Official Internship Start | Projects 1 & 2

Digital designers team drawing with pen on computer monitor. Man and women working with graphic editor. Vector illustration for creative job or teamwork concept
Designed by pch.vector

Yesterday was the official start to my internship and I’ve already begun working on two project that are related to design. On day one, I met with my supervisor via Google Meets where we discussed the brand, the brand’s story and mission, and went over the pitch deck. We also discussed the scope of the projects I will be working on over the summer and the brands needs going forward. The first project that I’m currently working on are brand assets/brand personality drawings that can be used thoughout pitch decks. I was able to start working on this project already and receive feedback on the current state of the project and what updates can be made. For this project, I was assigned to make pngs of elements that align with the brand using Adobe Suite.

On day two (today), my supervisor and I met in person at a local cafe to get more in-depth about the future projects and collaborations we’ll be working on together. During this meeting I was also assigned my second project which entails updating the brand’s Amazon Storefront page, and listing images for the CPGs. For this project, I will be working on updating the storefront banner, and creating updated imagery for the product listings. As well as working on creating “cute” nutrional layout images to post on the listings.

As part of our meeting today we also discussed scheduling, and set dates for initial project feedback as well as due dates on the projects. For now, I will be able to have a week at least to work on a project and touch base about revisions before getting down to the final. My supervisor and I discussed scheduling generally when it comes to the times I’ll be working and it is super flexible, which was really important to me coming into this internship as I’m not only a student, but a parent so this allows me to get work done in a timely manner and takes a majority of the stress off. We have already planned our next in-person meeting, and will continue to communicate via Slack, email, etc. in between.

Projects I’ve Worked on | Pre-internship Week

A colorful illustration of a diverse group of people working together around the globe using laptops, representing global collaboration
Image from Vecteezy

To give context, the company I am interning for is a startup that also collaborates with a venture capitalist company. A venture capitalist company is a firm that invests in startups and emerging companies with potential for significant growth. The venture capitalist company that my internship is partnered with is specifically in the tech sector. The VC company that is investing in my particular startup ran a week-long pre-internship program during this week where our cohort participated in workshops and mini-sprint projects that focused on preparation for internships, personal and professional skill building, learning about sustainability and generative AI. 
Throughout all the sessions, we focused heavily on preparing for our upcoming internships, how to show up professionally, communication, and applying the tools we are learning/will learn to our internships as well as our daily lives. We were also introduced to speakers and encouraged to engage with our peers as much as possible during the week and throughout the internship. 
During our combination of in-person and virtual meetings, our leaders encouraged us to be curious, ask questions, and to genuinely take in the learning experience from our internships. They expressed how to utilize SMART goals and define tangible measurable goals throughout the internship. We were also highly encouraged to learn about our company’s culture, and not to stress so much about being perfect. We were given a few different challenges during each workshop to complete and discuss such as, creating as a group an actionable plan for a company (whether existing or not) to incorporate sustainability principles. 
One of the more hands-on projects that we were able to work on was with generative AI during this pre-internship program. We were able to learn how to create a custom chatbot using ChatGPT, and Vibe Coding. This was the project this week I enjoyed the most because I have never really used A.I. in that particular way before. I usually do not use it at all intentionally. Learning how to essentially create a learning assistant is very new to me, however I enjoyed this aspect of it. The prompt was to build a custom bot, define its purpose, customize the instructions and behavior, use it, test it, and refine it. I was able to create a chatbot that would come up with a speech therapy plan for the summer for my six-year-old. Even though this was a more personal and specific task, it was beneficial to do it this way because you are able to insert specific, personalized information. By doing this, it assists the bot in learning the instructions and behavior, and this in turn helps the user receive more accurate feedback and results. Being able to utilize this type of tool in relation to our industry is important because many of the companies we work for or will be working for in the future are already utilizing these tools. A generative A.I. can also be a helpful tool in assisting with tasks on the jobs themselves and creating better workflows. 

