J4D

The place where I conducted the internship was a small company called J4D. Like other advertising companies, J4D was a company that designed advertisements for clients' specific needs or requests. We worked together as a team with one set of values called “We make big waves.” This means that the advertisements we make cause big waves and make a difference in the world.

My direct supervisor was the CEO of J4D. He provided me with enough opportunities to learn the overall company flow and work so that I could adapt well to the company, and those efforts made me able to complete a successful internship thanks to him. During the internship, as a member of the design team, I participated in the process of designing and producing advertisements for various domestic and foreign client companies such as Nike, Porsche, Yuserin, Goose Island, and Innisfree. The company was separated into a planning team and a production team but often the work was carried out as one team. I worked on the production team, and I participated in everything from the idea process to filming and editing the finished advertisement.

The proudest time during the internship was when my ideas and the videos I edited were shown to the public through various media such as TV, YouTube, and movie theaters. No matter how good the idea was while producing the advertisement, there were times when the idea had to be re-invented according to the client's requirements, and many modifications had to be made during the production process and even after the production. These processes were endless and painful, but the satisfaction of seeing them in various media after production made me forget those times.

Through this internship, I learned that communication is very important. And of course, I've learned that you have to have creative thinking, you have to have the ability to handle the tools that can create it, but communication has to take precedence over all of this. The process of creating advertisements is a cycle of communicating with clients, team members, and supervisors. If one of these doesn't work out well, a project won't be completed. I thought creative ideas were the most important thing for designers, but this internship gave me a new perspective on my job as a designer.

SS Architecture and Texture SRL - SSAT+

This summer, I held a position as the design intern of an architecture and interior design firm called SSAT+. The firm is based in Bucharest, Romania and they work on various types of projects, both commercial and residential. They work on projects that involve creating buildings from scratch as well as ones that involve renovating existing structures. I learned about this internship through connection an acquaintance of mine had with one of the heads of SSAT+.

During my internship, my direct supervisors were one of the heads of SSAT+, as well as an interior designer with whom I worked more closely with. Her and I met on a daily basis to discuss furniture design for an interior design project. We also participated in team meetings less frequently to discuss the project as a whole.

The project that I worked on with my supervisors involved the renovation of an old historical building that is being adapted into mostly office spaces. The other part of the project was the creation of a new apartment building adjacent to the old structure. I worked on designs for both the renovated building as well as the apartment building. For the renovated building, I worked on designs for lighting fixtures, shelving units, a secretary desk, the entrance of the office space, and several other objects/interior spaces. For the apartment building, I worked on designs for mailboxes, apartment numbers, and doorbells. It was a really amazing experience to be able to work on designs for both commercial and residential spaces.

Throughout the duration of my internship, I gained a lot of new skills. I learned how to use the computer programs SketchUp and AutoCAD, and I also significantly improved my product sketching and 3D modeling (Fusion 360) skills. I also believe that my design communication skills (presenting, researching, etc.) significantly improved as well. 

The most significant takeaway from this whole experience was being able to see how adaptable design skills truly are. I was able to easily transfer my product design skills to an interior design/architecture project and still make thoughtful design decisions. I found this to be really encouraging because I have always been interested in working in different design fields. I feel really accomplished for trying something new and proving to myself that I do have the skills necessary to do great design work.

One House Design

This past summer I interned at One House Design. I found this internship opportunity through a connection my father (who is also an architect) has and because it is local to my area.

One House Design is an interior design company, with both an Interior Finish Department and Furnishing Department. I worked in the Interior Finish Department where they mostly worked on drawing floor plans, 3D modeling, rendering, using Photoshop, and creating construction drawings. My supervisor was the supervisor of the entire department and would mostly check the drawings others and myself made.

For my own responsibilities and projects, I mostly worked on floor plans and rendering models which I felt really helped hone my architectural skills. I also attended other parts of projects including material board, counting area, and going to construction sites. 

The project I am most proud of was also the biggest project I worked on. I made some designs for a house with a garden that is owned by a really famous director in China. I spend almost half of my time in the company trying to give out the perfect floor plan to the director. Through that project, my professional techniques have also grown to the next level. I got to experience being on a construction site for the first time and really creating the construction drawings of a building that would be used in actual projects. A new skill I acquired from the internship would be that I can now make accurate floor plans that fit to real scale. I believe these experiences are my biggest take-away, along with the techniques I learned from the project.

Baremetalco

My four week internship at Baremetalco was exciting and fulfilling. I wanted to further build on my metalworking skills I learned at MICA, so over the summer I wanted to work at a metal shop. Since I was heading back home to Singapore, I decided to reach out to Baremetalco through social media and was accepted as their first intern. Baremetalco is one of the few companies in Singapore specializing in sheet metal fabrication. The company fabricates a variety of steel, stainless steel, and aluminum products such as railings and postal boxes. They also often fabricate metal sculptures for local artists in Singapore.

