Hear straight from our graduates.
I’ll describe my feelings at the beginning, middle and end of the course: Excited. Exhausted. Euphoric!
Designer, Fantasia Accessories
Ulrika Johnson
Prior to Shillington you were working in an entirely different career as a legal counsel. Tell us why you decided to change careers and take the plunge to study design.
From the age of 6 years old, art was my favorite subject in school. But oddly enough, I never considered art as something I could pursue as a profession, perhaps because no adult ever introduced or supported the idea of being an “artist.” Even though I’ve always spent most of my spare time on painting and crafts, it wasn’t until I began working as a lawyer that it really hit me. I finally had a career—but was it me? I didn’t decide to shift professions overnight. In fact, it happened very gradually over the course of 7 years as a lawyer. I felt a growing, and soon an overwhelming, need to express my creativity. It just came to a point where I realized that I invested all my emotional energy and passion into my “hobby” instead of my job. There was no alternative except to turn my hobby into my career.
What would you say to someone who is skeptical about the Shillington course?
If s/he is questioning whether or not you can truly become a graphic designer in three months, my classmates and I are living proof of that. If you have a genuine desire to become a graphic designer and if you are ready to dedicate three months of your life to Shillington, focusing your energy on each project, you too can do it! I will always be amazed by how well the Shillington program was planned, thought through and up-to-date.
If you could give one piece of advice to someone starting at Shillington, what would it be?
Ask teachers about and research upcoming design contests for which you could qualify. I didn’t think about it nor did I know of any design contests in advance. So I really regret missing a few deadlines, since contests are an amazing opportunity to shine and showcase your work. Give everything, never give up, be curious and ask questions. I asked a ton of questions, and I also received a lot of valuable answers.
Visit Ulrika’s website and read her full interview on the blog.
Lola Irwanto
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Benny Hinman
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Khadijah Adbul Nabi
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Estefi Panizza
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Leila Bartholet
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Ray Wong
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Arwa Al-Salam
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Babeth Olde Hanter
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Amy Forsyth
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Jamie Krups
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Megan Dweck
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Emily Campos
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Sinead Murphy
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Shannon Gordon
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Caitlin Clancy
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Gerald Torto
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Miwako Suzuki
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Rachel Urquhart
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Ellie Pinney
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Lauren Koste
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Joseph Lebus
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Eman Abdallah
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James Freebairn
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Lori Beth Kaye
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Anastasiia Vinnichenko
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Araki Koman
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Keiran McCann
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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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Linda Gao
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Kylie Meller
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Ella Donald & Charlotte Carnegie Brown
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Will Batrouney
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Bianca Oggiano
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Christopher J Porter
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Dominika Stanczyk
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Katie Lodge
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Vanessa Bertagnole
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Amee Wilson
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Jordan Demetriou
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Ashley Ronning
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Emily Somers
Founder, Bravery Co.
Yarron Frauenfelder
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Anara Davletaliyeva
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Erin Gale
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Tiffany Yee
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Amy Sheehan
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Emma Ladlow
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Braden Floris
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Alexis Waller
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Halah El Kholy
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Jess White
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Alexander Rog
Junior Designer, oOh!
Jessica Bakker
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Bianca Chu
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Tally Thompson
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Greg Bemis
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Arnold Omanyo
UX/UI Designer, Digital on Demand
Tahmena Lutfi
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Meredith Wallis
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Miranda Mayne
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Lindsay Koffler
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Bobby Hendry
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Anika George
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Mark Osmond
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Lily Moore
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Liana Modolo
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Victoire Scherer
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Mikel McCavana
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Kelly Hansen
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Alexander Wu-Kim
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Kirsten McColl
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Nicole Rogers
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Frankie Young
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Pooja Dharia
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Jackson Todd
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Dawn Moloney
Founder, A Making Life
Caroline Keefe
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Sophie Lord
Creative Director, Hello May
Ocki Magill
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Andy Vargas
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Moshe Bien
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Crystal Lin
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Stephen Grace
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Jing Ong
Designer, Autumn
Paul and Amoni Liddell
Graphic Designers, Westpac CX and Feel
Eleanor Rogers
Letterpress Printer, Chapel Press
Andy Tharagonnet
Designer, ThumbsUp
Erin Donati
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Ben Peters
Freelance Graphic Designer
Brad Holten
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Natalia Baker
Freelance Graphic Designer
Guy Pittard
Freelance Graphic Designer
Bea Sambalido
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Oceane Combeau
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Charly Tudor
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Anna Mullin
Illustrator, Sneaky Racoon
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
I’ll describe my feelings at the beginning, middle and end of the course: Excited. Exhausted. Euphoric!
Designer, Fantasia Accessories
Ulrika Johnson
Prior to Shillington you were working in an entirely different career as a legal counsel. Tell us why you decided to change careers and take the plunge to study design.
From the age of 6 years old, art was my favorite subject in school. But oddly enough, I never considered art as something I could pursue as a profession, perhaps because no adult ever introduced or supported the idea of being an “artist.” Even though I’ve always spent most of my spare time on painting and crafts, it wasn’t until I began working as a lawyer that it really hit me. I finally had a career—but was it me? I didn’t decide to shift professions overnight. In fact, it happened very gradually over the course of 7 years as a lawyer. I felt a growing, and soon an overwhelming, need to express my creativity. It just came to a point where I realized that I invested all my emotional energy and passion into my “hobby” instead of my job. There was no alternative except to turn my hobby into my career.
What would you say to someone who is skeptical about the Shillington course?
If s/he is questioning whether or not you can truly become a graphic designer in three months, my classmates and I are living proof of that. If you have a genuine desire to become a graphic designer and if you are ready to dedicate three months of your life to Shillington, focusing your energy on each project, you too can do it! I will always be amazed by how well the Shillington program was planned, thought through and up-to-date.
If you could give one piece of advice to someone starting at Shillington, what would it be?
Ask teachers about and research upcoming design contests for which you could qualify. I didn’t think about it nor did I know of any design contests in advance. So I really regret missing a few deadlines, since contests are an amazing opportunity to shine and showcase your work. Give everything, never give up, be curious and ask questions. I asked a ton of questions, and I also received a lot of valuable answers.
Visit Ulrika’s website and read her full interview on the blog.
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