My Role and Responsibilities

Business Perspective And Teamwork Concept. Cartoon Composition With Teamwork Shaped As Puzzle Assembling And Idea Pictured As Lightbulb. Fostering Teamwork. Colorful Vector Illustration In Flat Style.
Image Courtesy of istockphoto.com

For my role within the company, I’ll be joining as a Design Intern. I will be specifically working with the president of the company who was formerly the Director of Sales and Marketing before moving up to their new role. I selected this role after weighing my options as to which position would be best suited to me at this current time when it comes to skill level and availability. Another key reason I chose this position was because I felt that I aligned with the company’s work culture and team. The process by which I received this position involved an online Zoom interview, during which I only interviewed with one person for this position. The person I interviewed with was in fact the president and the person I’ll be working closely with on projects. The time between the interview itself and the job offer was rather short, I ended up getting the offer about 1 to 2 days later. I did request some time to thoroughly think through my decision because at the time I still had a few interviews left to fulfill. After my other interviews and offers, I was able to come to a decision and contacted the interviewer to let them know I wanted to accept the offer.

Some of the questions I was asked during the interview were pretty standard of course. For example, “What interested me in the role at the company?”, “What do I expect to learn?”, “What programs I am familiar with/feel comfortable with?”, etc.

To my current knowledge, my responsibilities in the role will be centered around collaborating on developing and enhancing the company’s website, assisting with marketing assets such as social media graphics, presentations, etc. I will also be conducting research on trends and competitors to help inform marketing/branding strategies and assisting in creating fresh ideas, and branding initiatives. I’m excited about this role, and I hope to accomplish all of this and more if possible to contribute to the team and the company.

About the Organization/Internship

Image courtesy of Vecteezy

For my internship this summer semester I’ll be working with an ingredient company focused on fighting global food loss by upcycling byproducts from food manufacturing into premium ingredients and plant-based products. Their flagship ingredient is organic okara, a high-fiber, high-protein, gluten-free flour made from nutritious leftover soybean pulp and the company has been able to add more ingredients to the list since starting up. The company is a woman-owned business that was founded in 2016 and based in Oakland, California. It is also a private company and they focus on building an economy of food that is better for people and the planet. Some of the company’s customers or clientele are other companies that use the ingredients in their CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods) products. 

The company is backed by a few of the industry’s top culinary minds with products and recipes developed by a 5x James Beard award winner. This award is given out annually to recognize individuals and organizations in the culinary arts, hospitality, and broader food system by the James Beard Foundation. Another milestone is that the company won the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Future Food Disruptor of the Year award in 2018. In 2022, the company was able to launch six products into Whole Foods Market stores nationwide, and with its sales diverted more than 66,000 lbs of food waste according to the company, and an article in Food Business News. The company has also been featured in Forbes, Insider, The Washington Post, Today, and FOOD52

The company is small in size with about 2-10 employees. I’ll be reporting directly to the president of the company. The now-president originally joined as a Director of Sales and Marketing but quickly maneuvered into the presidential role after taking on additional responsibilities at the company. I believe I’ll also be working closely with the Social Media Coordinator. I know that I’ll be working on various projects including marketing assets, enhancement of the website, campaign development, refinement of informational documents, etc.

During my research about the company, I was able to find two articles that briefly go over the company, and how it is a part of the game-changing solution to global food waste. In the first article “Can Upcycling Solve Our Big Food Problem? Why the Trend Could Change Everything”, the company’s product is mentioned as number three on the list of products and companies contributing to reshaping the future of food. The company is a part of transforming how we view waste and turning it into high-quality products. The second article posted on Food Business News details how the company secured funding for its growing business in 2023. This funding aided in expanding the company’s product line, and this helped the company to continue ensuring its’ mission of putting food to its’ best, and highest use. 

Citations | References

  • Axworthy, N. (2025, February 17). Can Upcycling Solve Our Big Food Waste Problem? Why the Trend Could Change Everything. VegNews.com; VegNews. https://vegnews.com/upcycled-snacks-environment-food-waste
  • Watrous, M. (2023, June 6). R****** M** secures funding to expand product line, distribution. Foodbusinessnews.net; Food Business News. https://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/23961-renewal-mill-secures-funding-to-expand-product-line-distribution

Searching for and Obtaining an Internship

illustration of men and women securing internship with rocket imagery in background
Image courtesy of WOOBRO LTD.

