Meet the VIC mentors
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 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.