New Student Portfolio Video—Jackson Todd

Jackson Todd always knew he was meant to be a designer. Fresh from high school graduation, he jumped straight into Shillington Brisbane and graduated with an incredible portfolio of work. Today we catch up with Jackson to hear about his time at Shillington and the biggest lessons he learnt.

Why did you choose to study at Shillington? 

Shillington was the first college that I looked at after talking to some friends who had graduated from there. They said that they loved their time there, they loved the length of the course and the fun class environment. I then looked at student work on the website and immediately fell in love. I didn’t bother to look at any other courses. I knew this was the right one for me.

I had only just graduated from high school in 2015. So studying at Shillington was the first thing outside of school that I have done. I was excited!

I knew for a while that I was a creative. I really wanted to get straight into it and become a designer.

Did you have any previous design experience? How did the course build your skill set?

I’ve been taking photos and making art for a while now but only for myself and for my Instagram. It was more of a hobby. But in the last two years I began to pick up a few jobs here and there and that was when decided to make a job out of design and study at Shillington.

How did you find the classroom environment?

It was always fun. My classmates and teachers were always super supportive and fun from day one. Whether it was at the couches in the library or while we were getting coffee in our breaks we always had fun and would lift each other up.

The environment made it a whole lot easier from me to make friends and enjoy making design.

What was the most valuable thing you learnt from your teachers?

To never stop, to continue moving forward and push your ideas further. That was the most valuable thing I learnt. It has stuck with me with every thing I do and create. 

How did you feel at the beginning versus the end of the course?

This is a tough one! I definitely know that at the end of my course I felt proud of what I had achieved and what my friends had achieved. In the beginning I was very keen and excited to reach the end and to see what I could create.

My plan now is to find a design job in a studio. I’ll always work on my own passion projects because that is what keeps me sane. But, I think for me and being my age I’d love to gain experience in a studio role! I don’t think I would have been able to feel this prepared and confident with out Shillington. 

If you could give one piece of advice to someone starting at Shillington, what would it be?

Have fun and be nice to everyone! Work at a pace and rate that you feel comfortable with and don’t worry if someone is way ahead of you. But most importantly—have fun!

Huge thanks to Jackson. We can’t wait to see where his career takes him! Check out his portfolio and follow him on Instagram.