A day in the life of an intern
Illustrated by Stephanie Jade, with contributions from:
Nina Masterton, Lee Stephenson, Lotty Walpole, Kirsty Potter & Emily Larson
Published 22nd September 2021
Stepping into industry hasn’t been easy these past 18 months. But for those who were lucky enough to secure a placement over the course of the pandemic, or internship between lockdowns experienced both pros and cons to the new ways of working.
How do you make the most of a remote internship? Who do I ask my questions to? How do I network and make a worthwhile connection with my colleagues if we’ve never met face-to-face? All questions you may well be asking yourself. Well to shed some light, we spoke to five creative interns, who’ve had placements up and down the country since the start of the pandemic, about their experiences in-house, at home and in the studio.
© Stephanie Jade
Name: Nina Masterton (she/her)
Location: Remote
Job title: Graphic Design and Strategy @ Wiedemann Lampe
Duration: Mid-June to early July (3 weeks)
How did you land this internship?
I reached out to Benji, the creative director and co-founder of Wiedemann Lampe, during my second year of university. He gave a really inspiring talk as a visiting lecturer at my university (Falmouth), so I sent him an email to thank him and ask a few questions I had off the back of the talk. Benji was more than happy to help me with all my queries and we continued to stay in contact throughout my final year at university. On graduating, I had a chat with Benji and he very kindly offered me an internship role at his studio, allowing me to get stuck into an opportunity straight after finishing on my course.
What did an average day/week look like on your internship?
I was working remotely which meant that I would log onto Slack in the morning and check in with the creative director or one of the designers, so we could arrange what project I’d be on for the day, and who I’d be working alongside. Some days I’d be jumping on and off Zoom calls with other designers on the team or clients, whilst on others, I’d be working alone on a task all day. I had the opportunity to work exclusively on certain aspects of projects that I could learn most from (for me that was research and strategy, as well as graphic design).
What do you wish you’d known before you started?
Before starting this internship, I presumed that internships are mainly for observing and learning from others in the studio. I’ve now come to learn that whilst as much as this is true, an intern is there to help the team too. Working remotely may limit you from being able to offer cups of tea, but it does open up the opportunity to send a message to any member of the team, offering your time to help them in any way. You may lack the experience, but there is a lot of value in your time and being an extra pair of hands/eyes to support a studio - which are always insanely busy, juggling multiple projects at a time!
What advice would you give to anyone trying to make the most of a similar opportunity?
I would recommend any designer looking to make the most of an internship to talk to the team you’re working with as much as possible. Though working remotely does present difficulties for conversations to develop naturally, I think it’s important to push yourself to use Slack/Zoom to communicate with people in the agency. These conversations will be how you get to know the others and the studio culture, and also for them to get to know you. This will make sure they can offer you opportunities to work on projects that you’re most interested in, and generally make your internship a more enjoyable experience.
© Stephanie Jade
Name: Lee Stephenson (they/them)
Location: Remote / South-London
Job title: Illustration and Graphic Design for print and social media
Duration: July 2020 - June 2021 (13 months)
How did you land this internship?
I applied directly through an online job posting from the company. I had an initial chat with the company director via email about what the job would expect from me, and followed this with a formal interview and portfolio review (via Zoom). They reached out to me about five days later to let me know they’d chosen me for the role.
What did an average day/week look like on your internship?
Most of my work was done from home, so I had to be very self-directed with my tasks for the week. We had a full company meeting every Monday to discuss our upcoming week of work. Most other communication was via Slack or Zoom calls within smaller groups. I would often work with the Marketing team and the Company Director, depending on the project I was currently on. Every day was completely different as it was a very fast-moving environment and completely depended on the project I was working on.
What do you wish you’d known before you started?
Don’t be afraid to ask questions! Both in the interview (find out as much as you possibly can about the company before you accept any kind of job offer) and on the job. I had a couple of slip-ups that would’ve never happened if I had the confidence to reach out and double-check everything. I got so worried about looking inexperienced that I kind of forgot I was there to learn.
What advice would you give to anyone trying to make the most of a similar opportunity?
Learn everything you possibly can while you’re there, even if it’s not relating to your discipline. If you’re working alongside the print team, find out why they work the way they do, if you’re working with customer engagement data, learn about how your role could help improve those figures. You’re there to get as much professional experience as possible, so stay engaged through the whole process and you’ll get as much out of it as you put in.
Follow Lee on Instagram
© Stephanie Jade
Name: Lotty Walpole (she/her)
Location: Remote
Job title: Graphic Design and New Business Intern @ Conran Design Group
Duration: March - July 2021 (4 months)
How did you land this internship?
