Our
Students

Where do you work?
I work at Show Media in East London. We produce a lot of high-end advertising and bespoke editorial publications. I've got the best of both worlds in the way of a small team, design projects of all sizes and lots of big clients!

What is your role?
I'm a designer! I work with our four art directors and a team of freelancers. Since I started I've been designing magazine layouts, small business brands and identities, promotional material and organising photo shoots.

Did you feel confident about entering the design industry after you graduated?
Absolutely! I was so proud of the work that I produced for my portfolio and felt very comfortable in all the Adobe programs. I also felt confident in being able to produce strong visual responses to briefs in short timeframes and with presenting and justifying my work with confidence. At Shillington you learn the process. If you follow the steps and trust the process, you will consistently produce good work!

What were you doing before the course?
I used to work as a picture editor in the publishing industry but then I went travelling and found it difficult to find work when I returned. Back then it was hard to even get work experience but, since finishing the course, I've had five job interviews and two for internships!

Why did you decide to do the course?
I'd already spent four years at university studying Visual Communication - learning out-of-date information and not feeling prepared for the industry. I didn't want to invest that sort of time again. I wanted a course that would be short and sweet. Shillington not only teaches you the Adobe programs but how to produce good design from scratch. I was impressed with previous students' work and the friendly teachers at the open nights so, when I did the course, I wasn't disappointed!

What was the most valuable thing you took away from the course?
Two things: confidence in my abilities and a great portfolio. Even though I had a lot of encouragement from the teachers at Shillington, it was a great feeling being called in for an interview and having such a positive response to the standard of my work and the professional way in which it was presented. A lot of people didn't believe how much work I had produced in such a short amount of time on the course!

Where do you see yourself in 12 months?
Hopefully working my way up in the studio and continuing to enjoy the variety of projects I am working on now. I can't wait to see how my work continues to improve as time goes by.

What has been the highlight of your career so far?
I've been lucky enough to be given some projects to work on by myself. I recently produced a logo for a property investment company. The Creative Director was really pleased with the three options I produced. We presented them all to the client who was really happy with his new logo. I can't wait to see it on his new business cards, which I also designed!