Creative Capital Shanghai

My name is Hannah Meng and I am a sophomore Graphic Design major. During the summer of 2017, I was the Graphic Design intern for Creative Capital Shanghai. Creative Capital Shanghai provides everything from brand creation, storytelling, naming, visual identity to packaging design, retail design and short movie production, with a cultural twist. When I googled the design studio in Shanghai, I was attracted by their website, then I looked through all the projects and I decided to apply for the internship. Laura was my supervisor during the time I was in the design team at Creative Capital. She was a senior designer at Creative Capital.

During the internship, I have been given several projects, which include wine packaging, illustration for hair product, icon of sunglasses and baby wipes’ packaging. I will give one direction of every project, and if my design has been select from client, I will keep work on it. The thing I am most proud of is that I tried something new. After I did the illustration project, I found my interest on digital illustration. I have learned how to present your work in a professional way. It is important to show a professional and clear presentation for client, that's definitely helped a lot for my future career when I have to face my own client. Besides, I noticed sometimes it's important to listen others suggestion even he's not in the design position, cause the design have to accomplish clients and market’s needs. It's different form personal projects but I really appreciate the experience, because this internship experience makes me more clear that I want to do commercial design in a design company when I graduate, so the experience is really important for me to face the design task in the future.

Terrcycle

My name is Haven DeAnglis and I am currently a sophomore Fibers major. This summer I was a design intern at an up cycling company based in Trenton, New Jersey called Terracycle. I had previous knowledge about the company and its internships while I was in high school because my school participated in their recycling programs, and I attended an environmental awareness event with students from high schools where Terracycle advertised the company and its mission. While at this program, I immediately wanted to intern for this company because everything at the office was up cycled and there was art everywhere. I had forgotten about this dream of working at Terracycle, but while I was looking online for internships in New Jersey, I stumbled upon an ad for internships at Terracycle. After reading the description of a design team internship, I knew I had to apply. I emailed by resume, cover letter and my portfolio of up cycled and found object artwork, and received a responds the next day requesting I come into the office for an interview. The interview went well and a few months later I had the internship.

My internship at Terracycle lasted about 3 months and I worked 3 times a week. Each day I would work on and complete various projects that involved up cycling. Terracycle is an up cycling company, in that the company’s mission is to give a new life to products that cannot be normally recycled. Overall, Terracycle collects items that are deemed garbage and will break down the products into recycled plastic pellets, compost, scrap metal, etc. Terracycle is a company with many offices around the world and different departments. I was a part of the design team, which creates marketable products made out of non-recyclable material, designs the office spaces, and creates products designed to encourage recycling. The design team, which consists of three employees and multiple interns throughout the year, works in a large studio with tons of machinery and tools. My direct supervisor was Kelsey Moffitt, a Design Junkie, who oversaw all the interns’ work, while also designing products for the company and attending many meetings with other departments. The head of the design team, Tiffany Threadgould, and Darshan Alatar, another Design Junkie, would also assign projects for me to complete.

While at Terracycle, I completed many projects that involved sewing plastic packaging to create new products that were more valuable. I made tote bags from juice pouches, bibs from baby food packaging, gift bows from maps, and folders from toothpaste tubes. All of these products were given to the companies that had originally created the plastic packaging to be used as a promotional item. The tote bags, however, were a prototype for bags that will eventually be produced and sold to the public. I am most proud of this project because not only was the company pleased with the design, but the object that I created will someday be bought by consumers and will be promoting sustainability. I was also involved in renovating an office space known as the “courtroom” which had to be decorated with courtroom-themed furniture and objects. I was in charge of designing and sewing together a Terracycle logo flag, as well as creating a gold frame for the whiteboard. Sewing the flag was the longest project I worked on, having to start over and create several designs until I finally made a well-crafted patchwork flag. My biggest takeaway from the internship was that designing products takes time and that the first design is probably not the best design. I learned how to become more precise and accurate in creating art, which will definitely help me in the future when designing and sketching. My artwork tends to look free-handed and “messy”, so working at Terracycle taught me the importance of measurements and accuracy, even though it was a struggle at some points.

While many of my projects involved me using a sewing machine, I was able to learn how to use new machines, which will strengthen my work in sculpture and how I would create it. Some of the machines I learned to use were the miter saw, industrial serger, nail gun and welding. I have also become more precise in sewing as well as faster because of the amount of work I had to complete each day. I also learned how other department interact with each other. Many of my projects were photographed and documented by the graphic design team, or we would work together with the R&D team to create a container suitable for collecting a certain waste stream. Even though this internship was a great experience, it helped me narrow down a career path that I would want in the future and it would not be working as a product designer. While my artistic skills and sewing skills were valued at the company, I would not like to work as a designer creating products that are specific to what a company wants to buy. I enjoy the freedom of creating while not being bound to recreating a product that exists in the world in a different variation. After working at Terracycle I do feel inspired to create artwork and fashion out of sustainable and reusable materials because waste is a huge environmental problem in our world and so many of our resources go to waste because they are easily disposable. With my remaining years at MICA, I will definitely continue to create eco-friendly artwork, and hopefully a fashion collection out of up cycled materials.

