Hear straight from our graduates.
Studying abroad will be an unforgettable experience and you will definitely learn a lot from it.
Junior Art Director, SOV
Babeth Olde Hanter
You moved to Manchester for three months to study graphic design at Shillington. Can you tell us your story?
I wanted to live abroad for a while. I wanted to step out of my comfort zone, experience a different culture and speak a different language. So, I started to think about how I could realise it: turning my dreams into a plan! I didn’t know where to start at first, as I was not eager to study for another four years or go to a foreign country just for travelling. At one point, I saw a video of someone who had studied at Shillington, and I was immediately convinced. At Shillington, I could combine living abroad with an intensive three-month course that would prepare me for a job in the creative industry. After that, I didn’t need much time to decide when and where I wanted to go. It felt like the perfect opportunity to focus on being creative, to learn a lot, and to go abroad. In hindsight I made the right decision, because I have fantastic memories of my time in Manchester, and it changed my career!
Why did you choose to study in Manchester? And what did you think of the city—was it an inspiring place to study design?
When I started to think of where I wanted to do the Shillington course, I was not very familiar with Manchester. I began to Google and read about Manchester. It is not too big of a city but it has got lots of creative and inspiring places. When I came to Manchester the teachers told us about the best places to go and me and my classmates discovered new places every week. The Northern Quarter especially has a great creative vibe and got lots of nice cafes and unique shops.
Did you have any previous design experience before Shillington? How did the course build your skill set?
My experience in graphic design was very limited before Shillington. I had a little bit of experience with Adobe Illustrator, as I tried to make simple illustrations, and I used Photoshop occasionally because of my interest in photography. What I loved about the Shillington course is that we received lots of handouts with very useful tips and practices. In class, we had short moments where the teachers explained the handouts and we got lots of time to practice afterwards. We also did a lot of fun practices which helps you to think a step further. Shillington never really felt like school to me. Everyone was very motivated, and the teachers were very helpful and treated us like we were junior designers. They showed us their portfolio as well and came with lots of examples from their career.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to study abroad with Shillington?
If you are interested in design, willing to work hard and get as much out of the course as possible, then Shillington is the best place to go to learn graphic design. Studying abroad will be an unforgettable experience and you will definitely learn a lot from it.
It’s so much more than only learning the theory behind graphic design. You’ll learn the design thinking and how to turn that into a great visual design. The cool thing about studying abroad is of course discovering a new place and culture, meeting new people, sharing an interest and inspiring each other. It is all part of the adventure! The teachers are great, they make you feel at home and take your ideas and work seriously. The thing I loved of doing this course abroad, is that I got to focus myself 100% on it. I was surrounded with people who all had the same goal: becoming a graphic designer. You must work hard and go all in, but don’t forget to explore the city as well and have a lot of after-school drinks with your classmates!
Visit Babeth’s website and read her full interview on the blog.
Estefi Panizza
Junior Designer, Design Bridge
Leila Bartholet
Designer, Chandelier
Ray Wong
Designer, Oink Creative
Arwa Al-Salam
Designer, Human Appeal
Babeth Olde Hanter
Junior Art Director, SOV
Amy Forsyth
Graphic Designer, Alfresco Emporium
Jamie Krups
Creative at Stab Magazine
Megan Dweck
Visual Designer, McKinsey & Company
Studying abroad will be an unforgettable experience and you will definitely learn a lot from it.
Junior Art Director, SOV
Babeth Olde Hanter
You moved to Manchester for three months to study graphic design at Shillington. Can you tell us your story?
I wanted to live abroad for a while. I wanted to step out of my comfort zone, experience a different culture and speak a different language. So, I started to think about how I could realise it: turning my dreams into a plan! I didn’t know where to start at first, as I was not eager to study for another four years or go to a foreign country just for travelling. At one point, I saw a video of someone who had studied at Shillington, and I was immediately convinced. At Shillington, I could combine living abroad with an intensive three-month course that would prepare me for a job in the creative industry. After that, I didn’t need much time to decide when and where I wanted to go. It felt like the perfect opportunity to focus on being creative, to learn a lot, and to go abroad. In hindsight I made the right decision, because I have fantastic memories of my time in Manchester, and it changed my career!
