What Interns Really Want

After spending the past twelve months as a intern myself, I have my own opinion on how the Design Industry treats Interns, but I've found an interesting article for all you employers out there of a 10 point plan to make an internship a successful one.

http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2010/july/what-interns-really-want

Case Study: Placement Year

After completing my placement year, the University of Huddersfield asked me to produce a short Case Study of my time working in the design industry, which will be used on the Universitys Website and Literature. Below is what will be published in the Case Study:

 When I began searching for a placement I didn’t have a good knowledge of what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go. I found it hard work networking with friends, family, possible contacts but once I got the ball rolling it didn’t seem much of a problem.
 Having managed to obtain various work placements during the thickest part of the recession I found myself being handed responsibility I hadn’t been given before and that was dealing with my own clients, I also found myself giving major input into the big jobs that came along once in a while. Not only did I find myself developing as a designer quite rapidly but I also found that I was developing strong communication skills at the same time. I was dealing with customers, clients, colleagues, and suppliers on a daily basis. I managed to obtain a strong knowledge of the various paper weights and the different uses of media, including e-footers, e-newsletters, etc. During the course of the year I worked on advertisements, business cards, flyers, brochures, signage, corporate branding, menus, website’s, and much more. I was fortunate enough to work with big and small brands during my placement year including Monopoly, Breville, Vileda, Baa Bar, Peel Holdings, and Transport for London which helped me create a strong portfolio. 
 It was great to get good feedback off clients and colleagues about my work during the course of the year it certainly made me proud to be a design and say “I did that”. This was very encouraging for myself who was a very shy designer by the end of my second year. I had no real idea of what area of the design industry I wanted to take once I had graduated. But twelve months on I have worked in the Advertising, Marketing, Design and Print Services Industry. This whole experience has certainly set me up for the big wide world, and makes me believe that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.

To view more of my work that I have produced over the past twelve months, check out http://www.issuu.com/pabdesign/docs/portfolio