Don Shepherd studied at the California School of Fine Arts in San Francisco and later at the Catan-Rose Institute of Fine Art in Jamaica, New York, where he received a certificate of fine art in 1957. He was trained as an architect before working as a design designer for Blenko Glass Company from 1974 to 1988. Shepherd later joined former Blenko designer John Nickerson to hold demonstrations of their glass craft at the art departments of various institutions. Shepherd left Blenko in 1988 to design office furniture for Herman Miller.