6 Top Tips for Applying for our new Graphic Design Internship

Graphic Design Internship

Have you seen that we’re advertising for our Graphic Design Internship?

We’re on the lookout for someone who can blow us away with their endless creativity, bags of enthusiasm… and love of Adobe! 

Internships are a valuable way for graduates to gain work experience in their chosen field and kick-start their careers, and we are super proud that we are in a position where we can support and nurture talent in the industry. It’s important to us to support graduate graphic designers at what can be a really scary time. 

Deciding which internship to take — or if you even want to do one at all — is a big decision, one of the most important of your career. But there are many benefits to choosing an internship to begin your career, some of which we’ve listed below. 

1. They help you gain practical experience in a role 
2. They give you direct access to your chosen industry
3. You can learn if the job is right for you
4. You have the opportunity to learn from industry professionals
5. They provide you with relevant skills in your chosen field
6. An Internship could lead to a permanent job

Back to the epic internship we’re offering…
We’ve put together our 6 Top Tips for applying for our Graphic Design Internship to help set you apart from all the other candidates. Good Luck!

Don’t be afraid to show your face

We know it can be intimidating, but please don’t be afraid to pick up the phone or arrange to visit the studio – we get so many emails in a day that it’s hard to give them the attention they deserve. Knock on the door, introduce yourself and leave something with us to remember you by; whether it’s a small look-book, a USB or even something you’ve spotted that we’re into on our social media (hint hint: we like sweets and lovely print).

Money can’t buy our love

With that being said, don’t spend an absolute fortune on getting your work printed. Keep one super posh portfolio for your interview but keep that baby with you, and when sending work out to your chosen agency, be a bit more inventive, creative and a bit more frugal. Sticking to a budget doesn’t have to mean losing quality – put time and care into your presentation and it will pay you dividends. If your work isn’t effectively showing your process and concepts, having it hardbound and laminated isn’t going to help matters.

Show your workings out

Yeah, that dreaded request from maths lessons rears its ugly head – ultimately, all we’re after is that you’re about more than creating pretty pictures; we need to see your concepts, how your design has evolved and what your process is. Make sure you include some pertinent pieces of research in your portfolios, show your sketches and scribbles (beautifully!) – it all adds to a portfolio that is full of life, integrity and most importantly, you.

Don’t think that you have to follow a set path

It’d be easy to presume that you’ve just graduated in graphic design and are after a full-time a job with a kick-ass agency, but we know that this isn’t always the set pathway. To work well in an agency, it’s not all about being THE BEST on Illustrator or Photoshop, it’s about having transferrable skills that work well in a fast-paced environment, and the flexibility and strength of character to put your all into a project, whatever that may be, and not become too precious about what the outcome may be. Flexibility is key. We know you may have a banging working knowledge of the Adobe Creative Suite, but what we really want to see is if you’ll work well in a team and be willing to strip yourself of your design-ego/idea-ego. Be open, be honest, show your sense of humour and embrace your individuality.

Have passion

Why do you want to work here? Why design? What does design mean to you? What do you think you could bring to this industry? These are all questions that you could likely be asked in an interview, and they’re all trying to get to the same point – how passionate are you? An agency knows whether you’re truly passionate enough to work in this industry just by looking at how you present yourself and your work, how your portfolio speaks to us and how clearly you can talk about your concepts; but if you can articulate your passion to us face to face, the you’re on to a winner.

Know yourself

We can’t speak for all agencies, but our culture is SUPER IMPORTANT to us here at designdough; its simply how our team interacts with each other and our clients and it shapes the day to day in the studio and makes up a massive part of our brand personality. Certain things are really important to us here, such as having a sense of humour, embracing differences, and positive thinking (even on the bad days when you just don’t wanna) and all of our team personify these things.

Apply now…

We hope that this gives you a bit more insight into what we’re looking for when it comes to recruiting new talent. If you feel you’d be a great asset to the designdough team and culture, then please feel free to follow the steps here and get in touch. We’d love to hear from you!