Hear straight from our graduates.
The fact that I could walk away in 3 months with comprehensive skills and be competitive with other designers who had 4 year degrees was the icing on the cake.
Graphic Designer, Amazon Books
Kelly Hansen
Why Shillington?
I had just graduated high school the summer before I left for Australia so mainly odd jobs such as a classroom assistant at a local preschool and in-store associate for a pool company. Very, very, groundbreaking work that was difficult to walk away from.
Initially I wanted to be a counselor but I realized I’m far too emotional to be any sort of help. While deciding what to do moving forward I asked some friends if I should consider going to school to become a designer and in short their response was: “Duh.” To them it was “abnormal” to comment on type, layout and have general design commentary running through their mind every time they set foot outdoors or scrolled through the internet. I thought that was something everyone did but apparently it was just me! With that in mind, I took my time researching courses and trying to find one that suited me. I came across Shillington and was all in. The caliber of work that students were releasing in portfolio, the thought and effort that was apparent in both Shillington’s approach to design education as well as how that translated into teaching future designers was unlike anything I was seeing from other school’s. The fact that I could walk away in 3 months with comprehensive skills and be competitive with other designers who had 4 year degrees was the icing on the cake.
After Shillington you worked at the Seattle Symphony, Sotheby’s and now Amazon. How did you find the job hunt? Were you confident with your Shillington portfolio?
I think the beauty of design is the freedom you have to grow, in fact the nature of the work is that you’ll always be developing yourself and learning new skills and trends. With that freedom I never really felt anything but full confidence with my portfolio. I felt strongly that Shillington had done an incredible job of giving me the tactical, foundational skills to succeed and my portfolio reflected that. Knowing that, the challenge in the job hunt was finding the right fit for my work style. I loved my job at the Symphony and there I found that I really found my passion, which is print. Although I didn’t enjoy the nature of the work at Sotheby’s, I enjoyed developing processes and I learned about the importance of organization in design and managing expectations. Amazon and the department I work in, Books, is allowing me to be apart of something really incredible as we take Amazon’s 20 plus years of E-Commerce excellency and translate that into the reinvention of the physical retail landscape. It’s challenging, but I’m learning from some of the smartest innovators in retail and it’s the perfect mix of everything I love: design, smart marketing, focused strategy and data. I feel like I’m coming home when I come to work, which isn’t something everyone can say about their job.
What do you love about working as a graphic designer?
That you are ever changing and that your work is malleable. Every day looks different and sometimes messages across different mediums look different and I get to evolve alongside of my work. It also excites me that you’re likely the first touch point for the customer. You have this special opportunity to leverage the message and connect with someone. That moment is brief, but it’s important and you need to be smart about it. I think people see designers as people who create pretty things and have comfy jobs, but it’s so much bigger then that.
Anything else you’d like to share?
This is getting long winded, but don’t be afraid to discover who you are as a designer. I remember feeling really passionately that I was bound to be a studio designer and would get really discouraged if I didn’t get a studio job or felt I didn’t have a “studio” portfolio. I discovered I wasn’t a studio designer but rather a more corporate one; I love customer journey, strategy, data, numbers, etc. That, for me, looked way different then the studio experience and it was okay.
Kelly moved from America to Australia to study design abroad at Shillington. Visit Kelly’s website.
The fact that I could walk away in 3 months with comprehensive skills and be competitive with other designers who had 4 year degrees was the icing on the cake.
Graphic Designer, Amazon Books
Kelly Hansen
Why Shillington?
I had just graduated high school the summer before I left for Australia so mainly odd jobs such as a classroom assistant at a local preschool and in-store associate for a pool company. Very, very, groundbreaking work that was difficult to walk away from.
Initially I wanted to be a counselor but I realized I’m far too emotional to be any sort of help. While deciding what to do moving forward I asked some friends if I should consider going to school to become a designer and in short their response was: “Duh.” To them it was “abnormal” to comment on type, layout and have general design commentary running through their mind every time they set foot outdoors or scrolled through the internet. I thought that was something everyone did but apparently it was just me! With that in mind, I took my time researching courses and trying to find one that suited me. I came across Shillington and was all in. The caliber of work that students were releasing in portfolio, the thought and effort that was apparent in both Shillington’s approach to design education as well as how that translated into teaching future designers was unlike anything I was seeing from other school’s. The fact that I could walk away in 3 months with comprehensive skills and be competitive with other designers who had 4 year degrees was the icing on the cake.
After Shillington you worked at the Seattle Symphony, Sotheby’s and now Amazon. How did you find the job hunt? Were you confident with your Shillington portfolio?
