Shivani Panchal

When Shivani Panchal graduated in the middle of a pandemic, her plans to land a creative role were put on hold. She took a job designing screensavers and web banners at her local hospital, taught herself 3D after hours and kept putting her work out there, even when it felt rough. Now a Junior Conceptual Designer at Saatchi & Saatchi, Shivani shares how staying curious, showing the process (not just the polished work) and pushing through setbacks helped her find her feet in the industry.

What I do

How would you describe what you do?
I’m a Junior Conceptual Designer at Saatchi & Saatchi. We come up with ideas and help bring them to life across design, motion and 3D. Every day is a mix of thinking, making, and collaborating with other creatives to push the work as far as it can go.

What are the main influences and inspirations behind your work?
Honestly, anything and everything. Whether it’s exhibitions, concert visuals, random signage or packaging, I feel like you can find inspiration anywhere if you’re really looking. I’m usually drawn to things that are bold, playful or a bit unexpected.

Would you say you need any specific training for what you do?
I studied graphic design at uni, but most of what I use day-to-day I picked up on the job or through personal projects. I’ve also learned loads just from watching tutorials on YouTube. Ross Mason, Vincent Schwenk, Ben Marriott, CG Shortcuts and Kel Lauren have all been super helpful for picking up new techniques.

One of the biggest things is staying open to learning new software and not being afraid to experiment. The best stuff usually happens when you’re having fun with it – it doesn’t have to be perfect on the first go. Just start making and figure it out as you go.

What’s been your favourite project to work on from the past year, and why?
My favourite project was at Riff Raff Films for Mabel’s music video Look At My Body (Pt. II). I worked closely with director David Wilson and designed 18 bespoke magazine covers — each inspired by publications like Bizarre, Esquire and True West, tailored to match Mabel’s different outfits.

It was a super quick turnaround, but one of those fast-paced jobs that ended up being a lot of fun. The covers were also used to decorate the windows of her pop-up shop, which was very cool to see out in the real world.

What does a normal day-to-day look like for you?
A typical day starts by checking my schedule and prioritising what’s on – whether that’s designing a lockup, refining layouts, rendering and texturing 3D type, testing animation for a campaign, or finding references for an upcoming project. As a conceptual designer, you wear a lot of hats, so being adaptable is key.

How I got here

What was your journey like when you were first starting out? Did you find your feet quickly?
I graduated during Covid-19, which was a pretty hectic time to break into the creative industry. With most opportunities on hold, I started helping out at my local hospital as a communications assistant, working on social media content, designing screensavers and web banners for internal events and handling more functional stuff like organising clinical content and online forms.

After work, I’d teach myself 3D and keep applying for creative roles. That mix of real-world experience and personal projects helped me land my first proper creative job at It’s Nice That, and things built from there.

It’s Nice That x Dropbox: Future Myths

How did you go about landing your first few jobs or freelance gigs?
Just by being really proactive – constantly applying and sharing my work on Instagram. When I posted, I wasn’t too worried about likes or saves. I just wanted people to see what I was making. It only takes one person to come across your work at the right time, and that’s how I got some of my first freelance bits.

What has been your biggest challenge along the way?
Graduating during the pandemic made breaking in feel like hunting for gold dust. It seriously tested my patience and persistence, but taught me to keep pushing, no matter how tough it gets.

How important are social media and self-promotion to your work? Any advice?
Social media has been really important for me. It’s where I share personal projects, connect with other creatives and stay inspired. I try not to get caught up in likes or followers. It only takes one right person to see your work and open a door.

What are three things you’ve found really useful to your career?

Have there been any courses, programmes or job boards you’d recommend?
When I was starting out, I mainly used Creative Lives in Progress, If You Could Jobs, The Dots and even LinkedIn. They were all great for finding internships and junior roles, and staying in the loop.

What have been your greatest learnings with making money and supporting yourself as a creative?
Don’t undersell yourself, charge what you believe your time and skills are worth.

My Advice

What’s the best career-related advice you’ve ever received?
Only include the type of work in your portfolio that you actually want to do more of. You don’t have to show everything you’ve ever worked on. Just show what you’re proud of – quality over quantity always stands out.

What advice would you give to someone looking to get into a similar role?
Stay curious, you don’t need it all figured out straight away. Start making things, even if they feel small or rough. Personal projects are a great way to explore your style and show what you can do. And don’t be shy about putting your work out there, whether that’s on Instagram, portfolio sites or entering things like DEMO Festival (where I was lucky enough to have a piece selected this year). You never know who’s watching.