Our
Students

Where do you work?
I’m freelancing at the moment so mostly in my bedroom. Glamorous? No. But comfortable and flexible? Yes.

What is your role?
Graphic designer and illustrator. A lot of my work lately has been illustration based which I really enjoy. I’m definitely more of a creative designer than a corporate designer.

Describe your typical day as a designer.
Wake up without the assistance of an alarm clock, check my emails and start designing. Being freelance, a lot of work arrives quite suddenly so it can be difficult to plan for, but it keeps you on your toes.

What do you love about being a designer?
I think my natural talents lie in design and illustration so it’s a great pleasure to work in an area that I love and that I find creatively rewarding and challenging. There’s nothing worse than going to a job everyday that leaves you dead inside.

What has been the highlight of your career so far?
It’s still pretty early days for me but I had my art featured on the cover of Time-Off magazine as the winner of a Big Day Out competition. That was pretty cool! More recently I illustrated the flyer for The Finders Keepers design markets. Both of these have given me some good exposure.

When did you graduate from Shillington?
May 2009...such memories (sheds a tear).

What area were you working in before the course?
I was a Landscape Architect for about 8 years or so. I guess landscape architecture and graphic design are both design-based but it was still quite a departure.

Did you have any design experience before the course?
I think there are definitely aspects of my background that helped me in graphic design. I had experience with laying out a page graphically and composing photo montages with Photoshop. I’ve always been artistic as well, so my illustration skills were there but in need of honing.

Why did you decide to do the course?
I was becoming creatively frustrated with my career and was having to pursue my artistic interests outside of work hours. I wanted a career that would combine work and pleasure. I think I was also attracted to the short course format.

What was the most valuable thing you took away from the course?
Apart from a good, broad knowledge of the Creative Suite software, the course gave me some really helpful strategies for approaching a wide range of briefs.

How did you find the college environment, facilities and teaching?
It’s a cool relaxed studio environment. The teachers were really helpful and easy to talk to.

How confident did you feel about entering the design industry after you graduated?
Yeah I was pretty confident. The work I had produced during the course was of a pretty high standard. Also my office background meant I was used to dealing with the stress of deadlines.

How long did it take you to secure a job?
Well when I started getting regular job requests through word-of mouth and designer friends, I stopped looking for studio jobs and jumped on the freelance train.

What was the response like to your portfolio during interviews?
Quite good generally. I think my folio showcased a good cross-section of styles and formats and I eventually learnt to individualise the pieces in my folio depending on the interview.

Any advice for someone pondering whether to take the leap into graphic design and sign up for the course?
Stop pondering!

Where do you see yourself 12 months from now?
Eventually I’d like to be a full-time illustrator working on creative projects for clients all around the world. Hopefully I’ll be on my way to achieving this!