I think the beauty of design is the freedom you have to grow, in fact the nature of the work is that you’ll always be developing yourself and learning new skills and trends. With that freedom I never really felt anything but full confidence with my portfolio. I felt strongly that Shillington had done an incredible job of giving me the tactical, foundational skills to succeed and my portfolio reflected that. Knowing that, the challenge in the job hunt was finding the right fit for my work style. I loved my job at the Symphony and there I found that I really found my passion, which is print. Although I didn’t enjoy the nature of the work at Sotheby’s, I enjoyed developing processes and I learned about the importance of organization in design and managing expectations. Amazon and the department I work in, Books, is allowing me to be apart of something really incredible as we take Amazon’s 20 plus years of E-Commerce excellency and translate that into the reinvention of the physical retail landscape. It’s challenging, but I’m learning from some of the smartest innovators in retail and it’s the perfect mix of everything I love: design, smart marketing, focused strategy and data. I feel like I’m coming home when I come to work, which isn’t something everyone can say about their job.
What do you love about working as a graphic designer?
That you are ever changing and that your work is malleable. Every day looks different and sometimes messages across different mediums look different and I get to evolve alongside of my work. It also excites me that you’re likely the first touch point for the customer. You have this special opportunity to leverage the message and connect with someone. That moment is brief, but it’s important and you need to be smart about it. I think people see designers as people who create pretty things and have comfy jobs, but it’s so much bigger then that.
Anything else you’d like to share?
This is getting long winded, but don’t be afraid to discover who you are as a designer. I remember feeling really passionately that I was bound to be a studio designer and would get really discouraged if I didn’t get a studio job or felt I didn’t have a “studio” portfolio. I discovered I wasn’t a studio designer but rather a more corporate one; I love customer journey, strategy, data, numbers, etc. That, for me, looked way different then the studio experience and it was okay.
Kelly moved from America to Australia to study design abroad at Shillington. Visit Kelly’s website.
Seyi Ogunlade
Freelance Graphic Designer and Photographer
Jess Goodall
Digital Designer, Pistachio Design
Stephanie Halovanic
Creative Producer, &Walsh
Megan Voo
UX/UI & Content Designer, Ignite Online
Gerald Torto
Strategist, Re Agency
Romayne Gadelrab
Freelance Graphic Designer
Eman Abdallah
Graphic & Experience Designer, KAIRO
Ariana Villegas
Designer, Simplecast
Ray Wong
Designer, Oink Creative
Johanna Hagenauer
Brand / Product Designer, Rexlabs
Emily Campos
UX Designer, Wix
Rawin Keo
Lead Graphic Designer, Dermalogica
Mark Osmond
Designer, Thumbs Up!
Vanessa Bertagnole
Graphic Multimedia Designer, Surf Life Saving Queensland
Araki Koman
Freelance Illustrator and Designer
Arwa Al-Salam
Designer, Human Appeal
Benny Hinman
Designer, Frost*collective
Em Stokes
Junior Designer, MOO
Veronica Humphris
Digital Designer, Mapway
Leila Bartholet
Designer, Chandelier
Alexandra Francis
Designer, Flow Creative
Benjamin Ngooi
Graphic Designer, Cox Architecture
Sophie Lord
Creative Director, Hello May
Khadijah Adbul Nabi
Freelance Graphic Designer
Frankie Young
Founder, Studio Neubau
Ella Donald & Charlotte Carnegie Brown
Co-Founders, Studio Duzi
Amy Forsyth
Graphic Designer, Alfresco Emporium
Jaira Adlawan
Senior Visual Designer, Sephora
Jamie Krups
Creative at Stab Magazine
Keiran McCann
Graphic Designer, Victoria’s Secret
Greg Bemis
Creative, Nike
Anastasiia Vinnichenko
Designer, Tile Creative
Lori Beth Kaye
Senior Product Designer, The Iconic
Megan Dweck
Visual Designer, McKinsey & Company
James Freebairn
Junior Graphic Designer, Dark Mofo
Irina Manning
UX Designer, Manning Labs
Shannon Gordon
Designer, R/GA
Sinead Murphy
Freelance Graphic Designer
Lauren Koste
Freelance Designer and Craft Beer Specialist
Ani Monteleone
Designer, The Wall Street Journal
Caitlin Clancy
Designer, The New York Times
Miwako Suzuki
Integrated Creative Director
Linda Gao
Designer, HBO
Rachel Urquhart
Founder, Pony Gold Studio
Will Batrouney
Graphic Designer, Ignite Online
Ellie Pinney
Freelance Designer
Katie Lodge
Business Development Manager, Frost* collective
Joseph Lebus
Designer, Made Thought
Jordan Demetriou
Junior Designer, Principals
Hamish Snow
Product Designer, Rexlabs
Emily Somers
Founder, Bravery Co.