I began my internship search around the Fall semester going into Spring 2025. When I first initiated my search, I contacted a colleague who I knew in the field to inquire about whether they knew of any available positions, or if they would be willing to take me on as an intern. Unfortunately, because of the timing, we were unable to follow through with that as his position changed within the company. During this time I was still applying to internship postings I saw online via LinkedIn, Indeed, and Handshake. I also needed the internships to be remote and/or hybrid due to my schedule as I am also a parent to a young child. Through Handshake I was able to secure four interviews with four different companies all of which offered remote/hybrid scheduling and were very understanding of my situation.

The interview process moved along relatively quickly, and I was excited to even get responses back to be interviewed as I lacked some confidence in whether my work was good enough to even get through the first step of the process. I ended up receiving offers for all four positions, and so the most difficult part became deciding which one to choose from. Weighing the options was a little difficult for me because I wanted to make the right decision, and pick one that aligned most with my current skillset that could also help me grow new skills as well. The decision was also difficult because of course, I wanted to make sure I made decisions promptly so as to not hinder the company’s hiring process/interview process for other candidates.

I was able to finally decide on one I felt the most comfortable with, and the most aligned with. I’m grateful that I was given all the opportunities I was presented, and I am happy with the internship I chose. I’m excited to be starting next week and begin meeting with the team.

Ethics in Design 2B: Fairey Copyright Case

Image by Fahmi Ruddin Hidayat

When it comes to the Fairey Copyright case, I believe the arguments and outcome were fair. As described in the “Case Study on Fair Use. and Fair Dealing: The Hope Poster Litigation”, Shepard Fairey did not take the correct course of action ethically when he created the initial design/work. He failed to obtain permission or the rights to use the Associated Press photograph by Mannie Garcia in the Hope poster, which became the optimistic symbol of Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, according to an article written by Randy Kennedy in The New York Times. On top of that, Fairey also tried to hide that fact to cover up his initial mistake which in my opinion was also morally wrong. Fairey also made claims that he never personally profited from sales of the image, which A.P. disputed. 

Ultimately I do believe the decision to fine Fairey and sentence him to two years probation was a fair decision as not only was Fairey ethically in the wrong on the copyright side, but he also tampered with evidence from the case. It goes to show that in a case like this no matter how great the work or design is we must always give credit where credit is due, and take courses of action to be fair and to gain the proper permission to use other’s work if we plan to utilize it in our own. This case is also a good reminder for artists and designers alike to study and understand how copyright, copyright laws, and usage work to avoid these types of mishaps. 

Citations | References

Ethics in Design 2A: Artist Credit

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Image from AdobeStock | stock.adobe.com

The readings/chapters from AIGA’s Design and Business Ethics Handbook have strengthened my perspective on my owndesign work and my understanding of being a designer. I already knew how important it is to be an ethically responsible designer. Still, I do feel that I have learned more in-depth information about ethics in design after reading the chapters. I believe learning about copyright, the use of illustration, and the use of photography can aid me as a designer and inform how I approach design work currently, and in the future.

As the chapters outline it is also important to credit artists for their work. For example, an illustrator’s work should not be used without gaining permission from the creator. Another example, for photographers an agreement as to whether the photographer will receive authorship credit for photography in the final design project needs to be agreed upon by both the client and photographer according to AIGA. 

In the past when I have used other work to produce design work I typically would use fair use material or free to usematerial without requesting permission from the original license owner. In the work that I have done in collaboration with other students for class projects or real clientele, I have always made sure to credit the people who have worked on the project with me or make sure that it was known that the project was not done solely by me. I will continue to credit other artists where credit is due, and request permission to use work that is not solely my own. As designers, we must all havethe knowledge necessary about the legalities, copyright itself, and crediting artists appropriately.

Citations | References

  • “A Client’s Guide to Design: How to Get the Most Out of the Process” AIGA. (2001). PDF. New York City; Richard GrefĂ©, AIGA. 
  • “Guide to Copyright” AIGA. (2001). PDF. New York City; Richard GrefĂ©, AIGA.
  • “Use of Illustration” AIGA. (2001). PDF. New York City; Richard GrefĂ©, AIGA. 
  • “Use of Photography” AIGA. (2001). PDF. New York City; Richard GrefĂ©, AIGA. 

