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.
Karina Aslikyan
Freelance Graphic Designer
Lauren Stevens
Freelance Graphic Designer/ Junior Designer at NRMA
Ayesha Mansour
Freelance Designer, Aah Yes Studio
Georgia Latham
Intern at Imagist
Mary Lin
Graphic Designer, Colette Werden
Sophie Bo Schmidt
Senior UX Consultant at PeakXD
Ben Thaler
Junior Designer at Common
Liam Speranza
Associate Design Manager at Tushy
Natalie Taylor
Designer, Mobkoi
Oyinkan Karunwi
Founder at Aseda Design Agency
Elizabeth Diffey
Freelance Graphic Designer, Spotify
Julia Hoolahan
Art Director, Home Beautiful
Rory Knibbs
Designer, The Midnight Club
Stephanie Halovanic
Creative Producer, &Walsh
Eman Abdallah
Graphic & Experience Designer, KAIRO
Mark Osmond
Designer, Thumbs Up!
Araki Koman
Freelance Illustrator and Designer
Veronica Humphris
Digital Designer, Mapway
Benjamin Ngooi
Graphic Designer, Cox Architecture
Khadijah Adbul Nabi
Freelance Graphic Designer
Ella Donald & Charlotte Carnegie Brown
Co-Founders, Studio Duzi
Jamie Krups
Creative at Stab Magazine
Megan Dweck
Visual Designer, McKinsey & Company
Miwako Suzuki
Integrated Creative Director
Eleanor Robertson
Designer, Paul Belford Ltd
Kylie Meller
Founder, duosista Web and Graphic Design
Babeth Olde Hanter
Junior Art Director, SOV
Ashley Ronning
Illustrator and Founder of Helio Press
Anara Davletaliyeva
UX Designer and Developer, Appliances Online
Amy Sheehan
Art Director, Insider Inc.
Alexis Waller
Design Director, R/GA
Arnold Omanyo
UX/UI Designer, Digital on Demand
Kelly Hansen
Graphic Designer, Amazon Books
Pooja Dharia
Branding Designer, FCB Health
Stephen Grace
Designer, Christopher Doyle & Co.
Bea Sambalido
Freelance Graphic Designer
Peta Harris
Graphic Designer, Macquarie University
Pete Conforto
Designer, For The People
Rachel Lee
Freelance Graphic Designer
Olivier Adam
Freelance Graphic Designer
Meg Walker
Designer, Milkshake
Ina Estrada
Founder, Par Vous Designs
Henriette van Baren
Graphic Designer, ABC Carpet & Home