2 Years Since Shillington: Drew DeJong.

In the below graduate interview, we speak to Drew DeJong about his path into design, it’s clear that creativity has always been quietly woven into his story, even if he didn’t recognise it right away. From sketching with pencil and paper as a kid, to immersing himself in basketball culture as a teenager, Drew’s eye for style, rhythm and form was taking shape long before he ever called himself a designer.

After earning a degree in Corporate Communications and building a career in marketing, he felt the undeniable pull toward something more creative. That leap eventually led him to Shillington, where he embraced the whirlwind of briefs and late nights while juggling a full-time job. Now, Drew is carving out a space for himself in the design world, blending his love of culture, nature and storytelling into thoughtful, visually compelling work.

Below Drew shares how he made the switch, what the Shillington experience was really like and where he sees his creative journey heading next.

Welcome back to Shillington, Drew!

If we rewind to your early years, what did you want to be one day?

It’s funny, I don’t think I had a strong sense of “wanting to be” anything when I was little. I was just living in the moment. But looking back, there were two things that always got me to focus: a good book or a pencil and paper. I didn’t get excited about many subjects in school until I stumbled into typography in university much later.

What did you enjoy doing during your teenage years, both in and out of school?

As a teenager I had a brief obsession with the game of basketball. I sort of became a sponge for everything to do with the culture, from going to the library and reading through every edition of SLAM magazine I could find, to looking for Air Jordan knock-offs on Ebay and purchasing them (it was all I could afford). I think that early obsession with basketball culture (the shoes, the magazines, the rhythm of it all) planted a seed for how I see and appreciate style, form and movement now in my design work.

Is that the moment you knew you wanted to go into a creative field?

Sort of. I graduated university with a degree in Corporate Communications, but it was after graduating that I felt this strong pull towards a creative field. I had started creating album covers for my friends and it really tapped me into the part of myself that I had long ago started to ignore. I didn’t seriously consider graphic design as a viable career path until years later. I think it was a mix of ignorance and self-doubt holding me back.

Drew's Brand Identity Shillington project, Hakart Park.

Using a simple shape thatis both emblematic of a butterfly and the letter H, a scalable and refreshing identity was created for a museum in need of a rebrand.

What were you up to before starting Shillington and what made you apply?

I was working in marketing at the time, for a software company in the electric-vehicle space called SWTCH. It was a really interesting gig.

I don’t remember having a eureka moment before joining Shillington, or how it was that I actually decided on it, but a key factor in my decision was all the positive things that people had to say about it. I started messaging Shillington alumni on LinkedIn and basically asking them if it was worth the money, and everyone said yes. I think I messaged about 30 people.

Tell me what the course was really like, no sugar-coating.

The Shillington experience is a whirlwind. Portfolio season was very busy. I think the weekly grind of classes 3-nights a week + plus homework was challenging, to be fair. It requires a combination of love for the game, patient family members and kindness to oneself.

What else were you juggling in life at the time?

Full-time job and personal relationships. I had to sacrifice a bit of after-work hangouts with my coworkers and date nights. It’s a 9-month window to take advantage of direct tutoring from design professionals, I think the socialising can wait.

What was the best bit of the day during your classes?

Not to be cheeky, but the end of the class was always the best part. This isn’t because it was over, but because you would get to see everybody else’s work. This was always really inspiring! My class was full of super talented people.

Do you have any particular fond memories from the course?

The quality of the briefs and the portfolio at the end would be the highlight for me. Obviously being online the social element isn’t the same as in person, but everyone tried to keep it light and I still have friendships to this day.

Drew's Packaging Shillington project, Roots.

Roots is a tea company founded by two Ethiopian sisters with the goal of disrupting the beverage market by introducing a sustainably-farmed drink that targets adventurous go-getters.

We know it can be a really intense experience, would you do it anything differently if you could do it all over again?

I don’t know, actually. I am really glad I took time off work during portfolio season. I would recommend that to anyone else as well. There isn’t anything I would do differently.

How about before Shillington, where there any other courses you were looking into?

I took a look at a few other design courses, but from all my research Shillington was the one that seemed to care the most about the real-world application of the skills being taught. I had been through several post-secondary institutions, and was looking for something super-practical. I think Shillington sits right in the middle between a full-time degree program or an online bootcamp style.

Before Shillington, I had a degree in Corporate Communications from a university and a post-grad certificate in Public Relations at college. Each of these programs included a bit of design, which is kind of where I realised that I was drawn to that side of media and comms. At this college there were a lot of daily briefs, the staff were all professionals in the field, and there was a huge focus on getting a job after the program. So Shillington would compare similarly to a college certificate program, in other words.

Do you still have a favourite piece from your Shillington portfolio?

I think my favourite is probably the HakArt Park rebrand. It was fun to take on a hypothetical rebrand of an existing business, especially something as cool as an outdoor sculpture museum. I love nature and art, and this would be a dream project for me.

What are you doing for creative inspiration at the moment?

At risk of this turning into a ramble, let me list my favourites here.

My favourite studio: Porto Rocha (they're Design Director is a Shillington grad, Joseph Lebus).

My favourite podcast: Low-Key Legends

My favourite newsletter: Dense Discovery

Do you have any goals for next year?

My goals for next year include working with more agencies and hopefully getting a few exciting web design projects.

If you could dream up your perfect creative brief what would it be?

I often like to play around with making my own briefs. I love web design projects, and anything to do with plants, gardens, or nature I find to be really close to my heart. I also am inspired by popular culture to a degree, including art, fashion, music, architecture, so anything to do with that would be a dream. So actually an outdoor sculpture garden would be the perfect brief.

And finally, if you picture your ideal creative life five years ahead, what’s happening for you?

I would love to be running my own studio. I like working alongside talented and fun people. I imagine myself collaborating on meaningful brand and web projects, maybe something rooted in culture or sustainability, while mentoring a small team and still finding time to get outside.

We can’t wait to see where Drew takes his practice next. Whether that’s collaborating with agencies, diving into web design, or one day running his own studio.

Explore more of Drew’s work on his website, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Inspired by his story? Learn the skills to launch your own design career with Shillington’s Graphic Design Course.