Ethics in Design 1B: Confidentiality | Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA)

image of a clipboard with a NDA and pen
Image from Inc42.com

An NDA or non-disclosure agreement/confidentiality agreement is a contract by which one or more parties agree not to disclose confidential information that has been shared as a necessary part of doing business collaboratively. It is a legally binding contract and protects confidential information such as trade secrets, business information, and intellectual property. This type of document establishes how confidential information is to be handled, and ensures that the work is only used for the agreed-upon purposes.

So far in the process of onboarding and obtaining my internship, I have not had to sign this type of document as of yet. I believe for a company of this size (relatively small) it would be a good idea to have this sort of agreement to protect their assets and IP (intellectual property) as at this time many smaller artists/companies are being taken advantage of by larger corporations. I have only had to sign the internship agreement form for this course thus far, which contains my personal information, the information of my supervisor, and the tasks/duties that I will be performing when it comes to the internship. If there is an NDA to be signed, I will be sure to adhere to the clauses in the document. I will also make sure to follow the guidelines set forth for me by the organization, and my supervisors, and will work to create works that positively reflect the company.

Citations | References

  • “A Client’s Guide to Design: How to Get the Most Out of the Process” AIGA. (2001). PDF. New York City; Richard GrefĂ©, AIGA. 
  • “Guide to Copyright” AIGA. (2001). PDF. New York City; Richard GrefĂ©, AIGA.
  • RocketLawyer. (2025). Non Disclosure Agreement. Scribd. https://www.scribd.com/document/91894008/Non-Disclosure-Agreement

Ethics in Design 1A: Designer Ethics and Copyright

image of logo book/guide on table with red/pink background
Image from FabrikBrands

Most organizations have a set of standard practices, or a code of ethics to abide by which serve as guiding principles in making fair decisions. This is no different for designers, whether they work with an organization/company or as a freelancer. The code of ethics in design outlines the designer’s responsibility to clients, the designer’s responsibility to other designers, designer’s responsibility to the public/environment, basic conduct, etc. According to AIGA’s A Client’s Guide to Design: How to Get the Most out of the Process, a professional designer adheres to principles of integrity that demonstrate respect for the profession, for colleagues, for clients, for audiences or consumers, and for society as a whole (Grefe, 33). The code of ethics helps protect both designers and clients when it comes to business. As for myself, when it comes to design and ethics, I will hold myself to the standards and practices personally and professionally. Although I have yet to begin my internship, I know that when I do begin, I will be sure to design ethically and treat the company’s trademarks and logos with respect and stick to their guidelines. There are real-world consequences when choosing to notdesign ethically. A few examples of this is discussed in the summary Ethics of Design. One that stood out to me was the marketing of Sunny Delight. The logo, the advertisements, the bottle shape, and even its’ placement on store shelves mislead consumers. The idea that it was a healthy option manipulated parents into buying the product for their children even though the product itself was just a high-sugar, low-juice-content drink. This type of manipulation resulted in theloss of consumer trust in the company. 

According to AIGA’s Guide to Copyright, copyright is defined as the ownership of work created by a designer, and allows the designer to control whether or not work can be copied. Under the umbrella of that, there is exclusive rights, fair use, transfers/terminations, etc. When it comes to exclusive rights, the designer as the copyright owner can reproduce the work, license the work, prepare derivative works, and display works. Anyone who violates these rights can be sued for damages, and prevented from continuing to infringe. Under Fair Use, it permits someone to use the work without permission as long as the purpose of use does not compete with the market for the work according to AIGA. When it comes to transfers and terminations, only a nonexclusive right can be transferred verbally, for example, if a designer licenses a design to one client but does not make it exclusive it can also be licensed to another client or company. Copyright is also a way to protect the designer and the clients as the law gives protection to the designer’s work and for the clients against competitors.

Citations | References

  • “A Client’s Guide to Design: How to Get the Most Out of the Process” AIGA. (2001). PDF. New York City; Richard GrefĂ©, AIGA. 
  • “Guide to Copyright” AIGA. (2001). PDF. New York City; Richard GrefĂ©, AIGA.
  • Summary. (2013, March 23). Ethics of Design. https://ethicsofdesign.wordpress.com/summary/