Sherry Malik, Shillington New York Graduate

Shaheryar Malik, Sherry for short, studied at Shillington New York on the part-time course, graduating in 2012. Already working as an Art Director, he decided to enrol at Shillington to up-skill.

Since graduating, Sherry’s design career has been a whirlwind of excitement which has led him across three continents where he’s settled (for now) in London at Krow. We were thrilled to catch up with Sherry to hear more about his career after Shillington.

Read on to hear about Sherry’s ‘Reading Project‘, a personal venture which ended up being shared on a multitude of News providers including the Guardian, a humorous video series for IKEA reflecting on everyday solutions, and advice for those considering part-time study. 

Tell us about your creative journey. How amazing that you’ve lived and worked on three different continents! 

My first creative work, an illustration, was published at the age of seven. After that, I started pursuing Medicine so I did nothing creative for nearly twenty years. In 2003, after walking away from a Biomedical Science degree, I decided to study BA(Hons) Advertising & Marketing Communication and post-graduate specialising in Art Direction & Copywriting. In 2008 I started working as an art director in London. I worked in the Philippines in 2010. I moved to New York in 2011.

I started the part-time course at Shillington, New York, in 2012. It became a part of my creative journey when working as an art director I realised that the rate of my progress was not fast enough nor in line with my ambitions. As I was exploring and playing with other creative fields, illustration and photography, I knew I also needed to look at design. I knew I needed design to be much more than playful exploration; I needed it to be more structured and refined.

Why did you decide to study design part-time while already working in the industry? How did studying at Shillington influence your career?

I did the part-time course as I was producing the same type of work for the same clients. Even though I started experimenting with photography and illustration on my own, my ‘design’ thinking felt stagnant. I felt limited in the type of ‘design’ work I was producing. The part-time course fitted perfectly in my schedule and needs. It was the glue that brought together all the other playful experimenting I was doing on the side. I also felt that, by doing the course, I would be able to look at design on a higher level. I went into the course with very specific needs and goals.

Shillington helped me push my own thinking and understanding of design.

I know design played an important part in everyone’s life but I needed something much more tangible. I needed it to help bring all the different things I was experimenting with together. Shillington has helped me be a more knowledgeable creative and better problem solver.

Could you tell us about a favourite professional project as an Art Director at Ogilvy & Mather?

Campaign work for American Express and TV spot for IKEA are some of my favourite projects. AMEX had a massive budget because they were launching a new product. It had hundreds of moving pieces and needs. I worked on logos, illustrations, TV, radio, digital, stunts, packaging and much more. This project took over 3 years to launch. For IKEA, it was the complete opposite. It was small budget, quick turn around and one medium. The ask, timing, ideas, process and the type of thinking needed was very different to AMEX, but equally challenging.

There’s such variety in your portfolio—from illustration to commercials to fashion design. What do you love most about your life as a designer and art director?

Being an art director, I enjoy thinking and working with different media. I couldn’t survive very long if I had to think in just one format. As a designer, I am able to solve all the problems that I face in those mediums. Therefore, making me one happy bunny.

Tell us a bit about The Reading Project.

The Reading Project is a personal project, It’s part-commentary on the way we live today, and part-experiment, that I started a few years back. Though I started very late, I love reading. Reading is very important to me, and with this project I wanted people to simply pick up a book.

Which other designers, artists, or creative people are you loving at the moment?

Dorota Pankowska, Menja Stevenson, Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Fred Deakin, Emmanuelle Moureaux, Mike Mellia

Any advice for people considering Shillington’s part-time design course? What was the biggest lesson you learned and still carry throughout your career?

My advice is to do your homework beforehand. I went in knowing I did not need to learn the software. The course is not about that. I did not need to know what design is; I was designing already. I went in knowing that I must produce work that I would not normally produce. I must experiment, I must pick things and do things that I have not done already. I know I must give it all I have in order to get all that I want.

After class, I would go home and redo the exercises and do extra research. I came up with different solutions and answers. I made it a point not go to bed till 2AM every school night.

Anything else you’d like to share?

The only person you ever have to beat is yourself. If you can truly comprehend it, not just understand it, if you can really grasp the meaning and magnitude of that… you will never be the same again.

Massive thanks to Sherry for catching up with us. If you’d like to find out more about Sherry’s work, head over to his website or LinkedIn profile. 

If you’re interested in up-skilling or studying on our part-time course you can learn more at one of our upcoming info sessions. Find out more -> www.shillingtoneducation.com