The only course to get you creative career ready Online New York London

Start your
Creative Career
Your Creative Career 2—12 Introduction

Is creativity calling
your name? Are you
ready to transform
your career?

This guide to becoming

a graphic designer will get
you started on your new
creative career.
Your Creative Career 3—12 Skills

University Pros

1 Get the
The traditional route to becoming a graphic → Formal qualification
designer is to enrol at a university and spend the
next 3-4 years getting a degree (and most likely → Critical thinking
into debt). → Wider range of study areas

Right Skills
Traditional education is great for people
who want to take their time and explore lots
of different areas of focus. University is great
for those who like researching, writing essays Cons
about design, exploring conceptual ideas and
who may want some more time before they start
→ High cost
full- time employment.
Design degrees are great at giving an in depth → 3-4 year timeframe
understanding of the histories, practices and → Underprepared for
meanings of the visual world, but tend to give you the industry
less guidance in the application of design and
less practical preparation to work in the design → Lack of a commercial
industry. Portfolios from universities can also lack portfolio of work
the commercial work that will get you hired for
There are lots of ways you can kickstart your dream job!

a career in graphic design. In this section,

we’ll take you through the pros and cons
of each method of learning.
Your Creative Career 4—12 Skills
Self Learning
The idea of teaching yourself to become a
graphic designer can be pretty overwhelming.
However, some of the most important designers
in history were self taught.
Paul Rand, one of the most important figures
in graphic design in the 20th century; Ethel Reed
the first American woman to achieve notoriety
in graphic design; Wally Olins, David Carson,
and others.
The internet is loaded with information from
the design industry and with the right direction–
you can learn pretty much anything. You will
need to be self motivated, good at disseminating
information and proactive in this approach.
Pretty much everything you need to know is
spread across YouTube, online short courses,
books and podcasts.
Pros
→ Low cost
→ Self-directed learning
Cons
→ Easy to lose motivation
→ No guidance of feedback
→ Hard to find your creative
community
→ No focused or tangible
outcomes
Bootcamps Pros
Graphic design bootcamps like Shillington equip → Graduate job ready
you with the skills, knowledge and confidence
to graduate as an industry-ready designer and → Commercial portfolio of work
completely transform your career. → Learn from industry
Bootcamps are a great option for people who professionals
want to pivot their career without going back to
→ Ready to work in as little
university, and without the price tag of endless
as 3 months
student debt.
Shillington focuses on instilling industry-relevant → Better financial investment
skills and the creation of a portfolio of work that
will get you the job you want. Bootcamps allow
you to learn all the skills you need, fast! So you Cons
can get into the industry and start earning.
Shillington offers one course, three ways; → Intensive learning
3 months full‐time on campus or 9 months
→ Less time for critical thinking
part‐time on campus or online. You can study
in person in New York, London, Sydney or
→ No formal qualification
Melbourne—or study online from anywhere
in the world.
Your Creative Career 5—12 Equipment
2 Be well
Equipped
You wouldn’t hire a builder who doesn’t have
the right tools–the same goes for a graphic
designer. Although the initial investment can
seem daunting, having the right equipment
will set you up for success.
Hardware
The first thing you will need is a computer–the
industry standard is an iMac. Hot tip–you’ll need
a decent sized screen as you will be spending a
lot of time on it.
You will also need cloud storage to back up your
work; there’s nothing worse than losing all your
creative genius in one computer crash. Sketch
books also come in handy–somewhere to lay out
all your big ideas.
You will also need a subscription to Adobe
Creative Cloud and Figma. There’s also a bunch of
other tools to help you get on you on your graphic
design journey.
Software
Graphic Designers work with Adobe Creative
Cloud and Figma every day—so it’s important to
know how to use the programs efficiently.
There are loads of tutorials online to help you
understand the essentials. It’s not impossible to
teach yourself the programs, however it can be
challenging to learn in a way that gets you job
ready and up to industry standards—something
that a course like Shillington has been doing for
over 25 years.
Your Creative Career 6—12 Theory

