My name is Ashley Caswell and I am
entering my senior year as an illustration major. This past summer, I was a
design intern with Barefoot Books, a children’s book publisher based in
Cambridge, Massachusetts. I found out about Barefoot and the internship
position after searching online for book publishers in New England. I applied
to the position through email, submitting a resume, cover photo, and a link to
my portfolio website featuring examples of my illustration and design work. A
few weeks after I first submitted my application, I received an email in
response and after two Skype interviews I was offered the position.
My direct supervisor was Sarah Soldano,
the Senior Design Manager at Barefoot. During my internship, I was responsible
for creating promotional graphics for upcoming books and catalog releases, as
well as providing assistance in the design of Barefoot’s newest books, Dinosaur Rap and The Barefoot Book of Children, as well as their autumn/winter
catalog. I was also responsible for researching an online photo editing
software and creating a presentation about how it could be useful for Barefoot
and its Ambassadors, who sell a great deal of books for the company.
My biggest accomplishment was designing
the end pages for Dinosaur Rap, which
appear in the final product and were completed with a very small number of revisions.
This internship experience helped me realize that I would like to work in the
publishing industry, both as an illustrator and as a designer. Interning with
Barefoot helped me brush up on my design skills, and learn more about how a
smaller publisher is organized and operated. My internship experience was a big
part of the inspiration for my Senior Thesis, as I will be creating an
illustrated book over the course of this year.
