I Taught Chloe, Now We Work Together

Jack Trotman, Managing Director at Shillington, sits down with Ben Anthony, former Graphic Design Teacher at Shillington and now Design Director at McCann, alongside his former student Chloe Delhumeau, now a Junior Designer on Ben’s team.

Together, they reflect on their time at Shillington, the shift from student–teacher to creative colleagues and their recent work on the powerful You Are Loved and Wanted campaign.

Check out more from Chloe and Ben.

On Chloe & Ben’s Connection

Jack Trotman:

Ben, you taught Chloe graphic design at Shillington. What stood out about her as a student?

Ben Anthony:

Chloe was a really attentive and enthusiastic student. Her whole class actually shared that trait, they were a great bunch, but I remember once when Chloe had to take a leave of absence for a couple of weeks. When she came back, she had this new intensity. I was really blown away by how hard she’d clearly been working to make up for the time away. I was also always impressed by her ideas and her ability to explore a concept.

JT:

Chloe, what was Ben like as a teacher? Any memorable lessons or feedback that stuck with you?

Chloe Delhumeau:

Ben is such an attentive, caring and patient teacher. I’d say his design approach is similar to his teaching style, doing things the right way, even if it takes time and dedication. He often calls himself a nerd for knowing everything there is to know about accessible design, the history of ampersands and the logic behind the A4 ratio, but I always admired how passionate he was about anything design-related and how generous he was with sharing that knowledge.

JT:

Ben, what made you want to hire Chloe for your team?

BA:

I actually shared the full Shillington graduation showcase for that batch of students with my Head of Design. I didn’t want to show favouritism, I had so much respect for all the students, so I wrote a short blurb about each of them to help the hiring process. When Lisa, my HOD, mentioned she loved Chloe, I was thrilled. I was happy because Chloe is great and I knew she’d be a good addition to the team. I was happy that someone else had seen the potential in one of my students and just proud overall. I want all my students to succeed and do whatever I can to support them as they enter the industry, so this felt like a real win. And honestly, even if I were making the hiring decision myself with no favouritism and full objectivity, I still think she would have been the right fit.

JT:

Chloe, how did your time at Shillington prepare you for working in a studio like McCann?

CD:

Shillington was a game-changer for me. While many design courses focus on teaching software, Shillington offers a more comprehensive training that includes design skills, concept development, project ownership and art direction. Starting at McCann was of course a bit intimidating, but I felt like I had the tools to step into an agency environment and not feel completely lost. A big part of the job is about strong design skills, but you also need to understand how projects are managed, how to develop concepts and how to present your ideas. Shillington gave me that foundation, which made adapting to agency life much smoother.

JT:

What’s it like now working together as colleagues? Has the dynamic changed?

BA:

It’s a funny thing. Chloe is the first ex-student I’ve worked with full time. Some dynamics are still there since I’m her line manager and mentor in my role as Design Director, but I see her as an equal in terms of her insights, ideas, opinions and creativity. Now that Chloe is a professional designer, the main difference between us is experience. But now that we’re not in a teacher and student setup, we get to be colleagues and friends, which is really nice.

CD:

I agree. Ben still acts as a mentor and manager on some of the projects I work on, and he’s always available when I need guidance, whether that’s design-related or about my wider career. But our relationship has definitely evolved into a more collaborative one. Late-night pitches help with that. Working together now is really rewarding. We get to bounce ideas off each other and bring our own style to briefs. I feel like Ben values my ideas just as much as anyone else’s in the team.

On the “You Are Loved and Wanted” campaign

JT:

The campaign has such a strong emotional impact. What was the initial brief, and how did you translate that into design?

BA:

It started as a reactive brief in response to the awful race riots that shook London in 2024. The Mayor of London’s office put out a call for work that could bring the city together, stand against hate and champion inclusivity. McCann got involved and we were one of the teams selected to take our ideas further. The chosen concept centred on a quote from Sadiq Khan and we felt the purest way to represent that was typographically. The original idea was to collaborate with a wide range of artists and creatives across London to produce a spectrum of work that celebrated the diversity of the city and its people. I was brought in to help develop the typographic direction. I am a bit of a nerd for ampersands, and that’s when the design process really took off.

JT:

Can you walk us through your creative process? How did you get from concept to final execution?

BA:

The concept came from the creatives Lauryn and Ben, who had already started shaping the initial direction. When I joined the project, we began refining the typefaces, adjusting the typographic and colour balance, and started exploring ampersand designs. That’s where Chloe got involved. We asked the design team to create a range of ampersands in different styles, aesthetics and sizes, and then worked together to refine and select the strongest ones.

After a few rounds, the Creative Team brought us a sketch by a young girl from a local primary school. She had drawn an ampersand incorporating a heart shape and we loved it. Chloe brought that idea to life. We then moved on to colour. It was really important to us that the palette felt vibrant, joyful and engaging, but we also prioritised accessibility and legibility. All the colour combinations meet at least AA standards for large format accessibility, which was essential for inclusivity.

Chloe did a fantastic job exploring the colour palette. Her work became the foundation for the final look. We worked closely with our then-CCO, Lynsey Atkins, to refine everything. In the end, myself, Chloe and two other brilliant designers, Roland and Kyle, had ampersands selected for the final suite. The outcome felt unified in colour and approach, but still varied enough to reflect London’s diversity.

JT:

Were there any key visual or messaging directions that didn’t make the final cut? Any iterations you loved but had to leave behind?

BA:

So many. There were at least five ampersands I absolutely loved, and I was a bit gutted when they didn’t make it. But that’s part of the process. Sometimes your personal vision doesn’t quite match up with the collective direction, and that’s fine. You still end up with something you’re proud of.

CD:

Definitely. We had loads of ideas that didn’t make the cut, and it was both humbling and challenging. We kept refining and experimenting to find the right mix. I explored everything from gothic lettering to 3D effects, textures and graffiti styles. It was really fun, even if those versions weren’t chosen in the end.

I’ve learned not to get too attached to one idea. In an agency setting, it’s so important to leave your ego at the door, stay flexible and keep the creative flow going.