Kristian offered top job before finishing university
A graphic design student from Tyldesley has landed a job with his dream company and won four design awards before he’s even graduated from University.
University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) student Kristian Shepherd will start work next month as a junior designer with London agency Turner Duckworth, which looks after some of the biggest brands in the world including Coca-Cola, Amazon and Levi Strauss. The talented 22-year-old has always wanted to work for the company ever since starting University and made it his ambition to do so.
Kristian said: “I got a taste of Turner Duckworth during the third year of my course when I was on my placement year in London. From this I got a firm foot in the door and a real feel for how the design industry works. This is the absolute dream job for me and I am ready to grow as a designer with them.”
"I got a taste of Turner Duckworth during the third year of my course when I was on my placement year in London. This is the absolute dream job for me and I am ready to grow as a designer with them."
The former Fred Longworth High School and Pendleton Sixth Form Centre pupil has also won four prestigious design awards over the last 12 months. His first was a silver Creative Circle Award while on placement at Turner Duckworth and the other three were for final year University projects. Kristian has been given a D&AD Pencil and a Creative Conscience Award for his work on a new identity for a new-to-market beauty brand that breaks all established category codes. Alongside this he has also won a YCN Student Award for designing a limited edition bottle for mixer drink brand Fever Tree to engage customers and raise money for Malaria No More UK.
“I never anticipated having the year I have had, it’s pretty surreal. When I came back to UCLan after being on placement I treated it like I was at work and really put the hours in. It’s clichéd, but hard work really does pay off” he said.
Kristian intends to leave his mark on Preston after choosing to re-design the brand of popular local restaurant Coco’s for a final piece of University work, which he has since pitched to the restaurant’s owner.
He added: “I eat in there every Friday and the owner is as passionate about food as I am about design so it was a good fit. I’ve repositioned the company and established Coco’s key values throughout a brand that takes the consumer on a journey. It’s early days but the owner seems to like it so hopefully we can work together and make it happen.”