Lanning Smith Studios

I found out about Lanning Smith Studios in Spring semester of my junior year from a former classmate of mine, Katya Villano (Class of 2016, Painting). She described her work at a small fabrication company which primarily specialized in woodworking, in addition to a variety of larger construction and other processes. Overall she really enjoyed the work and spoke highly of the people, and mentioned that two current IS seniors had previously interned there in the summer of 2016. I became especially interested because it seemed this organization was open to people with relatively little experience so long as they had drive and interest. Soon after, I spoke with both Chelsea Lee and Jenna Staffieri (Class of 2017, IS) about their respective experiences. While the projects were often for big name clients, they were still able to enter the shop as a learning environment. I quickly sent out an email with my cover letter and resume. 

When I first met with Kyle, he explained that several years ago, after graduating from MICA, he and his partner Josh established Lanning Smith and have since worked out a split system. Josh lives in New York and primarily handles the business side of the operation-working through their small location in Brooklyn, meeting and negoatiting with clients. The Baltimore location is the fabrication shop, with a small office and shop space upstairs, and a much larger area in the basement for bigger construction and works. During my time there I was able to work fairly closely with everyone in the shop because of its small size. Kyle and I were the only ones in the shop on Mondays, which is when I was able to see a bit more of how Kyle manages the projects from design, client back and forth, shipping, etc. I mainly worked with two other coworkers in the shop; Sutton Demlong (Rhinehart ‘16) and Katya, both of whom were incredibly helpful and patient, while also trusting in my abilities. I always felt comfortable asking clarifying questions but never felt patronized for not knowing something. For the majority of my time there, we worked on a variety of retail displays and decorations for an imitation beach shop to be installed at their New York space. There were also bits and pieces of a trade show booth project for a client which we worked on progressively throughout my time there.

Over time, I found myself becoming faster and more exacting in the work I was doing, I felt more comfortable, had to ask fewer questions and trusted my own instincts. I even found that when it came to certain projects, my coworkers would ask me to complete tasks because they felt I might even do it a bit better than they would, which was really exciting and assuring. While I could see tangible improvement in my technical skills, I found that my interpersonal and communication skills also had to improve and adjust according to my environment so as to efficiently work as a team. At the close of my experience, I had discovered how much I really enjoy the shop environment, building things for the sake of building things and honing my skills. I definitely think that working in a fabrication studio is a viable career op on for me, and I plan on maintaining contact with Kyle and the crew at Lanning Smith Studios throughout the course of my senior year for occasional freelance work in the future.

Paperwhite Studio

I’m Reyna — a senior Graphic Design major at MICA. This summer, I spent 3 months working as a design intern at Paperwhite Studio, a branding studio based in Brooklyn, NYC. The New York office collaborates with food and hospitality brands, creating visual identities for cafés and restaurants as well as food product packaging for small businesses. They also have another office in Austria that specializes in tech-related projects.

Before the semester ended, I applied to a lot of companies and studios in NYC, understanding the competitive nature of NYC internship. I was open to different areas but my latest design works are related to food and cooking. I found Paperwhite on LinkedIn under the ‘Similar Company’ tab while doing my research. I checked out their website and recognized most of their restaurant projects. I reached out to the team and received positive feedback shortly. After some emails and phone calls, I was offered a summer intern position. Laureen Moyal was my supervisor and she is the partner & art director of the studio. I joined a team of 5 designers and we work everyday from 9 to 6 — some days busier than others depending on stages of projects. The nature of a small studio allowed me to get involved in every part of a design process, from concept to execution to production.

I helped gather ideas, developed mood-boards & brand personalities and execute design concepts for client presentation. I worked on a lot of typesetting and illustrations. Dipping my toes into various assignment types helped me see how a project evolves. I understood the creative struggle to come up with design solutions and effective ways to communicate your ideas to clients. Our team was able to divide tasks based on everybody's strengths which resulted a smooth and engaging process.

I’m proud to have worked directly and independently with the art director to execute a brand refresh for two different restaurants in NYC. The first one is 180 Tenth, a summer Italian restaurant located at The High Line Hotel, and Bobo, a high-end French country style restaurant. I appreciate the trust that Laureen has given me — I was corresponding with the clients through email so I could understand the briefs or their requests better as I move forward with the designs.

It’s my third design internship and this time I was able to recognize my strengths, interests and potentials as I consider about plans after graduation. In the future I hope to marry my love for design, business, culture and meaningful human interactions. All in all, it was a very productive and transformative summer!

Hearst Communications Inc.

My name is Mengxi Wei and I am a Graphic Design MFA student. During the 2017 Summer, I

was very excited to have a chance to take the Graphic Design Editorial Intern for O, the Oprah

Magazine. Before I started this intern, I was always paying attention to social issues and women

health. At the social design course, we used to collect female magazines, including O, for a collage activity among women living with HIV in Baltimore. Then this opportunity was recommended by my friend. I was very excited about this opportunity so I directly replied to Gillian, our deputy art director, with my resume and portfolio. Then everything went very well. We had a very good time during the interview and they loved my work. I got this intern right after that interview.

