What made you want to start your business, and how did you get the ball rolling?
Shillington has actually been around for 28 years, originally founded in 1997 by Andy Shillington in Sydney. At the time, Andy was running a graphic design studio and noticed that junior designers coming out of traditional university programs weren’t equipped with the real-world skills he needed in a fast-paced studio environment. That was the spark. He created a course designed by designers, for designers, focused on industry-relevant skills and practical outcomes.
Since then, we’ve evolved and refined that course to keep up with the ever-changing design world. In 2023, we took a huge step and brought Shillington online; making our education even more accessible to creatives around the world. And in September 2024, we launched our brand new Motion for Graphic Designers course, which is already making waves.
Traditional education is still failing to equip students with the skills required to succeed in the creative industries. At Shillington, our belief has never changed: you don’t need a degree to become a designer. Since then we’ve had over 11,000 students graduate all over the world.
What drew you to Second Home, and what do you enjoy most about working here?
Second Home immediately stood out to us because of its vibrant, creative energy. It’s always buzzing with activity and ideas. The space itself is bright, inspiring, and full of personality which mirrors the kind of environment we foster at Shillington.
As a design education company, we thrive in creative communities. Second Home feels like a natural extension of that, there’s a real sense of connection and innovation here. It’s the perfect setting for a business like ours, where creativity and collaboration are at the heart of everything we do.
Describe Second Home in three words: Bright, expressive, alive.
Looking ahead, what are you most excited to work on or explore in your business?
We’re excited to keep doing what we do best: empowering the next generation of designers with the skills they actually need to succeed. The design industry never stands still, and neither do we. We’re constantly evolving our curriculum to stay ahead of industry trends, ensuring our students are always learning the most relevant, up-to-date skills.
We’re also incredibly passionate about supporting our students and our Shillington team in reaching their goals whether that’s landing their dream job, launching a freelance career, or growing professionally within Shillington.
At the core of it all is our mission to change design education for the better. We believe everyone should have access to a practical, inspiring, and real-world creative education.
Which resources or experiences at Second Home have had the greatest impact on your business?
Honestly? The rooftop sunshine has probably saved us more times than we can count. Some of our best ideas (and mood resets) have come from taking a quick meeting up there.
And the endless supply of meeting rooms, chairs and booths? A total game-changer. Being able to jump into a new space to brainstorm, present or just escape the studio for a bit really keeps things fresh. Second Home gives us the flexibility and energy we need to stay creative and connected, without ever feeling stuck in one place.