Hear straight from our graduates.
In the year since graduating from Shillington I’ve done freelance work for a UX company, worked for a design studio with mostly large retail clients and have most recently landed a sick job in hospitality with Mary’s Group designing cool collateral for their venues, branding events and speaking for the venues’ brands via social media.
Designer, Mary's Group
Lauren Dannenberg
Before Shillington you worked at SA Water as a Support Officer, but nurtured your creativity with a side business (and great Instagram account!), Paper Parade. Tell us more about that side hustle.
Paper Parade was a great creative outlet for me at the time. It really kept the dream alive while that 9-5 that had me deep in spreadsheets. I began by posting snaps on Instagram of hand lettering and greeting cards I was making for friends and before I knew it, I was getting custom orders and wholesale requests. It was a good way to get experience and exposure while working full time and ultimately lead to me quitting my day job to study full time at Shillington.
Why did you want to study design?
I always wanted to work in the creative industry but struggled with “imposter syndrome” and felt I needed a solid portfolio and skill set to launch my creative career. I did quite a bit of research on where I wanted to study and I couldn’t go past all the student reviews of Shillington. The full time short term course was also ideal for my situation. The reviews were so accurate. It really is a super challenging but rewarding experience. I’m still blown away with how much I learned in that time and the standard of work I produced coming out of the course.
How are you finding the change of scene from Adelaide to Sydney?
I think there are a lot more opportunities for creatives in Sydney. Since graduating Shillington in May 2018 I’ve done freelance work for a UX company, worked for a design studio with mostly large retail clients and have most recently landed a sick job in hospitality with Mary’s Group designing cool collateral for their venues, branding events and speaking for the venues’ brands via social media.
We heard you just landed a new job—with a former Shillington teacher! Tell us about it.
This is seriously my dream job. I’ve hit the jackpot working with Leyla! It’s great to work for someone who really values the development of her team. I get to continue building on the skills I gained at Shillington and apply that design theory to real work. That’s just the tip of the iceberg though, this role challenges me to be creative every day in different ways and I get to work with a family of absolute legends.
How did you feel after graduation? Any tips for fresh graduates?
I definitely felt overwhelmed about what to do next. My advice is to take some time off, but not too long, and then strike while the irons hot! Break it all down into small tasks to make things less daunting like write a cover letter or aim to apply for 3 jobs today. Once you get started it all becomes more manageable.
Where are your go-to spots for creative inspiration?
I wouldn’t say I have a go-to spot. For me it’s more about surrounding yourself with creative people and different people, being exposed to different points of view and discovering new ways of thinking.
In the year since graduating from Shillington I’ve done freelance work for a UX company, worked for a design studio with mostly large retail clients and have most recently landed a sick job in hospitality with Mary’s Group designing cool collateral for their venues, branding events and speaking for the venues’ brands via social media.
Designer, Mary's Group
Lauren Dannenberg
Before Shillington you worked at SA Water as a Support Officer, but nurtured your creativity with a side business (and great Instagram account!), Paper Parade. Tell us more about that side hustle.
Paper Parade was a great creative outlet for me at the time. It really kept the dream alive while that 9-5 that had me deep in spreadsheets. I began by posting snaps on Instagram of hand lettering and greeting cards I was making for friends and before I knew it, I was getting custom orders and wholesale requests. It was a good way to get experience and exposure while working full time and ultimately lead to me quitting my day job to study full time at Shillington.
Why did you want to study design?
I always wanted to work in the creative industry but struggled with “imposter syndrome” and felt I needed a solid portfolio and skill set to launch my creative career. I did quite a bit of research on where I wanted to study and I couldn’t go past all the student reviews of Shillington. The full time short term course was also ideal for my situation. The reviews were so accurate. It really is a super challenging but rewarding experience. I’m still blown away with how much I learned in that time and the standard of work I produced coming out of the course.
How are you finding the change of scene from Adelaide to Sydney?
I think there are a lot more opportunities for creatives in Sydney. Since graduating Shillington in May 2018 I’ve done freelance work for a UX company, worked for a design studio with mostly large retail clients and have most recently landed a sick job in hospitality with Mary’s Group designing cool collateral for their venues, branding events and speaking for the venues’ brands via social media.
We heard you just landed a new job—with a former Shillington teacher! Tell us about it.
This is seriously my dream job. I’ve hit the jackpot working with Leyla! It’s great to work for someone who really values the development of her team. I get to continue building on the skills I gained at Shillington and apply that design theory to real work. That’s just the tip of the iceberg though, this role challenges me to be creative every day in different ways and I get to work with a family of absolute legends.
How did you feel after graduation? Any tips for fresh graduates?
I definitely felt overwhelmed about what to do next. My advice is to take some time off, but not too long, and then strike while the irons hot! Break it all down into small tasks to make things less daunting like write a cover letter or aim to apply for 3 jobs today. Once you get started it all becomes more manageable.
Where are your go-to spots for creative inspiration?
I wouldn’t say I have a go-to spot. For me it’s more about surrounding yourself with creative people and different people, being exposed to different points of view and discovering new ways of thinking.
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