My university, Norwich University of the Arts has connections with Conran Design Group and they ran a competition brief where you could win an internship with the company. I completed the brief and pitched it to the team at Conran and then got selected for further interviews. Then I was lucky and I managed to win!
What did an average day/week look like on your internship?
My entire internship was working remotely as we were in a lockdown for some of it! So lots of virtual meetings, training sessions and briefings. I spent half my week within the Design team and the other half with the New Business team. With the Design team, I worked on a variety of projects from social posts for Coca Cola European Partners to merchandise for a drinks company called Delta. In the New Business team, I created Audits and collated research for new exciting opportunities for the business. Every day was so varied I really enjoyed it.
What do you wish you’d known before you started?
I wish I’d know just how many roles there are in the creative field, I learnt about so many jobs I did not know even existed within the industry before I started. It’s such a huge and diverse industry that your specific degree doesn’t limit what jobs you can apply for.
What advice would you give to anyone trying to make the most of a similar opportunity?
Ask as many questions as possible so you can gain/learn as much as possible. No question is a stupid one!
© Stephanie Jade
Name: Kirsty Potter (she/her)
Location: Manchester
Job title: Creative Design Intern @ Creative Cow Ltd.
Duration: July 2019 - May 2020 (10 months)
How did you land this internship?
I was searching for an internship for around 7 months when I got my internship, I emailed them with my portfolio explaining that I'd love to work with them & see how their office works. I got invited for a chat with the team and started the following Monday!
What did an average day/week look like on your internship?
I worked 10-4.30, 5 days a week with the team in their office in a creative hub just outside of Manchester. It was a really nice place to be based as we were surrounded by other creative businesses and agencies so there was a chance to interact with other creatives. On a day-to-day basis, I did such a range of work, working on some branding projects, web design, book cover design and other smaller things like website changes, creating social ads and content etc. We were a team of five so quite a small group, but it meant I had quite a bit of responsibility compared to if I was in a larger agency & that I had more contact with clients & Directors!
What do you wish you’d known before you started?
I wish I would've known how beneficial networking is and that it pays to know designers already in the industry. I wish I would have made more use of platforms such as LinkedIn & of the contacts I already had.
What advice would you give to anyone trying to make the most of a similar opportunity?
Take every opportunity to pick up new skills and throw yourself into all the projects that you can, even the work that you think won't impact your development will in some way. Just enjoy it and see where it takes you!
Check out Kirsty’s portfolio.
© Stephanie Jade
Name: Emily Larson (she/her)
Location: London / Remote
Job title: Junior Digital Designer @ Debenhams
Duration: September 2019 - September 2020 (12 months)
How did you land this internship?
The internship was advertised on my university’s job board, and a friend from my university course was already interning there so was able to put me in touch with the Digital Design Manager. From there it was a matter of sending across my portfolio and CV, and then going into the office for an interview (as this was obviously pre-pandemic!)
What did an average day/week look like on your internship?
The average day/week changed a LOT throughout the year due to COVID restrictions. At the beginning of the year, I was working in-office every day with a team of three other junior digital designers, reporting to the digital design manager. My work initially consisted of routine website refreshes, with a clear process of formatting and amending image assets. Me and the other members of the team tended to stick largely to one or two types of web pages, only occasionally taking on extra bits like social animations. It was a really good working environment and fun to be able to constantly chat about the work we were doing and what needed to be taken on. We also didn’t have as much communication with the other creative teams or the senior designers as we exclusively worked on digital.
From March onwards everything changed around a lot! We all suddenly started working from home, which meant getting used to video calls and adjusting to the lack of direct collaboration now that we weren’t all sat within meters of each other. There was some shuffling around within the design department too, which led to us juniors/interns becoming more involved with a wider range of projects and being given more responsibility, eventually reporting directly to the Creative Director with no manager in between! The average week tended to be much more chaotic and reactive, but meant we had the chance to learn more from senior designers and work with them on non-digital areas.
What do you wish you’d known before you started?
I wish I’d known how much the working situation would change halfway through my placement! I would’ve taken advantage more of being in-office with such a good team, and would’ve tried to get to know more people from other departments in person before everything moved online.
What advice would you give to anyone trying to make the most of a similar opportunity?
I’d say that working remotely doesn’t mean you can’t get to know people well, nor does it mean that there’s less opportunity for collaboration and learning. It might take a bit more work to figure out how to communicate and share projects effectively, but it can still be an amazing experience. Additionally, take as many opportunities as you can! Even if an idea scares you or you lack confidence in yourself, go for it and you’ll probably be surprised by how well you tackle it. Make the most of any chance to learn from others, pick up new skills, and get feedback from senior and peer designers!
Follow Emily on Instagram & check out her portfolio
