The tools I use at this internship fall into a few different categories depending on what I am working on, and I have found that matching the right tool to the right task makes a significant difference in how efficiently the work gets done.
For the logo redesign, my process starts analog. My sketchbook is where the earliest thinking happens — rough marks, shape explorations, ideas that are not ready to be on a screen yet. Sketching first keeps me from locking into something too early, which is a trap that design software can make very easy to fall into. Once I have a direction worth developing, I move into Adobe Illustrator to build it out properly.
Research and inspiration for both the logo and the social media work lives primarily on Pinterest and Google. Pinterest is where I build moodboards — pulling references for visual direction, color relationships, typography, and tone. Google fills in the gaps, especially when I need to look at how comparable programs or brands are presenting themselves and where there is room to do something more distinctive. Moodboarding is not a preliminary step I rush through. It is where the strategic thinking about a project’s visual identity actually takes shape.
For social media content creation I work across three platforms depending on what the content calls for. Canva handles a lot of the templated work — it is fast, flexible, and produces assets that others in the department can edit without needing design software expertise. Adobe Express is useful for quick, polished graphics when I need something that looks more refined without a long production process. CapCut handles video and reel content, which is increasingly central to how the department’s social media needs to show up, particularly on Instagram.
Having fluency across all of these tools rather than defaulting to just one has made me more adaptable and more useful to the department overall.