The magazine has two parts generally, editorial and advertising. Our art team is a part of the whole editorial team, including Copy team, Photo team, Fashion team, Health team, Food team and so on. The main work for art team is to participate in the coming up with a new concept for new issues, work on layout, and most importantly, communicate with other teams. The whole function of the editorial team is more complicated than I could image. Meanwhile, we need to start three months in advance. For example, from July 2017, we would start to work on the ideas for January 2018.

My work is relatively easy because all I could help is to work on the start for a new layout and update the photos and texts. Sometimes, I need to communicate with editors to balance the space between text and photo. Besides, printing content sheet, printing wall pages, sending published issues to our contributors and illustrators, managing files are also parts of my work here.

I learn a lot about office life and publication industry and so proud of my progress on InD and typesetting. The most important thing I have realized from my intern is the importance of communication. To communicate with different teams is essential for art work, let alone to express your idea and concept to your boss and team members.

All of the above helps me to learn how to be a good designer and it is my honor to have this opportunity to work here with those good people, who really take care of me a lot. I enjoy the free hot chocolate and the cookies on the take-away desk. I enjoy the casual talk during the lunch time after the wall meeting. I enjoy the wine and ice cream meeting. So happy to work in O, the Oprah Magazine at Hearst building.

Opera Gallery, Miami

My name is Carlos Enrique Rincon, and I am a senior GFA student. In the summer of 2017, I interned at the Miami location of Opera Gallery. I’ve always been interested in Opera Gallery and have visited multiple times. One day while visiting, I started a conversation with an employee (who then became my coworker) about the possibility of an internship. After that, it was a lot of emailing back and forth of information such as resume, cover letter, etc. until the date of the interview. Opera Gallery is a series of family-run galleries with a total of 12 locations all over the world, featuring some of the most historically popular artists, such as Picasso, Dali, Magritte, Yves Klein, and many more. The Miami work site is very personal and welcoming. Interacting with people was a big part of this internship, since the pieces didn’t have tags and we would engage in conversation and inform the visitor on pieces to create a one-on-one experience.

My supervisor was Dan Benchetrit, the very successful and passionate art director at Opera Gallery Miami. Working with him was a pleasure and I was able to build a good relationship with him. The assignments would vary daily; some days I would be working on creating a catalog for an exhibition or curating a floor plan (which is something I felt very proud of), and some days I would just be assisting visitors and informing them about our galleries or artists. While working, there were a few pieces on display right across from the desk by artists Joe Black, NOART, and Marc Sijan, which would always catch people’s eyes. Seeing people’s reaction to these pieces was an incredible experience that made me think, “This is what I want to do, I want to make work that will touch and impact people and leave them thinking about a certain subject.”

Interacting with my coworkers and getting to know them has taught me a lot this summer, and they each gave me valuable advice, both personal and professional. What I learned from the most, however, was interacting with visitors and buyers. Being someone who is very shy, this was my biggest challenge and it turned out to be what I enjoyed the most about the experience.

SewLab USA

My name is William Grimm, and I’m a fiber major. In the summer of 2017, between my sophomore and junior years, I interned at SewLab USA, a Baltimore-based soft goods manufacturer. SewLab is small scale, employing only about ten people, and produces things like duffel bags, hats, and totes. Aside from making their own products, SewLab does custom work, and the majority of my internship was spent working on special orders.

The company was started by married duo Jeremiah Jones and Cecilia Grimm (no relation). Jeremiah handles the creative side, designing most of the products himself, while Cecilia handles all of the business. There is one manager on the production floor, Jess Turner, who I reported to, and my day to day activity varied. I would come in, go to Jess for a task, and return to her for my next task when that was finished. Among the many things that I got to do while interning, most notably I attached over 1,000 metal belt buckles to straps in the course of two hours, sewed 150 pockets for tote bags, and spent two days punching holes through canvas tote bags to allow handles to be added. Jeremiah would occasionally have me help with garment-related projects, or I would get pulled away to help one of the sewists with whatever they were working on.

In addition to sewing, I assisted with quality control, shipping, and organization. Quality control is crucial for a business, and it is the last step before an item is packaged and shipped. This process involved looking over every item critically to ensure that it is sellable. Shipping orders was a process in itself, and I gained a better understanding of how businesses manage their inventory. While I was there, SewLab was in the process of making their factory more efficient, so I was able to help in the organization of the new space. We collectively made decisions about where to move miscellaneous items to ensure a better work environment.

My biggest takeaway from SewLab was getting trained on all of the industrial equipment. I got the chance to use numerous industrial sewing machines, a hot knife, a bar tracker, a binding machine, a cover stitch machine, serger, and other equipment so specialized that we only call it by what it makes, such as the “B Side Part 2 Machine.” This experience will play an important role when I search for jobs post-graduation. After interning at SewLab, I am confident that design/production/manufacturing is where I want to take my degree, and I am thankful to have had this experience so early in my career.