3 Learn Design
Theory
Like any profession, there are certain
fundamentals that are essential to
becoming a graphic designer. Design theory
is a system of concepts that explains how
and why design works.
Learning the theory behind graphic design is
the perfect way to start your journey as it’s
something you’ll use every day.
It’s also important to learn about the history
of design and the designers who have had a
profound effect on both how we design and what
design looks like today. Learning design history
is an important part of understanding and
appreciating the value of design.
Your Creative Career 7—12 Inspiration

4 Gain some
Inspiration
Document your Inspiration

Moodboards are an essential tool to get inspired,

Part of becoming a graphic designer is
familiarising yourself with different design
styles, techniques and ideas that can
inspire or inform your own design work.
Read Books and Blogs
Get your nose into a good book. There’s countless
books on everything you need to know to start
your journey as a graphic designer—from colour
theory to packaging design.
It’s worth doing a bit of research on the best
books or blogs so you’re getting the best possible
head start. You can also get access to amazing
information through creative podcasts, digital
design newsletters and YouTube.
understand your client, the brief, the demographic
and market competitors.
Save the work that inspires you, collect fun
printed materials, take photos—so you always
have a creative reference.
The internet and social media makes this a really
simple task. Most graphic designers, studios and
agencies will post their work to their websites,
share new or upcoming projects on their social
media or submit to the best design blogs. Get out
there and start digging—there’s so much amazing
stuff to find.
Your Creative Career 8—12 Process

5 Learn the
Process
Many people think learning graphic
design is all about learning the software—
in fact, learning the design process
is the most important part of becoming
a graphic designer.
If you take a client brief and jump right straight
onto the computer, you are going to waste a huge
amount of time, and potentially not meet your
clients expectations.
A successful designer needs to be able to take
a client brief, undertake competitor research,
develop moodboards and thumbnails, present
unique concepts and brand strategy and be able
to successfully pitch their ideas.
Your Creative Career 9—12 Feedback

6 Apply
Feedback
An essential part of being a graphic
designer is receiving and applying feedback
on your work through a critique.
A good designer will self critique, as well as take on the feedback from their
colleagues, Creative Directors and clients to ensure their work is successful.
Critiques also teach you how to talk about your designs in an objective way and
articulate why you made certain decisions—helping you to push your designs to the
next level. You will also want to make sure that any course you are choosing has
critiquing at the center of what they do (something we focus on heavily at Shillington).
Your Creative Career 10—12 Portfolio

7 Create your
Portfolio
When it comes to getting a job interview,
it’s all down to your portfolio. It’s the first
point of contact with an employer, so you’ve
got to put your best foot forward.
A graphic design portfolio is a collection of your
best work—it can contain personal or professional
work, as long as it’s guaranteed to communicate
your skills to a potential employer. A portfolio
is the best way to exhibit your personality and
your design skills—both through finished work
and the process of how you got there.
Putting together a kick-ass graphic design
portfolio isn’t just something you need to worry
about when you’re a student. You’ll need to
think about maintaining, improving and evolving
your portfolio throughout your design career.
Your Creative Career 11—12 Promote
8 Promote
Yourself
Get the work you want, and attract
your dream clients! It’s time to get your
work out there for the world to see. This
means sharing your website, your resume,
professional social media profiles and
networking in the industry.
Self Promotion
Your website and resume will likely be the first
thing a potential employer will see when you
apply for a job, even before your portfolio, so
make sure it’s simple and up-to-date.
Instagram, Behance and Dribbble are the best
ways to get virtual eyes on your work. If you are
regularly publishing work on them, it will get seen
by other designers around the world—including
potential employers or clients.
Networking
One of the best things about graphic design is
the creative community! A vast sea of inspiration,
mentorship and opportunities–you never know
what opportunities may be opened by interacting
with your peers.
Whether in-person, or online, it is important to put
yourself out there and meet new people. Do some
research in your city, or via some of your favourite
creative websites to find some events that may
interest you.
Your Creative Career 12—12 Contact Us

Become a graphic
designer in as little
as 3 months.
M Attend an Info Session
M Speak to a Course Advisor
M Course dates 2023/24

Online New York London Southern Hemisphere

Email | +44 (0) 207 621 1778 Email | +1 (212) 682 6611 Email | +44 (0) 207 621 1778 Email | +61 (02) 9299 1166
L6, 315 Madison Avenue, L3, Bury House, 31 Bury Street,
New York NY 10017 London EC3A 5AR