I’ve actually wanted to intern
at Exit10 a year or two ago but the timing never worked out. I kept them at the
back of my mind though because I liked their work. I knew I wanted to do at
least one more internship in my last semester of college, so I decided to apply
in December. Coincidentally, before sending anything off, I looked on
MICAnetwork and saw Exit10’s posting for an intern position. I was really
excited to see that they were actually searching and I contacted Liz. I didn’t
hear back for a while, so I was pleasantly surprised when Liz called me one
evening to schedule an interview.
Although they are called an “advertising
agency,”” Exit10 felt more like a studio than I expected. They receive a wide
variety of clients and range of projects, from print to web to video, which
makes work quite fun and interesting. I noticed that have a lot of branding
(and rebranding) work too, either for new businesses or campaigns for existing
clients. It was very interesting for me to be able to jump into some of their
ongoing projects to help with updates or edits, all while observing how files
are created and organized, and simply absorbing the visual vocabulary as well.
I’ve learned a lot simply by noticing things and watching the agency run itself.
What I loved most about working
there is the people. Michelle (Ghiotti, MICA class of 2011), while she was still
a designer there, was such a friendly and helpful ‘unofficial’ supervisor. She
has such inspiring work, and she always took the time to show me things, be it
something she had been working on or something like Exit10’s newly acquired
typefaces. They do some amazing work, and that motivates me to learn and improve
my own design. Everybody in the office is also super welcoming. I loved that it
was small, that everybody knew each other and were friends.
Liz (also a MICA alum!) is my
direct supervisor and she is the best. She is a senior designer, but I feel
that the title doesn’t quite capture all that she does. She art directs quite a
lot, and while Scott is the Creative Director who is officially responsible for
approving work, I think Liz manages a lot of that too, at least finalizing work
for preapproval for efficiency. Depending on the projects she’s in charge of,
she’s the one who briefs and works with the junior designers and interns.
Some of the projects I worked on
while at Exit10 include event logo designs, as well as bike jersey designs for
their client World Team Sports. I also helped design proposals for a whiskey
bottle label for a distillery. In between those projects, I basically helped
out with job updates, such as flyers, slicing images for websites, designing a
menu iteration, and other minor jobs that a project manager or junior designer
needed help with.
I think I’m proud that I was
able to be helpful to them. It’s nice to have my time and effort valued, and
even nicer to hear that out loud when Liz tells me they want me to stay and
work for them postgraduation. That offered me a small sense of security.
Throughout the semester, I felt like I was working at Exit10 instead of interning
there. Everybody treated me like I was a designer, not simply an intern.
This internship experience is
the best I’ve had so far, and I think I’ve learned what kind of ideal working environment
I’d like to be in. I like having a wide variety of projects in medium and in
content. I also like working with other creative people in a close and
supportive setting. I’ve learned that iteration is important, and that your
idea of the best design may not be what the client wants, and that is fine. I’ve
learned to push myself to create more, even when it seems that I have run out
of all possible ideas.
I definitely realize that ‘clicking’
with the people you work with is important in your career and directly affects your
life. Your colleagues are the people you face and work with on a daily basis,
and I think getting along with everyone really matters. I know for certain that
my ideal job is to work with a small to midsized, close group of talented,
creative people, who are supportive and passionate about doing great work. (Something
minor, but this internship was also the first instance I felt comfortable
disclosing my orientation in a working environment, which may not be a big deal
to some people, but to me, it really set me at ease knowing that the people
around me were completely open and accepting, that I don’t have to hide a part
of my life at work.)
