...I absolutely loved getting to know everyone at DP. Despite not being able to go into the office much due to COVID, it was great to see everyone in person when I did. Everyone is so friendly both online and offline!
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It’s no secret that during the pandemic we have had to adjust to new ways of working and communicating.
A number of agreed internships across the UK were slashed, leaving few development opportunities for students, professionals and those looking to learn more from new industries.
Thankfully, technology came to our aid. Our ability to carry out most things virtually has meant that, at Design Portfolio (DP), we have continued to provide development opportunities and internships to allow employees and future employees to learn and develop their skills during this time. We like to ensure our interns feel supported, well trained and part of the team!
We would like you to meet Olivia Spall: a first year Graphic Design undergraduate at Loughborough University, who will tell you about her experience at DP.
Why did you decide to carry out your internship at DP?
“I was lucky enough to do work experience with DP in October 2020 and, having thoroughly enjoyed my time then, I decided that I would love to do an internship here and, thankfully, DP welcomed me back."
I received great insight into the world of graphic design, working on live briefs, using new software and understanding the creative process from start to finish.
"I received a lot of training from the Design Directors and felt welcomed by everyone which was comforting especially when joining a new setting at an unprecedented time.”
Olivia, what does a typical working week in this role look like?
“My workday would start with joining a morning meeting with the Design team. As a group we would discuss the status of our jobs which I found helpful as we got to know each other’s schedules and work out how we could support each other. I would work closely with Design Director, Chris. Chris helped train me and would assign me design projects to work on. If I had queries, they were easily resolved with the team, which allowed me to learn new things quickly. At the end of the week, we regrouped and discussed the status of our projects and what our next steps were.”
What did you enjoy most about your internship?
“I have really enjoyed working on various briefs and expanding my skillset. For example, I started to do web design and learnt how to use new software such as InDesign and Illustrator which are very new to me and will certainly help me in my academic studies!”
Did you like the social aspect of the company?
“Yes, I absolutely loved getting to know everyone at DP. Despite not being able to go into the office much due to COVID, it was great to see everyone in person when I did. Everyone is so friendly both online and offline!”
What are some of the challenges that you faced in this role?
“At the start, I found time keeping challenging. I was spending too much time on tasks and had trouble juggling different jobs as this is my first experience of working in a design job; however, with guidance from the team leaders, I became more familiar and confident with the software and found myself completing work a lot faster.”
Olivia’s internship helped her discover her desire to study Graphic Design and she is now carrying out her undergraduate degree at Loughborough University! We are very pleased to have welcomed Olivia to the team and worked with her.
Career opportunities at Design Portfolio
If you would like to know more about the culture at Design Portfolio or the career opportunities we have available, look out for our blogs or get in touch at hello@design-portfolio.co.uk.