Shannon Towell
Inclusive Design Partner at Shannon Towell Design
Shannon Towell is a Melbourne-based Inclusive Design Partner with over a decade of experience across accessibility consulting, branding, and web design. She's worked with cultural institutions, not-for-profits, government-funded organisations, and agencies.
Shannon believes good design should work beautifully for everyone, and that the most interesting designers are the ones who bring something unexpected to the table.
Career & Background
What inspired you to do what you are doing now?
When I was working in an agency back in 2018, we would create interactive installations for museums and other cultural institutions. There are certain accessibility requirements for government work. As I learned more about what accessible design involved, it just made complete sense to my UX loving brain.
I took those skills to different roles, and then out on my own when I started my own company in 2023.
Could you tell us a bit about your professional background?
I studied Communication Design at Monash, took a year off mid-degree to do a paid internship at IBM, then returned to finish my studies while working at Monash part-time. I went full-time there on graduation, staying for about 18 months in total.
From there I joined Sandpit, an experiential design agency where I designed interactive installations for museums and cultural institutions. After almost three years I moved into consulting at Wongdoody, leading design system work and app upgrades for HCF.
I’ve been running my own practice for almost three years now, specialising in accessible, user-friendly design across branding and websites, with a strong focus on nonprofits, government, and NDIS organisations.
Your favourite food for thought
Books
- Profit First – Mike Michalowicz
- Atomic Habits – James Clear
Podcasts / Thought Leaders
I don’t listen to too many design podcasts. However I do like comedy ones and frequently listen to:
- Valley Heat
- bigsofttitty.png
- Skinwigs
What drives and inspires you
What are your core values?
- Authenticity
- Belonging
- Growth
- Making a difference
You as a Mentor
Why have you decided to become a mentor?
I’ve been mentoring since starting my own practice because I was lucky enough to have generous people support me throughout my career, and I want to pay that forward. Design can be a hard industry to navigate alone, and I’m a firm believer that an open, honest conversation can go a long way.
What are the top 3-5 skills or qualities you bring to mentoring?
- Asks powerful questions
- Compassionate
- Great listener
- Highly knowledgeable
- Nurturing
Ready to apply?
The best time is right now. Take a chance – you never know where an Assisterhood mentor can take you.