Hear straight from our graduates.
The course really helped me to elevate my creativity to a completely new level. It gave me a system and a process that I can use to transform any creative concept into a beautiful design project.
Designer, Tile Creative
Anastasiia Vinnichenko
How is the Shillington course different from other design programs you considered?
I’ve seriously considered only two options in Manchester—the Shillington course and a graphic design degree at a university. On the surface, the latter seemed to be a more profound real education, but it would take me 3 years without any guarantee to actually apply learnt skills to real life. And to be honest I didn’t want to wait so long. Shillington was the opposite—3 months of intense therapy with a predictable outcome. The studio environment approach and quality of other grads’ portfolios I’ve seen made the choice obvious to me.
What was your experience studying in Manchester and what tips can you offer to other students looking to study internationally?
When I started the course my English wasn’t great and frankly speaking I felt a little bit ashamed of it. There were many other international students at the campus with similar language and cultural barriers. Originally I thought it would be a problem, but then we learned that those differences, in fact, are our advantages rather than weaknesses, and helped us stand out in a creative environment.
I also remember that guest lectures had a big impact on me. It was very inspiring to interact with the industry leaders and learn from their mistakes and success, it helped me a lot with setting my own goals. Use every opportunity to interact, ask, listen and share. And of course, don’t forget to have fun!
Do you think the Shillington course helped build your skillset and prepare you for the design industry?
Absolutely yes. Before Shillington, I only could draw and paint. The course really helped me to elevate my creativity to a completely new level. It gave me a system and a process that I can use to transform any creative concept into a beautiful design project. I like how during the course we gradually built our skillset from the basic to more advanced techniques.
After graduation, I felt very confident in core skills such as typesetting, illustration, fundamentals of digital and packaging design and was already exploring animation. Moreover, my first job seemed a lot easier in comparison to some of the challenges I came across during the course.
If you could give one piece of advice to someone starting at Shillington, what would it be?
Ask a lot of questions! Teachers and classmates are genuinely supportive. So be decisive on your goals and don’t be scared to ask for help. It’s really only up to you how much you can get from the course—just go for it!
Visit Anastasiia’s website and read her full interview on the blog.
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Joseph Lebus
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Eman Abdallah
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Lori Beth Kaye
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Anastasiia Vinnichenko
Designer, Tile Creative
Araki Koman
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Keiran McCann
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Jaira Adlawan
Senior Visual Designer, Sephora
The course really helped me to elevate my creativity to a completely new level. It gave me a system and a process that I can use to transform any creative concept into a beautiful design project.
Designer, Tile Creative
Anastasiia Vinnichenko
How is the Shillington course different from other design programs you considered?
I’ve seriously considered only two options in Manchester—the Shillington course and a graphic design degree at a university. On the surface, the latter seemed to be a more profound real education, but it would take me 3 years without any guarantee to actually apply learnt skills to real life. And to be honest I didn’t want to wait so long. Shillington was the opposite—3 months of intense therapy with a predictable outcome. The studio environment approach and quality of other grads’ portfolios I’ve seen made the choice obvious to me.
What was your experience studying in Manchester and what tips can you offer to other students looking to study internationally?
When I started the course my English wasn’t great and frankly speaking I felt a little bit ashamed of it. There were many other international students at the campus with similar language and cultural barriers. Originally I thought it would be a problem, but then we learned that those differences, in fact, are our advantages rather than weaknesses, and helped us stand out in a creative environment.
I also remember that guest lectures had a big impact on me. It was very inspiring to interact with the industry leaders and learn from their mistakes and success, it helped me a lot with setting my own goals. Use every opportunity to interact, ask, listen and share. And of course, don’t forget to have fun!
Do you think the Shillington course helped build your skillset and prepare you for the design industry?
Absolutely yes. Before Shillington, I only could draw and paint. The course really helped me to elevate my creativity to a completely new level. It gave me a system and a process that I can use to transform any creative concept into a beautiful design project. I like how during the course we gradually built our skillset from the basic to more advanced techniques.
After graduation, I felt very confident in core skills such as typesetting, illustration, fundamentals of digital and packaging design and was already exploring animation. Moreover, my first job seemed a lot easier in comparison to some of the challenges I came across during the course.
If you could give one piece of advice to someone starting at Shillington, what would it be?
Ask a lot of questions! Teachers and classmates are genuinely supportive. So be decisive on your goals and don’t be scared to ask for help. It’s really only up to you how much you can get from the course—just go for it!
Visit Anastasiia’s website and read her full interview on the blog.
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Guy Pittard
Freelance Graphic Designer
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Charly Tudor
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