Why did you choose to study in Manchester? And what did you think of the city—was it an inspiring place to study design?
When I started to think of where I wanted to do the Shillington course, I was not very familiar with Manchester. I began to Google and read about Manchester. It is not too big of a city but it has got lots of creative and inspiring places. When I came to Manchester the teachers told us about the best places to go and me and my classmates discovered new places every week. The Northern Quarter especially has a great creative vibe and got lots of nice cafes and unique shops.
Did you have any previous design experience before Shillington? How did the course build your skill set?
My experience in graphic design was very limited before Shillington. I had a little bit of experience with Adobe Illustrator, as I tried to make simple illustrations, and I used Photoshop occasionally because of my interest in photography. What I loved about the Shillington course is that we received lots of handouts with very useful tips and practices. In class, we had short moments where the teachers explained the handouts and we got lots of time to practice afterwards. We also did a lot of fun practices which helps you to think a step further. Shillington never really felt like school to me. Everyone was very motivated, and the teachers were very helpful and treated us like we were junior designers. They showed us their portfolio as well and came with lots of examples from their career.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to study abroad with Shillington?
If you are interested in design, willing to work hard and get as much out of the course as possible, then Shillington is the best place to go to learn graphic design. Studying abroad will be an unforgettable experience and you will definitely learn a lot from it.
It’s so much more than only learning the theory behind graphic design. You’ll learn the design thinking and how to turn that into a great visual design. The cool thing about studying abroad is of course discovering a new place and culture, meeting new people, sharing an interest and inspiring each other. It is all part of the adventure! The teachers are great, they make you feel at home and take your ideas and work seriously. The thing I loved of doing this course abroad, is that I got to focus myself 100% on it. I was surrounded with people who all had the same goal: becoming a graphic designer. You must work hard and go all in, but don’t forget to explore the city as well and have a lot of after-school drinks with your classmates!
Visit Babeth’s website and read her full interview on the blog.
Emily Campos
UX Designer, Wix
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Shannon Gordon
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Caitlin Clancy
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Miwako Suzuki
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Keiran McCann
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Jaira Adlawan
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Katie Lodge
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Vanessa Bertagnole
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Jordan Demetriou
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Ashley Ronning
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Emily Somers
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Yarron Frauenfelder
Design Director
Anara Davletaliyeva
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Erin Gale
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Tiffany Yee
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Amy Sheehan
Art Director, Insider Inc.
Emma Ladlow
Designer, University of Nottingham Students' Union
Braden Floris
Designer, GoFundMe
Alexis Waller
Design Director, R/GA
Halah El Kholy
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Alexander Rog
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Jessica Bakker
Junior Graphic Designer, Beyond Communications
Bianca Chu
Senior Designer, eBay
Tally Thompson
Graphic Designer, Awesome Creative
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
Caroline Keefe
Freelance, Nickelodeon
Sophie Lord
Creative Director, Hello May
Ocki Magill
Founder, Letter Bug Studios
Andy Vargas
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Moshe Bien
Designer, Nucleus
Crystal Lin
Designer, DNA Design
Stephen Grace
Designer, Christopher Doyle & Co.
Jing Ong
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Paul and Amoni Liddell
Graphic Designers, Westpac CX and Feel
Eleanor Rogers
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Andy Tharagonnet
Designer, ThumbsUp
Erin Donati
Founder, Harley Quinn & Co.
Ben Peters
Freelance Graphic Designer
Brad Holten
Designer, Big Idea
Natalia Baker
Freelance Graphic Designer
Guy Pittard
Freelance Graphic Designer
Bea Sambalido
Freelance Graphic Designer
Oceane Combeau
Designer, Fernand et Firmin
Charly Tudor
Graphic Designer, Holdens
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
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
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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
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Carla Scotto
Freelance Graphic Designer
Meg Walker
Designer, Milkshake
Christina Capetola
Designer at Wayfair
Louise Hamer
Design Lead, We Are Empire
Ina Estrada
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Chrystal Christie
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Ulrika Johnson
Designer, Fantasia Accessories
Sam Jacobs
Senior Designer, Time Inc.
Sean Raynor
Designer, Watermark Studio
Irina Manning
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Margherita Baldi
Freelance Visual Designer
Henriette van Baren
Graphic Designer, ABC Carpet & Home