Eleanor Robertson
Designer, Paul Belford Ltd
Estefi Panizza
Junior Designer, Design Bridge
Erin Gale
Designer, Target
Kylie Meller
Founder, duosista Web and Graphic Design
Yarron Frauenfelder
Design Director
Bianca Chu
Senior Designer, eBay
Bianca Oggiano
Designer, FutureBrand
Alexander Rog
Junior Designer, oOh!
Christopher J Porter
Designer, I See Sea
Babeth Olde Hanter
Junior Art Director, SOV
Chrystal Christie
Photographer/Graphic Designer, One Round Entertainment
Tally Thompson
Graphic Designer, Awesome Creative
Dominika Stanczyk
Designer, Open Water
Lindsay Koffler
Graphic Designer, Refinery29
Amee Wilson
Art Director, Clemenger BBDO
Lily Moore
Designer at Sotheby’s
Braden Floris
Designer, GoFundMe
Ashley Ronning
Illustrator and Founder of Helio Press
Tahmena Lutfi
Digital Designer, Qantas and Jetstar Hotels
Anara Davletaliyeva
UX Designer and Developer, Appliances Online
Tiffany Yee
Designer, Forever 21
Amy Sheehan
Art Director, Insider Inc.
Emma Ladlow
Designer, University of Nottingham Students' Union
Alexis Waller
Design Director, R/GA
Halah El Kholy
In-House Designer, Brew Tea Co
Jess White
Junior Graphic Designer, Just Media Design
Bobby Hendry
Designer, Brilliant Logic
Jessica Bakker
Junior Graphic Designer, Beyond Communications
Lauren Dannenberg
Designer, Mary's Group
Arnold Omanyo
UX/UI Designer, Digital on Demand
Dawn Moloney
Founder, A Making Life
Miranda Mayne
Freelance Graphic Designer
Caroline Keefe
Freelance, Nickelodeon
Paul and Amoni Liddell
Graphic Designers, Westpac CX and Feel
Meredith Wallis
Designer, King & Partners
Ocki Magill
Founder, Letter Bug Studios
Victoire Scherer
Junior Graphic Designer, Neoscape
Anika George
Designer, AKQA
Liana Modolo
UX Designer, Rex Software
Kelly Hansen
Graphic Designer, Amazon Books
Mikel McCavana
Designer, Moment
Alexander Wu-Kim
Concept Creative, ANDPEOPLE Australia
Jing Ong
Designer, Autumn
Kirsten McColl
Designer, WH-O
Nicole Rogers
Designer, Birchbox
Pooja Dharia
Branding Designer, FCB Health
Erin Donati
Founder, Harley Quinn & Co.
Jackson Todd
Art Director, Van Der Zwaag
Andy Vargas
Designer, Bitâcora
Moshe Bien
Designer, Nucleus
Crystal Lin
Designer, DNA Design
Stephen Grace
Designer, Christopher Doyle & Co.
Eleanor Rogers
Letterpress Printer, Chapel Press
Andy Tharagonnet
Designer, ThumbsUp
Ben Peters
Freelance Graphic Designer
Brad Holten
Designer, Big Idea
Natalia Baker
Freelance Graphic Designer
Molly Sitter
Studio Designer, Spring St. Social Society
Guy Pittard
Freelance Graphic Designer
Bea Sambalido
Freelance Graphic Designer
Oceane Combeau
Designer, Fernand et Firmin
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
Roo Cassels
Designer, Big Fish
Nicol Reid
Founder, Little Creative
James Birks
Freelance Illustrator and Designer
David Scott
Designer, The Mix
Jane Durlacher
Graphic Designer, Paper Stone Scissors
Rachel Lee
Freelance Graphic Designer
Janno Saft
Founder, frank wo
Sean Raynor
Designer, Watermark Studio
Vanessa Burgess
Graphic Designer, Tritium
Olivier Adam
Freelance Graphic Designer
Cari Sekendur
Art Director, LMNOP Creative
Alexandra Menzies
Freelance Graphic Designer
Margherita Baldi
Freelance Visual 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
Sam Jacobs
Senior Designer, Time Inc.
Ulrika Johnson
Designer, Fantasia Accessories
Henriette van Baren
Graphic Designer, ABC Carpet & Home
Charly Tudor
Graphic Designer, Holdens
Lola Irwanto
Graphic Designer, Princess Polly