Top Shelf Design
My name is Anny Lai and I’m a Senior Graphic Design major at the Maryland Institute College of
Art (MICA). I spent my summer (2013) as a graphic design intern at a small company called Top Shelf
Design. I found this opportunity through a friend who has interned for them in the past and encouraged
me to send in my resume for an intern position. I was thrilled to be contacted by their Internship
director, Michellanne for an interview.
Top Shelf was originally located in Washington DC, but later expanded to two other locations in
South Carolina and Arlington, Virginia. Their company deals with mostly print and web design, namely
collateral packages, infographics, illustrations, and websites. My supervisor was Michellanne, a full time
graphic designer at TSD and the director of the internship program. My responsibilities as an intern
included initial concept designs that were later discussed with the design team before sending to the
client, and carrying out edits and revisions to on-going projects using the Adobe software programs.
This was my first internship working in a graphic design company, so it was an exciting and
rewarding experience. I was able to contribute to the team’s design process and understand their
weekly routines, such as interview meetings with clients, team brainstorming, edit rounds, and finalizing
projects. I think part of this great experience was due to TSD’s designers, who were all very motivated to
do their best, which I found inspiring and proud to be a part of. It was also interesting to see the
different design aesthetics and styles from different designers and how they collaborated to put their
ideas into client projects. My biggest takeaway as an intern is to always take advantage of being part of
a team who can support one another through creativity and give constructive feedback. My time at TSD
has definitely helped solidify my aspiration to become a full time graphic designer. I was grateful to have
the chance to work on so many projects dealing with many different realms; from packaging design to
web design—it has motivated me to continue learning and broaden my experiences.
