My name is Aage Vetter and I’m a Senior Graphic Design major. During winter break of my Junior year, I went on a trip to New York where I met a design intern from Chanel. After asking him a few questions and chatting, he introduced me to his boss, who gave me a fairly informal interview and asked about school, my website, and other things. After thinking this was the end of the interactions with them, by the end of the school year, I received an email from who would become my supervisor, Antoinette, asking if I wanted to take a spot at the office as the summer intern for that year. They had found my resume and portfolio online and decided that I was the best candidate for the position.
Chanel is a world renowned design and fashion house specializing in a range of fashion, fragrance and beauty products, watches, and fine jewelry. They also host and sponsor a variety of events, dinners, and artists throughout the year. This includes artist Lucia Pica, The Tribeca Film Festival, and Through Her Lens.
My direct supervisor was Antoinette Wasylyk. She has been the Associate Director of Print Design at Chanel for the past two and a half years. Working with her, as well as the rest of the creative department (Loc Trinh - Manager & Print Designer, Dan Gardener - Manager & Print Designer, and Fanny Level - Executive Director of Print Design) I was given a broad range of assignments ranging in length and importance. I was able to be a large hand in the Through Her Lens and Tribeca Film Festival invitation designs and layouts, as well as creating posters for Chanel stores across the US and a book for a one time boutique in New York.
I’m most proud of myself for being unafraid this year to ask questions and voice my opinions to my superiors in meetings and during my process. I believe this lead them to trust me and what I had to say, and ended up with me having multiple pieces seen through to being fully produced and created by Chanel. The most important thing I learned through this process has gone hand-in-hand with the previous idea. Working hard, being detail oriented, and taking mistakes with grace and enthusiasm is the most important thing in making impressions. I’ve had great conversations with my co-workers and learned a tremendous amount about the industry, and what it takes to make it at a large corporation. All throughout my experience I picked up shortcuts in design programs, tips for creating simple and elegant work, as well as tips and advice for presenting to superiors.