At Baremetalco, I worked directly with the second-generation owner of the company. They are currently rebranding the company and expanding its focus from fabrication to design and innovation. As it is difficult to sustain the business solely based on manufacturing products, he is attempting to move up the value chain to position Baremetalco as a company that designs and custom-makes high quality metal products.

As part of his push towards design and customized fabrication, my supervisor tasked me with 3D modeling and rendering customized products for clients. During my stint there, I modeled products such as a stool, low table and even a cover for a coffee machine. On top of these, my supervisor also gave me creative freedom to come up with my own artwork/product to be included in the company's showroom.

Leveraging this opportunity, I created an artwork Stool. Stool is a steel replica of 3V's PS703 plastic stools. The ubiquitous red plastic stool is manufactured in Malaysia and then exported to Singapore where it is regarded as a cheap, disposable item easily found in coffee shops and public housing void decks. Stool seeks to transform the ubiquitous item and celebrate its presence in the heartlands of Singapore.

Through making Stool, I experienced the entire process of fabricating metal products from ideation of manufacturing. I have come to beIer appreciate the fabrication industry and the challenges and opportunities fabricators face.

Moving forward, while I do not foresee myself working full-time in the metal fabrication industry, I have made many new friends and I am able to confidently fabricate metal sculptures in the future as part of my practice.

Keypair

 

Keypair is a security company with blockchain technology and KCMVP-certified products. This internship was introduced to me when I visited Keypair with an artist who is planning to make NFT to ask about NFT. While I was asking some questions about NFT to the CEO, he offered me a design intern position. I thought it would be a great experience so I started my design internship at Keypair.

The main project of the company was to upgrade a crypto wallet app. Therefore, we were adding new functions and upgraded them. My direct supervisor is a UI/UX designer/developer and we discussed a lot of the UI/UX design of the app and what can be implemented through code.

I was honored to be part of designing the whole UI/UX and visual designs of the app. I am most proud to see my designs on an app that everyone can use. My biggest takeaway from this is that I learned more depth about software, such as Figma, Illustrator, and After Effects.

The most important thing that I learned from this internship is communication. Especially in a social group, clear communication is helpful to reach the success of projects. This experience definitely helped me get a sense of what I really am interested in, what I am good at, and what I dislike doing.

FILMARTIST Creative Agency

I found this internship when they did a pop-up show at Stackt market in Toronto. Stackt has taken unused land and transformed it into an experience of curated discovery. It’s designed entirely out of shipping containers. I really loved this space and the concept but was very interested in the interactive work FILMARTIST had done.

FILMARTIST is a creative agency dedicated to crafting innovative and artistic contents for brands and businesses. By harnessing the talent of commercial artists, brand specialists and digital content creators, they produce memorable visual experiences and design.

My direct supervisor was the co-founder of the agency. I was involved in the design process of many of their projects, including design the 3D/4D graphics of an augmented reality business card. I also designed a lot of things for proposals like an interactive, immersive experience gallery space for two artists in China. I designed web layouts and logos for clients as well. I was given a lot of creative freedom in making interesting gifs for their social media using C4D.

I am most proud of getting out of my comfort zone and trying things I’ve never done before. I was encouraged to experiment, which lead to many new learning experiences and developing new skills. Some new skills I have acquired from this internship is understanding how AR works a little better and how to create virtual spaces.My biggest take away was how important communication is in design. Convincing a client to take chances and try untraditional and unconventional solutions is a challenge. It’s important to make them feel confident in investing in these projects. 

This internship really helped solidify my goal to work in the intersection of graphic design and interactive arts. I was unsure of how I would like it, but it excited me and I loved learning new things about technology and its endless possibilities.

Creative Capital Shanghai

I learned about this Creative Capital Shanghai (CC) from a MICA alum. CC is a brand advertising company and now it is collaborating with Altavia, a French advertising firm. My direct supervisor was the creative department manager.

I participated in design idea generating, presentation designing and even designed a project independently. I learned how to present my work more professionally. When I was in school, I only needed to think about my own feelings about the design, but when I work, I have to think about how everyone feels about the design, not just from the designer's point of view.

I am most proud of my time management and multi-stream working schedule. I learned about managing my time with various projects going on, and I think designing culturally is the most important thing I have learned. I am also more familiar with Adobe Suites.

This internship experience has given me a better understanding of what people at a branding company do, and showed me the right attitude to have at work. I'm also more responsible with my work, because the design is no longer just your own responsibility, it’s about the whole team.

SONY Music

I got this internship through a family friend who used to work at Sony. She put me in contact with Sony Music Canada director of the office I worked at then he linked me to my supervisor. 

I am very proud of the new skills I learned such as improving my Photoshop skills and learning how to make GIFs. I have also learned how to network and create professional relationships. 

I was responsible for designing GIFs for artists, create playlist album covers, helped with some artists websites. I was also asked to help film for GIFs, videos, and for photography artists. 

This internship helped clarify my career goal and helped me realize that I want to work

more in the music and entertainment industry, but still as a graphic designer.

