My name is Daniel Martin-Minnich and I am a rising senior Graphic Design major. I found out about the Design Intern position at Creative Alliance during the MICA Career Fair this spring. I was already familiar with Creative Alliance because of attending events there several years ago so I was thrilled to discover an available summer internship that fit with my major. After a very promising conversation and look at my portfolio with the Branding and Communications Director, Heather Keating, I handed her my resume. I wrote her a Thank You email later that evening which included PDFs of my resume and cover letter as well as a link to my online portfolio.
I did not hear back from Heather at all, so as the spring semester came to a close and I was panicking about my options for the summer. I wrote her another brief email explaining who I was and inquiring whether the design intern position was still available. Not long after sending my email she responded, inviting me over to Creative Alliance for an interview the following week. After my short interview with Heather, another look at my portfolio, and a tour of the building I was hired for the position. Heather was my direct supervisor, but I also reported to Josh Kohn, the Performance Director, and Micah Wood, the newly hired Marketing and Design Associate.
Creative Alliance is a non-profit arts organization that serves the community of the Highlandtown neighborhood in Baltimore by hosting events that showcase artists, musicians, performers, and films from not only around the country but also all over the world. In addition to these events, Creative Alliance also provides arts education opportunities for kids and a diverse range of workshops for all ages. My responsibilities as the design intern consisted of designing flyers, social media banners, and various print projects for upcoming events. These projects included music, comedy, and dance performances, two Interactive Movie Nights, the annual Dog Days of Summer Block Party, workshops, and a logo for the annual Great Halloween Lantern Parade and Festival.
One of my proudest accomplishments was designing the flyer for the Zydeco Dance Party with Jeffery Broussard and the Creole Cowboys. On the morning I was assigned the project, I had to leave halfway through the day for a doctor’s appointment. The task required me to design a flyer keeping within Creative Alliance’s branding guidelines and promoting a genre of music and a musician I had absolutely no familiarity with. Within two hours I was able to do some research, go through the promotional photos of the musician we had on file, and come up with a design and finalized version that I was proud of. After emailing it to Josh for approval his response was, “This is amazing!”
I did not hear back from Heather at all, so as the spring semester came to a close and I was panicking about my options for the summer. I wrote her another brief email explaining who I was and inquiring whether the design intern position was still available. Not long after sending my email she responded, inviting me over to Creative Alliance for an interview the following week. After my short interview with Heather, another look at my portfolio, and a tour of the building I was hired for the position. Heather was my direct supervisor, but I also reported to Josh Kohn, the Performance Director, and Micah Wood, the newly hired Marketing and Design Associate.
One of my proudest accomplishments was designing the flyer for the Zydeco Dance Party with Jeffery Broussard and the Creole Cowboys. On the morning I was assigned the project, I had to leave halfway through the day for a doctor’s appointment. The task required me to design a flyer keeping within Creative Alliance’s branding guidelines and promoting a genre of music and a musician I had absolutely no familiarity with. Within two hours I was able to do some research, go through the promotional photos of the musician we had on file, and come up with a design and finalized version that I was proud of. After emailing it to Josh for approval his response was, “This is amazing!”
The biggest take-away from my experience was the confidence it gave me as a designer and the assurance that I can make it in the “real world.” Coming to MICA as a sophomore transfer student, I felt strong about my skills as a designer—the good grades I have received were promising signs that I had made the right decision; however, the validation from Heather, Josh, Micah and others at Creative Alliance was even more confirming. This opportunity enabled me to improve my interpersonal skills, think fast on my feet, and not be afraid to push the envelope a little bit when designing within a brand. My internship helped clarify how much I prefer creating projects focused around or for the arts over other subjects or institutions. This is something I greatly took into account when researching and completing my Career Exploration Map. I know I work my best when working with and around other creative people.
