Learn from designers with industry expertise.
The great thing about being a designer is that you can work anywhere in the world.
Graphic Design Teacher
Sydney
Olivia Chen
Taiwanese-born designer, Olivia Chen, started her career in advertising for two years in The Big Apple, working with big-name clients such as NYU Shanghai, Rolling Stone and American Express. She then moved to Hong Kong and worked in boutique branding firms such as Tommy Li Design Workshop and Substance. She then moved to Melbourne and worked for Yoke and BrandWorks while building up her own studio Studio Chenchen as a side hustle.
Now living in Sydney, Olivia focuses on her own studio and using both interior and branding skills that she has learned, and her network of talented people with various cultural backgrounds and skill-sets to help clients achieve strong brand presence and multi-sensory branding experience.
What do you love about design?
That I am always learning something new. It is constantly evolving and it is so intertwined with anthropology and cultures. I love to learn new things outside of design, random facts, and foreign cultures and being a designer exposes me to clients from all walks of life.
Why do you teach?
As far as I can remember I have always told people that I wanted to be a teacher when I grow up, forcing my baby sister and my younger cousins to sit in my “class” after school and assigning them “homework” that I made up.
I am naturally giving, love sharing my passion for design with people who are equally passionate. I have a natural motherly instinct and love to see people thrive.
For the past few years, I have been learning so much through some of the younger designers I have worked with and I want to learn more from people who are from different backgrounds than me, and who are with fresh eyes.
Tell us about your design career outside of Shillington.
I started my career 7 years ago in advertising in NYC, but my turning point was when I moved to Hong Kong and worked in a boutique branding firm called Substance, mostly for hospitality and fashion, I realized that branding is my passion and small studios environment is where I work best.
I moved to Melbourne three years ago and was working as a design director in a small studio called BrandWorks, and now I am based in Sydney as a freelance designer with my own studio on the side.
What or who are you loving right now?
John William Waterhouse (P.R.B. painter), DEUTSCHE & JAPANER studio, Roanne Adams, Eric Hu (this guy is everything), Alessandro Michele (Gucci’s new CD), cause Minimalism is DEAD!
If you were a typeface, what would you be?
What’s your favourite blog?
The Design Files, Yellow Trace, Eye on Design, Bpando. I also love print magazines such as Apartamento and Idea Magazine from Japan. I am a podcast nerd so I listen to a lot of podcasts while working. Design related or not: 99 Percent Invisible (bite-size episode, great podcast about everything design, architecture, fun history), Philosophize This (better than my uni philosophy class), Beyond this Point, Design Matters (Debbie Millman as host, in-depth interview with designers, artists, author or creatives), and This American Life (Real life stories that are better than TV).
The great thing about being a designer is that you can work anywhere in the world.
Graphic Design Teacher
Sydney
Olivia Chen
Taiwanese-born designer, Olivia Chen, started her career in advertising for two years in The Big Apple, working with big-name clients such as NYU Shanghai, Rolling Stone and American Express. She then moved to Hong Kong and worked in boutique branding firms such as Tommy Li Design Workshop and Substance. She then moved to Melbourne and worked for Yoke and BrandWorks while building up her own studio Studio Chenchen as a side hustle.
Now living in Sydney, Olivia focuses on her own studio and using both interior and branding skills that she has learned, and her network of talented people with various cultural backgrounds and skill-sets to help clients achieve strong brand presence and multi-sensory branding experience.
What do you love about design?
That I am always learning something new. It is constantly evolving and it is so intertwined with anthropology and cultures. I love to learn new things outside of design, random facts, and foreign cultures and being a designer exposes me to clients from all walks of life.
Why do you teach?
As far as I can remember I have always told people that I wanted to be a teacher when I grow up, forcing my baby sister and my younger cousins to sit in my “class” after school and assigning them “homework” that I made up.
I am naturally giving, love sharing my passion for design with people who are equally passionate. I have a natural motherly instinct and love to see people thrive.
For the past few years, I have been learning so much through some of the younger designers I have worked with and I want to learn more from people who are from different backgrounds than me, and who are with fresh eyes.
Tell us about your design career outside of Shillington.
I started my career 7 years ago in advertising in NYC, but my turning point was when I moved to Hong Kong and worked in a boutique branding firm called Substance, mostly for hospitality and fashion, I realized that branding is my passion and small studios environment is where I work best.
