off to learn design and to figure out my next step. I had attended an Information Session over the summer and knew right away that the program was the right fit based on the curriculum, the teachers, and the portfolios of previous graduates. I was nervous, but I knew I would regret it if I didn’t take the chance.
Now you work as a Branding Designer at a healthcare advertising agency—such a perfect fit for your past experience and new graphic design skills. What’s your typical day like?
Since there are so many projects and timelines are quick, there’s an opportunity to work on something new each day, from color palettes, logo and system design, brand guidelines, and even naming of new drugs. The best part is that I can still use the science part of my brain to do background research and to inform the design and concept.
What advice would you give to a Shillington student on day one?
Really immerse yourself in the program and absorb every piece of advice from your classmates and your teachers—everything you learn will be so useful once you start working. Also have fun and enjoy the process. It’s a lot of work with some late nights, but it goes by fast and you’ll feel so accomplished afterwards. You might even miss the 8 AM start time!
Visit Pooja’s website and read her full interview on the blog.
Caroline Keefe
Freelance, Nickelodeon
Sophie Lord
Creative Director, Hello May
Ocki Magill
Founder, Letter Bug Studios
Andy Vargas
Designer, Bitâcora
Moshe Bien
Designer, Nucleus
Crystal Lin
Designer, DNA Design
Stephen Grace
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Jing Ong
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Paul and Amoni Liddell
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Eleanor Rogers
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Andy Tharagonnet
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Erin Donati
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Brad Holten
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Natalia Baker
Freelance Graphic Designer
Guy Pittard
Freelance Graphic Designer
Bea Sambalido
Freelance Graphic Designer
Oceane Combeau
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Charly Tudor
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Anna Mullin
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Theo Witrylak
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Stephanie Antill
Founder, St Clement Creative
Paul McKie and Myles Sharpe
Directors, Autumn
Pete Conforto
Designer, For The People
Nicol Reid
Founder, Little Creative
David Scott
Designer, The Mix
James Birks
Freelance Illustrator and Designer
Jane Durlacher
Graphic Designer, Paper Stone Scissors
Rachel Lee
Freelance Graphic Designer
Romayne Gadelrab
Freelance Graphic Designer
Janno Saft
Founder, frank wo
Roo Cassels
Designer, Big Fish
Vanessa Burgess
Graphic Designer, Tritium
Olivier Adam
Freelance Graphic Designer
Molly Sitter
Studio Designer, Spring St. Social Society
Cari Sekendur
Art Director, LMNOP Creative
Alexandra Menzies
Freelance Graphic 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
Chrystal Christie
Photographer/Graphic Designer, One Round Entertainment
Ulrika Johnson
Designer, Fantasia Accessories
Sam Jacobs
Senior Designer, Time Inc.
Sean Raynor
Designer, Watermark Studio
Irina Manning
UX Designer, Manning Labs
Margherita Baldi
Freelance Visual Designer
Henriette van Baren
Graphic Designer, ABC Carpet & Home