Bible Lands Museum - Jerusalem, Israel

My name is Molly Kaye, I’m a rising senior Illustration major and MAT candidate. During Summer 2018 I was a workshop intern at the Bible Lands Museum in west Jerusalem, Israel. It is a archaeology museum that focuses on artifacts and the histories from places mentioned in the bible and the Talmudic stories (the stories in Jewish Law), They had exhibits on everything from Neolithic art, to Proto-Canaanite, to Canaanite, to Babylonian, Greek, Roman, Persian, Etruscan and a new exhibit on a recently re discovered ancient way to make a blue dye called Telekhet. I was introduced to the museum through a third-party organization called Onward Israel. Onward is a growing organization, funded by the Jewish Agency (not all participants were Jewish), and seeks to help young adults expand their resumes and to facilitate a deeper firsthand understanding of Israel-Palestine through being part of the society for even a short time. Through Onward I went on several day trips to ancient cities dating back to before the roman period (Tzipori, Mamshit and others), had serious conversations about history and culture within Druze communities, spent a day wandering around an Arab city, that got cut in half by the ‘47 partition line (Barta’a), and had many may adventures with Israelis, Palestinians, and other Americans from my Onward group.

This summer was one of the most educational, experience filled and frankly, fun summers I’ve ever had in my life. As it was my first internship ever, I had no clue what to expect from working at the museum. To be honest I was really nervous about working in a museum for the first time, let alone one that was predominately Hebrew and Arabic speaking, when I barely understood modern Hebrew. When I got to the museum, all of my coworkers were extremely welcoming, even going out of their way to speak english to me. After the first two days of awkwardly translated conversations had past I felt like a member of the team, I was doing research around the museum to help create illustration projects the museum needed done, I was helping guide kids around and explained the histories of the various people exhibited around the museum. Just as everyone else in the workshop was doing. I felt like a professional employee of an amazing museum.

The experience I’m most proud of has to be speaking (broken) Hebrew, and picking up some Arabic on a nearly daily basis. Specifically, there was one day where I was running to work a couple minutes late, I get in and my boss is not only fine with my two-minute tardiness, she asks me to be the lead assistant with an entire camp group, all day. One catch, no one in the group spoke Hebrew, or English. That day I had to teach them how to create the Canaanite figures, they had just seen in the museum. Not a very complex project, but still challenging for elementary school students. Working with them that day taught me different ways of thinking on my feet and how to be more adaptable. In addition to that the experience taught me that without words, without understanding exactly what the other person is saying, we can always connect to others as people. These skills will definitely be using for the rest of my time at MICA and in the professional world.

Working outside of the US gave me an opportunity to really connect with things I didn’t understand, and become more comfortable with being uncomfortable. After work every day, I would drop my stuff at my apartment, pick up a sketchbook, go outside, pick a direction and explore. That has helped me solidify that I want to be a traveling artist and in my practice I want it to be informed by wherever I am, who I’m around, and how I feel in that moment of creating the art.

Dasan Education

 My name is Syehyun Lee (Sean) and
I am a rising junior Film and Video major in Maryland Institute College of Art. During the summer of 2016, I was a Video and Marketing department intern for Dasan Education, a company based in Seoul (Gangnam), Republic of Korea (South Korea). When I was a high school student,
I went to Dasan Education Institute to
study for the SAT and TOEFL for the American University, so I had always wanted to work at Dasan company when I get old enough to work, and summer 2016 was the time!

What Dasan company does in South Korea is launch decent SAT, ACT and TOEFL Academy (Institute) sites in large cities in Korea. They also have two international middle and high schools in Seoul, South Korea. I can say that all the huge companies have video departments for recording something. In Dasan Education Company, they need to record all the lessons of SAT, ACT, TOFEL, and AP subjects for merchandizing; they sell to students who really want to study outside of Korea but do not know what to do. 

So, what I did in Dasan was to record all the lessons and organize their files. Also, I saved all the files in USB for their merchandizing. In Dasan Education company, as I have written above, it was quite simple work. I went to the office Monday through Friday at 7:55am and got ready for the recording of lessons in the academy. I recorded SAT lessons on every Monday and Wednesday, ACT lessons on every Tuesday and Thursday, and on Friday, I recorded TOEFL lessons and also organized all of the week’s recorded files. Most important was my duty on every last Friday of the month: I needed to re-organize all of the recorded files and save them to USB for the final product sold to students.

My Dasan Education intern experience included a lot of helpful learning. I learned many things in Dasan because there were many employees in the company who really wanted to help me learn about the real world. In particular, my direct supervisor, Manager Derek Kim, and my Assistant Manager, Jin Heo, gave me a lot of tips about surviving in the real world and at a company. This internship was a great way for me to start figuring out what I really want to do in my field, even if it was just a simple role in the Dasan Education Company. I also left with many new additions to my own resume.

I am happy that I planned this internship at the start of my junior year, before I became fully immersed in my Film and Video major studies. It really helped me to more clearly define my goals and focus for my remaining junior and senior years at MICA.