Hear straight from our graduates.
As for preparing its students for working in the design industry, Shillington probably beats many 3-year university courses.
Designer, Open Water
Dominika Stanczyk
Can you tell us a bit about your Shillington experience, how did you find studying on the part-time course and do you have any tips for juggling other responsibilities alongside the intensity of the programme?
I won’t lie, my 9 months studying at Shillington were probably some of the toughest months of my life! But also, the most fulfilling, life changing and exciting ones. The two tips I have are discipline and down time. Despite many warnings that things will get busy, especially around the portfolio time, the intensity of the course was more than I expected. There basically is no time to say ‘I’ll do this later” because there are always at least 5 things that you need to do later, or better, now. Equally, I think I would have gone mad if it wasn’t for my CrossFit training which I’ve kept up throughout the course. There was often not a lot of time to squeeze it in but it’s so important to have some way to unwind, take your mind off your projects and get those endorphins flowing!
What were your favourite aspects of the course?
Tough question! I think the teaching approach at Shillington is fantastic. The tutors get really involved, they put a lot of emotion and personality into the teaching. I think I was expecting to be taught in a very dry and ‘distanced’ way; to be ‘talked at’ and left to my own devices to come up with ideas and projects- it certainly wasn’t the case. The tutors’ help and support is very personal and throughout the course you really get that feeling that they basically… care.
Also, there’s this whole culture of teachers and students staying in touch after the course is finished, which again, is so natural and human and yet so absent from many educational institutions. Another aspect of the course, which I think is fantastic, is the very effective way of teaching all the new software. I think the shortcut quizzes are GENIUS (sorry Shillington students-to-be!) and give you that little extra edge for when you start in your first job after the course.
Now that you’re part of our Shillumni network do you have any words of wisdom for current students?
Learn those shortcuts, read your hand-outs, believe in yourself and every now and then, give yourself a pat on the back for having the courage to take yourself on this journey. It’s worth it!
Visit Dominika’s website and read her full interview on the blog.
Lori Beth Kaye
Senior Product Designer, The Iconic
Ray Wong
Designer, Oink Creative
Keiran McCann
Graphic Designer, Victoria’s Secret
Emily Campos
UX Designer, Wix
Jaira Adlawan
Senior Visual Designer, Sephora
Ani Monteleone
Designer, The Wall Street Journal
Hamish Snow
Designer, Josephmark
Eleanor Robertson
Designer, Paul Belford Ltd
Gerald Torto
Strategist, Re Agency
Linda Gao
Designer, HBO
Ella Donald & Charlotte Carnegie Brown
Co-Founders, Studio Duzi
Sinead Murphy
Freelance Graphic Designer
Bianca Oggiano
Designer, Design Haus Liberty
Christopher J Porter
Designer, I See Sea
Dominika Stanczyk
Designer, Open Water
Katie Lodge
Business Development Manager, Frost* collective
As for preparing its students for working in the design industry, Shillington probably beats many 3-year university courses.
Designer, Open Water
Dominika Stanczyk
Can you tell us a bit about your Shillington experience, how did you find studying on the part-time course and do you have any tips for juggling other responsibilities alongside the intensity of the programme?
I won’t lie, my 9 months studying at Shillington were probably some of the toughest months of my life! But also, the most fulfilling, life changing and exciting ones. The two tips I have are discipline and down time. Despite many warnings that things will get busy, especially around the portfolio time, the intensity of the course was more than I expected. There basically is no time to say ‘I’ll do this later” because there are always at least 5 things that you need to do later, or better, now. Equally, I think I would have gone mad if it wasn’t for my CrossFit training which I’ve kept up throughout the course. There was often not a lot of time to squeeze it in but it’s so important to have some way to unwind, take your mind off your projects and get those endorphins flowing!
What were your favourite aspects of the course?
Tough question! I think the teaching approach at Shillington is fantastic. The tutors get really involved, they put a lot of emotion and personality into the teaching. I think I was expecting to be taught in a very dry and ‘distanced’ way; to be ‘talked at’ and left to my own devices to come up with ideas and projects- it certainly wasn’t the case. The tutors’ help and support is very personal and throughout the course you really get that feeling that they basically… care.
Also, there’s this whole culture of teachers and students staying in touch after the course is finished, which again, is so natural and human and yet so absent from many educational institutions. Another aspect of the course, which I think is fantastic, is the very effective way of teaching all the new software. I think the shortcut quizzes are GENIUS (sorry Shillington students-to-be!) and give you that little extra edge for when you start in your first job after the course.
Now that you’re part of our Shillumni network do you have any words of wisdom for current students?
Learn those shortcuts, read your hand-outs, believe in yourself and every now and then, give yourself a pat on the back for having the courage to take yourself on this journey. It’s worth it!
Visit Dominika’s website and read her full interview on the blog.
Amee Wilson
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Alexander Rog
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Jessica Bakker
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Tally Thompson
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Greg Bemis
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Arnold Omanyo
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Tahmena Lutfi
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Meredith Wallis
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Miranda Mayne
Freelance Graphic Designer
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
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Caroline Keefe
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Andy Vargas
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Jing Ong
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Paul and Amoni Liddell
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Erin Donati
Founder, Harley Quinn & Co.
Ben Peters
Freelance Graphic Designer
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
Graphic Designer, Holdens
Anna Mullin
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Theo Witrylak
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Paul McKie and Myles Sharpe
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Nicol Reid
Founder, Little Creative
David Scott
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James Birks
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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
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Cari Sekendur
Art Director, LMNOP Creative
Alexandra Menzies
Freelance Graphic Designer
Tim Jones
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Carla Scotto
Freelance Graphic Designer
Meg Walker
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Christina Capetola
Designer at Wayfair
Louise Hamer
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Ina Estrada
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Chrystal Christie
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Ulrika Johnson
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Sam Jacobs
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Sean Raynor
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Irina Manning
UX Designer, Manning Labs
Margherita Baldi
Freelance Visual Designer
Henriette van Baren
Graphic Designer, ABC Carpet & Home