Romayne Gadelrab‘s career has been anything but ordinary. She made a major change from working as a Doctor to becoming a freelance creative. Romayne explains that changing careers is a tough decision, but “while returning to student life again takes some getting used to … it is totally outweighed by my increase in happiness!” 

Read on to hear more about Romayne’s unique story, what it’s like being the The Design Kids‘ host in Barcelona and where she goes for creative inspiration.

You had a very different career before Shillington. Tell us about making the career change from Doctor to Designer!

I guess the two don’t usually go hand in hand! I was always interested in design, but in school wasn’t really sure what graphic design was and thought that art meant being a painter or that design only had to do with fashion. Being a nerd and getting good grades I naturally fell into medicine which was an incredible opportunity and I am aware of how privileged I am for all of the patients that I was able to meet and help. While being a Doctor is amazing, it can also be incredibly tough and to try and stay sane I always made sure I went to evening schools in London College of Fashion, and St Martins to learn design on the side. I then decided to take a gap year from medicine, and while travelling I began to do a lot of illustration and realised how much happier I was doing something creative, and that this was maybe something worth pursuing.

It’s not the easiest to jump from such different careers, especially with so many societal pressures to stick to your good stable job even if it is not 100% what you are passionate about.

After working for six years, returning to student life again takes some getting used to, but it is totally outweighed by my increase in happiness! Cheesy I know.

Why did you choose Shillington?

Shillington was the obvious choice as after almost 11 years of medical training I did not want to spend another 3 or 4 back in University. I had a good friend who had gone to Shillington and recommended the course, and after attending an Info Session I could see the quality of work coming out of Shillington and really wanted to be at that level.

Now you work as a freelance designer. What’s your typical day like?

I still try to stick to routines, otherwise I will end up at home watering the plants and watching Netflix! So I rent a studio in Poble Nou here in Barcelona, there are a bunch of freelancers and everyone is working hard so it helps me feel motivated. I have a Trello for all the projects I am working on, and start each day writing a to do list. First hour of the day involves coffee, emails and admin! But as I am hosting The Design Kids out here I often get emails from design studios that I really admire so it’s exciting and my days may also include studio visits.

Can you share the process behind a recent professional project? 

I had the opportunity to design the visual identity for a new record label—born of UK producers T.Williams and Julio Bashmore whom I had been a huge fan of—so I definitely felt some pressure. They sent me a track, name and an image of a shell. From there I took time to ask them what the label was about  and their audience, which was more underground, minimal, uk-based, tropical sounds.  Then I hit the sketch pad, writing down all the words that came to mind and thinking of the imagery and shapes associated. In Shillington you learn to sketch ‘quick and dirty’ sometimes to get as many ideas out as you can.

From that point I wanted to have something based on the shell that wasn’t so obvious and it became more geometric and minimal. The label itself is not showy so the identity had to reflect that.

With clients I like to give a couple of options to make sure they get something that really reflects the look and feel of their brand.

It is also super cool seeing something you made in a record store and stickers on people dancing in a club.

Why do you love working as a designer?

Every day is different, you get to be creative, I get to look at awesome images and references every day, I get to be part of a community that inspires me and is doing new things. For example, the girl sitting opposite me makes super thought provoking  virtual reality art experiences and I wouldn’t know about half of these exciting things if I wasn’t working in this space. I also like the sense of satisfaction when you execute something well and can be proud of it

You moved to Barcelona to work. Tell us about the creative scene there, and being a host for The Design Kids!

I used to come to Barcelona for OFFF Festival each year, and you could see the amount of  talent in this city. The creative scene here is huge,  there are talks, markets, workshops almost every night of the week. It’s also really friendly so you can reach out to almost any designer or illustrator and meet them over a beer—it feels relaxed but people work hard. The cost of living is cheaper here so you have more time to work on personal projects. It also helps that it’s sunny and you can unwind after work at the beach!!

Hosting the Design Kids is awesome as we have monthly events such as film screenings and studio visits and this month I am hosting a Zine workshop. From it I have been able to meet a lot of awesome talented and creative people which has helped foster some cool collaborations.

What was your favourite Shillington project? Why?

I really enjoyed the ‘Small Business Project’ as I did the branding for a bar/restaurant.

One of the Shillington teachers joked with me that ‘it looked like the internet threw up on your work’. Which made me happy as that was 100% the aesthetic I was going for! 🙂

My teachers helped me to get it where it needed to be—bridging internet vomit and good design!

What advice would you give to a Shillington student on day one?

Make the most out of every class, there will always be a project you are not feeling as much, or a process that seems hard at first, but keep trying, practice at home, take notes, as in the end it will all come together. The teachers have great skills at getting the best out of you- so don’t be afraid of post-ups as that’s where you will learn loads.

Where do you go for creative inspiration?

The CCCB (Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona) has great exhibitions and they are free to go to on Sunday afternoons, otherwise I try to take a walk around or sit on the roof of my studio before looking at Instagram and Pinterest so I can come up with some of my own ideas to a brief.

In London I liked Nicer Tuesdays as you could be inspired by someone doing something not related to  your work eg a fabric technologist or photographer but somehow I find their work or things that they say can later resonate and influence my practice.

Anything else you’d like to share?

I am working on a new project as a co-founder of Onada.co, a platform which explores Design process, present and futures. It was born in London and New York but raised in Barcelona. If anyone would like to write/ collaborate/ feature your thoughts/ work- get in touch 🙂

Also if you have a true interest and passion for design, you eat design blogs for breakfast and your life dream is to work for Sagmeister but you find yourself in some other career—give yourself the opportunity to try it out!

Yup, I’m gonna say it:  you only have one life so you have to do what makes you feel fulfilled even if other people don’t understand it sometimes.

Huge thanks to Romayne for sharing her story! Be sure to check out her website and follow her on Instagram.

Interested in changing careers like Romayne? Study design 3 months full-time or 9 months part-time at Shillington in London, Manchester, New York, Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane –> www.shillingtoneducation.com

https://www.shillingtoneducation.com/blog/doctor-designer-romayne-gadelrab-shillington-graduate/