New York is a graphic designer’s dream! The city is teaming with creativity, inspiration and opportunities. Plus, it boasts the largest population of designers and studios in all of America. But we want to know the specifics—what is it like to be a graphic design student in the city that never sleeps?
We asked Shillington New York graduates for all the details on day-to-day life. Here are 50 reasons why design students love NYC.
1. Hiding in the quiet of The Rose Main Reading Room at the New York Public Library.
2. Aigany.org—the design community you need to join.
3. Refinery29—the ultimate NYC blog.
4. Amazing evenings spent with the Rooftop Film Club!
5. Field Study, a NYC-based Tumblr with lots of great design advice.
6. Exploring American Art at The Whitney Museum.
7. A walk along the Highline in the spring.
8. Blue Bottle coffee, especially the one by Shillington New York’s campus on West 40th Street.
9. Exhibitions like ‘Why Cats Took Over the Internet’ at the Museum of the Moving Image.
10. Popping into Blick for the best in art supplies.
11. …accidentally spending an hour in Blick looking at art supplies.
12. Metropolis Mag for all things art and design culture.
13. Mark Wickens on Instagram—one photographer’s love affair with New York City.
14. Connecting with artists at Bushwick Open Studios.
15. Pier 63 on the Hudson for a breath of fresh air.
16. The Generate New York conference for web designers every April.
17. PS1 Moma: Warm Up 2015—Saturday night parties like no other.
18. People-watching in the afternoon at Washington Square Park.
19. Discovering more fantastic creative books and resources at Printed Matter, Inc.
20. The New Museum’s fascinating design inspiration starts with the building.
21. Trying something new and creative at the Brooklyn Brainery workshops.
22. Brunch in the East Village—booze and bagels is the best way to kickstart your weekend.
23. Storylines, the visual art exhibition at the Guggenheim until September 9th.
24. Madagascar Institute, a Brooklyn art project with the motto ‘fear is never boring’.
25. Using the free Wi-Fi at Bryant Park in-between lectures.
26. JFK Airport. You can get anywhere from here. You can get here from anywhere.
27. Milton Glaser—creator of the I<3NY logo and a Manhattan design legend.
28. Watching the rush hour with a Grumpy’s Coffee in Grand Central Station.
29. The flower district—an oasis in the city.
30. Being a big kid and exploring patterns at the Museum of Maths.
31. Tumblr favourite NYCtype is the best in street typography.
32. Multiculturalism—the people, the places, the food, the culture of New York City.
33. Making it all the way into the furthest reaches of the MoMA on rainy afternoons.
34. The Strand bookshop—18 miles of books!
35. …accidentally spending an hour in The Strand.
36. Inspirational NYC blog Design Sponge.
37. Brooklyn Public Library—for the building and the books.
38. Take me out the ball game! Love the iconography found in local New York sports.
39. Taking a week to read The New York Times you bought on Sunday.
40. Good company—NYC has the largest population of designers in the USA.
41. The Japanese Society—art inspiration, culture and interesting lectures.
42. Using Citibikes to whizz around town and saving on a cab.
43. Events at the National Design Museum, Cooper Hewitt.
44. Picnics in Central Park to get out of the classroom.
45. Favorite locals magazine New Observations.
46. Bundling up for winter strolls in Prospect Park.
47. Irving Farm Coffee Roasters. This city loves its coffee!
48. New York City on Instagram—1.2 million followers of beautiful cityscapes
49. Food glorious food at Smorgasburg. Try the Coney Island location for fewer queues.
50. Getting to know fellow students from all over the world in one city!
Do you want to learn more about studying Graphic Design in New York City? Kickstart your career in just 3 months full-time or 9 months part-time with Shillington. Get all the details at Shillington Education.
Not in the Big Apple? International students can move to New York City on a student visa and become a graphic designer!
Massive thanks to #shillony graduates Natalia Baker, Moshe Bien, Oceane Combeau and Bea Sambalido for their inside knowledge. All photography from Bea Sambalido on Instagram. Check out her work and read her Shillington story, A New York Dream Come True.
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