I moved to Melbourne three years ago and was working as a design director in a small studio called BrandWorks, and now I am based in Sydney as a freelance designer with my own studio on the side.
What or who are you loving right now?
John William Waterhouse (P.R.B. painter), DEUTSCHE & JAPANER studio, Roanne Adams, Eric Hu (this guy is everything), Alessandro Michele (Gucci’s new CD), cause Minimalism is DEAD!
If you were a typeface, what would you be?
What’s your favourite blog?
The Design Files, Yellow Trace, Eye on Design, Bpando. I also love print magazines such as Apartamento and Idea Magazine from Japan. I am a podcast nerd so I listen to a lot of podcasts while working. Design related or not: 99 Percent Invisible (bite-size episode, great podcast about everything design, architecture, fun history), Philosophize This (better than my uni philosophy class), Beyond this Point, Design Matters (Debbie Millman as host, in-depth interview with designers, artists, author or creatives), and This American Life (Real life stories that are better than TV).
Andrew Shillington
Founder, Global
Anthony Wood
Managing Director, Global
Clare Terry
Director, Australia
Shanti Sparrow
Director of Teaching, Global
Natalia Zuluaga
DesignOps & Teacher, Global
Sydney Ligouri
Head, New York
John Palowski
Head of Course Content, Global
Chris Norman
Head of Online, Global
Clay Allison
Head of Experience, Global
Alex Daley
Experience Manager, United States
Ella Shillington
Experience Manager, Australia
Meg Bathard
Experience Assistant, United Kingdom
Sara Mazzoni
Head of Marketing & Communications, Global
Oli Stevenson
Marketing & Communications Lead, Global
Eden Lim
Marketing & Communications Assistant, Australia
Laura Walton
Marketing & Communications Assistant, New York
George Simkin
Lead Teacher, London
Kim Melvin
Lead Teacher, New York
Nick Smith
Lead Teacher, United Kingdom
Jack Trotman
Lead Teacher, London
Cathy Sison
Lead Teacher, Online
Nick Bailey
Lead Teacher, Brisbane
Mehul Patel
Graphic Design Teacher, Manchester
Spencer Harrison
Graphic Design Teacher, Melbourne
Amy Prus
Graphic Design Teacher, Online
Maja Cule
Graphic Design Teacher, New York
Frankie Young
Teacher & Special Projects, Online
Andy Judd
Graphic Design Teacher, Online
Jamie Lawson
Graphic Design Teacher, Online
Wayne Smith
Graphic Design Teacher, Melbourne
Lizzie Curtis
Graphic Design Teacher, London
Adam Busby
Graphic Design Teacher, Brisbane
Jimmy Muldoon
Teacher & Special Projects, New York
Alan Barba
Graphic Design Teacher, New York
Bonnie Eichelberger
Graphic Design Teacher, Melbourne
Dan Wilson
Graphic Design Teacher, London
Maaya Lad
Graphic Design Teacher, Online
Dave Bird
Graphic Design Teacher, Manchester
Hilary Archer
Graphic Design Teacher, London
Tina Victoria Afshar
Graphic Design Teacher, Online
Simon Wiltshire
Graphic Design Teacher, Sydney
Mitch Reyes
Graphic Design Teacher, Brisbane
Mary Faber
Graphic Design Teacher, Online
Fiona Martin
Graphic Design Teacher, Online
Gabrielle White
Graphic Design Teacher, Brisbane
Johnny Boardman
Graphic Design Teacher, London
Shrenik Ganatra
Graphic Design Teacher, New York
Olivia Chen
Graphic Design Teacher, Sydney
Kody Pangburn
Graphic Design Teacher, New York
Emma Tobin
Graphic Design Teacher, London
Annette Dennis
Teacher & Special Projects, Online
Katie Mihailovits
Graphic Design Teacher, London
Rachel Broaders
Graphic Design Teacher, Online
Missy Dempsey
Graphic Design Teacher, Sydney
Lovish Saini
Graphic Design Teacher, Manchester
Michael Zhang
Graphic Design Teacher, New York
Benny Hinman
Graphic Design Teacher, Sydney
Tim King
Graphic Design Teacher, Sydney
Kym Rohman
Graphic Design Teacher, New York
Thiago Eichner
Graphic Design Teacher, New York
Tessa Canon
Graphic Design Teacher, New York
Nathan Millard
Graphic Design Teacher, Melbourne
Jaimee-Lee Field
Graphic Design Teacher, Sydney