Internship | Melanie Layer Creative
Well, well, well….. I have two words for all of you. Ten months. The year 2020 tested my self-confidence and patience for that long when it came to finding an internship, especially when all of us soon-to-be graduates wanted to do was get that diploma and start designing.
Applying and more applying…
I went on (or at least what felt like) every job search or specific company sites to apply for design positions, where I was creating accounts and emailing recruiters for months on end. This lead to ZERO responses for months, until I started getting those auto-response emails, stating that “this position is no longer available” or “we have moved on with other candidates”….
To keep myself sane, I worked on Adobe, web design, and application development tutorials to learn tips and tricks, as well as my wine tasting skills. Don’t judge.
So you can only imagine the relief I felt in October when I was informed from Maryville University that Melanie Layer Creative (MLC) was open for an internship for an Interactive Designer.
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The Interview
After researching the business and a few email correspondences, Melanie and I had a Zoom meeting for introductions, goals for my internship, availability, pay rate, current projects that she is working on, etc. I learned that MLC provides services for a diverse portfolio of clients, ranging from large national healthcare corporations to small start-ups.
The Projects
Before I start, I just wanted to mention that I have signed a NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) for our client’s projects, so I will do my best to not be too vague here.
Designing Ads
To start off my internship, I was assigned to edit and design social media and newspaper ads for a renewable energy company. There was a specific format that they used for the ads already, so I was able to edit and redesign the ads accordingly.
For the second project, the client wanted graphic ads to be placed in newspapers and holiday emails. I was shown previous designs from last year’s designs, so I could get a feel for what they were wanting. Melanie had already designed most of the graphics, so with the time I was given I was able to create three different versions of everything for her and the client to choose by.
Updating Website
I was assigned to redesign the user interface of their website. The owner provides his vocals for learning tracks that assists in a fast learning process for barbershop quartets and choruses. I was pretty stoked, especially because I get to start from scratch. I created sketches, wireframes, flowcharts, We are currently waiting for our client to review the three different styles that I designed of a homepage, login, and search site, so we can move forward with this project.
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A Typical Day
I mainly worked on Tuesday and Thursday’s for Melanie, but I always found myself one way or another working on something on the weekends too. This worked perfectly, since those are the days she goes to her office to work. I started my days at 9 am by checking in with Melanie, reviewing new content in our shared Google Drive folder and reading emails. I managed my time with projects by simply working half the day on one client’s project and then other’s after lunch. If Melanie or I had any questions or just wanted to discuss recent edits that either of us made, we would simply meet on Zoom to discuss and view them.
The Aftermath
In just eight weeks, I learned what works and doesn’t work for me when it comes to managing my time with projects, how important it is to ask questions and communicate while working together on the same project, and that I made the right career choice.
As for Melanie, she not only made working with her easy and fun, but she gave me an inside look and appreciation for those who own their own design studio. On a last note, I am happy to share that I have been officially hired on as an Interactive Designer now. Thankfully, 2021 is off to a good start.
