I believe this internship experience was highly successful, particularly in terms of maintaining a balanced workflow and effectively navigating through any obstacles or differing opinions from my boss and coworkers. It provided me with valuable insights into my personal design process while also considering and integrating my coworker’s design process. This allowed us to establish a healthy work relationship and ensured the smooth progress of the project. Throughout the internship, I demonstrated strong leadership skills by assigning roles to my coworker, providing feedback, and offering ideas whenever they faced challenges. It made me feel like a true art director. Moreover, the experience felt akin to freelance work as our boss granted us creative freedom in organizing our work time and generating ideas for CUFFH Youth.
This job opened my eyes to the responsibilities and intricacies of art direction. I take great pride in the leadership role I assumed during this internship. My coworker has expressed appreciation for my punctuality, consistent completion of assignments, proactive communication, willingness to share opinions, initiative-taking, and commitment to creating cohesive designs. However, I recognize that there are areas for improvement. Specifically, I need to work on managing my time more effectively to prevent burnout, as I tend to exhaust myself easily. Nonetheless, I am proud of my ability to respectfully disagree with my boss when I felt that certain ideas were not suitable for CUFFH Youth. Despite my boss not being from a creative background, I took on the responsibility of educating them on why certain ideas did or did not work. For instance, when they suggested incorporating illustrations in the logo for inclusivity, I explained that a simple and iconic logo would be more recognizable and versatile for use in flyers, social media posts, and profile circles. Additionally, I emphasized how the ambiguity of the iconography allows it to represent diverse individuals without highlighting race, ethnicity, or religion.
Overall, my internship experience as an art director provided me with valuable opportunities for growth and the development of essential skills in leadership, communication, and creative decision-making. Collaborating closely with my coworker, we established a clear creative direction that aligned with the project goals and the desired brand identity. I successfully demonstrated strong leadership skills by assigning roles and responsibilities, offering valuable feedback and ideas to overcome challenges, and fostering a collaborative work environment. I emphasized the importance of maintaining design consistency and paid careful attention to detail, resulting in cohesive and visually appealing visuals for CUFFH Youth. Additionally, I took on the responsibility of educating my non-creative boss, effectively explaining design principles and advocating for solutions that would best serve the brand. These experiences allowed me to showcase my abilities as an art director, making a meaningful impact during my time with the company. I am grateful for the valuable skills and insights I gained through this internship, which will undoubtedly contribute to my future success as a designer.
