Design Intern Review

The environment is vibrant and despite being in an office the space is creative and lively, with really good resources and equipment to get the job done. At times creativity could be limited as at the end of the day is is a retail brand, however the way they design things is fun and colourful with a lot of personality.

The studio in which I worked was a very tight group who came to embrace me as one of them. I was not treated as an intern, never had to make a coffee /tea and was trusted with similar projects to those of the midweight designers. What you give is definitely what you get and I've made lifelong friends.

My manager and creative director were great at giving me constructive feedback. They were honest if something wasn't working, which although could be tough to hear, really helped me improve and think harder about what I was presenting and if it worked or not. My manager did get a promotion so time was limited but I learnt to get on with things.

At some times I would be extremely busy, having to work through lunch and facing a lot of stress. This was good in a sense because I was being trusted with a lot of responsibility. However frustratingly before these busy periods I would at times be very bored with little work coming in.

I was trusted with a range of projects, using a variety of design approaches and getting the opportunity to do both print and digital. While the start was slow, this allowed me to adapt and take on more work when I was ready. I even got to do all designs for the summer launch which was a big deal for me.

Very lighthearted when we could be, with lots of jokes and banter. Music is always playing in the studio which helps lift the mood. At times of stress when there are big deadlines it can get quite tough and tense, but after hard work there always comes a celebration which makes it worth it.

We are meant to have a handover from the intern before us, however I never received this as there was no intern before me. This couldn't be helped, however I got no proper induction or explanation from my team on how things were organised, making it slow for me to pick up.

The company takes on a lot of interns so they do invest in us and rely on our work to get them by. Often my work would be put to the bottom of the feedback pile, meaning I would have to push back deadlines to wait to hear for approval, which could be frustrating but this is just part of being the most junior of the team.

A lot of people in my team left early on, mostly due to the few opportunities they had for growth and promotion within the company. Although I was challenged in my time, the work was not my personal 'cup of tea' and the retail industry is not for me. However if I was to work in retail this would be the company I would choose as they are so unique in how they are run and their values.

There is a fairly good intern network, with some nights out, dinners arranged by us. The company didn't arrange much for us in the beginning so it was down to us to organise. The studio team do regular pub visits and go to bars for people's Birthdays so it's really good to have that social aspect where you can get to know everyone out of the office environment.

Living just south of the office was very reasonable and cost me roughly the same as my University accommodation. A short bus ride to work meant my own commute was very manageable. Having Box Park next door was fantastic as it provided a vibrant place to go out for lunch on Fridays/special occasions, however this venue could be rather pricey.

Being an area with little offices, there was no network of nice bars/drinking holes in Croydon so we never went for drinks/nights out near the office. We tended to venture to London Bridge instead, which was convenient for most people but difficult for me as I lived south. There were sometimes drinks held in our own cafe which was a nice attempt at an alternative.