My Design Internship Experience
06.10.2021
Leah Freeman
My Design Internship Experience
At InVision, we help aspiring designers dip their feet into the professional world to understand how teams function together and to experience the creative process and delivery of design assets.
For the last six weeks, Leah, an Art and Commerce student at the University of Central Florida, worked closely with our in-house studio team of designers and art directors as an intern to learn the ropes of our industry. She was assigned various design tasks, including a wide variety of marketing projects—Instagram Posts, Promotion Videos, New employee introduction materials—while partnering with senior designers who helped guide and mentor her along the way.
Leah shares her learnings and experience during her time at InVision.
What made you interested in interning at InVision?
I was interested in interning at InVision because after doing a lot of research about the company, I realized it was an agency that would give me a great opportunity to expand my professional design and business skills with its extensive network and talented design team.
What was your favorite project?
My favorite project was working on InVision’s Instagram Observance Days graphics for the marketing team. It gave me hands-on experience to create IVC-branded visuals that would help expand their social media presence. These graphics gave me free rein because it was less guided, so I got to implement my own creativity while working within InVision’s brand guidelines.
What was the biggest lesson you learned?
The biggest lesson learned was that the simplest designs can be the most effective. I'm accustomed to creating graphics with a lot of detail due to primarily making logos and E-flyers for businesses and organizations in the college space. I’m also used to not having to follow specific brand guidelines because it's my own brand. Working with InVision taught me the design process within a structured branded company. I learned that simplicity can be just as effective as something more complex.
Any "a-ha" moments?
It was when I worked on my first observance day graphic, which was Mother's Day. Having never worked with a brand before, I designed a graphic without addressing InVision’s brand guidelines. When I turned it in for review, I learned very quickly from my mentors that there are firm rules to follow, particularly when it comes to a company’s brand. It’s extremely important that it’s represented in every visual communication that pertains to the brand.
What was the biggest takeaway from your overall experience?
Given that this was my first active internship, my biggest takeaway was learning the design process for professional agencies and brands. It was very insightful to shadow and work alongside the Design Studio team to gain knowledge on how they interact and conduct business with clients, which is essentially the professional role I desire post-college graduation.
Are you interested in interning at InVision? Contact us at info@iv.com