INTERNSHIP STORIES

Design and Marketing Internship for an Independent Bookstore Wonderland Books is an independent Bookstore and community space in Bethesda, Maryland which will be opening in early December. I had the opportunity to work together with the Wonderland Books team this semester to help them prepare for opening – learning about how an independent bookstore comes together and how to work to solidify and market a new brand in the process.  I discovered this opportunity through mutual contacts — one of the two  co-owners of Wonderland Books is a family friend who reached out looking for a bit of help with some of the design work over the summer, and from there I was able to start working with them and their brand designer, who had already created a strong brand identity for the bookstore. I was able to use those brand identity guidelines to help create a wide variety of both print and digital design material for use in-store and online. Throughout this internship, I was able to create a...

I learned that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame offered internships through my previous internship at the Cleveland Metroparks. I was able to have an informational interview with the head of marketing, in which I gathered the timeline for my application about a year in advance. I prepared my application by further researching the organization and catering my design projects towards this internship. I selected classes that would be advantageous for curating my portfolio. I made sure to find a professor for my recommendation letter far in advance and prepared my other application materials. I was able to secure an interview and internship offer by the second week of April through this entire process. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is a renowned, non-profit organization based in Cleveland, Ohio with the mission “to engage, teach, and inspire through the power of Rock & Roll.” The Rock Hall carries out this mission through their educational programs, library and archives, and through...

I found my internship through the MICAnetwork. I was looking for an internship that I could use my video production skills in, I purposely choose an internship that wasn’t in my field to get a broader production experience. I applied to two different fashion houses but chose Yele Stitches. My many tasks included filming and editing videos, helping with planning, assisting with photoshoots, helping with website maintenance, and learning how to run a business. Before I started there, I had no idea how much planning goes into producing a collection. My supervisor had to start planning almost a year in advance to get ready for a future season. So, that means she had to be really creative to stay within fashion trends and be innovative. What I’m most proud about is the documentary I shot of Yele Stitches. It took a lot of time and effort to get the right shots and coverage. But, I captured it in its truest form and showed just how hard working and innovative people can be. Working with Yele...

I ran into an old acquaintance who went to MICA and graduated from the MFA program, running his own LLC; I thought to myself this would be a perfect internship opportunity to learn from someone who understands the world I come from and is on the path I wish to be in the near future. I briefly exchanged contacts and eventually in contact with my future supervisor. He used to live down the street from me as kids growing up, so it was cool to see things come full circle for us.  Ikonic Visions is a multimedia film production company The group’s focus is to serve its clients by creating “Ikonic” moments through the medium of video specializing in documentaries, brand stories, event recaps, and social impact-driven content.  Since this is a small business, I had a lot more responsibilities compared to the average film intern. The average intern would be introduced into the world as a PA slowly working up the ranks delving into gaffing, grip, assistant camera, and so forth. But here...

Limonata Creative During my Studio Lighting class out professor took us to a Prop Up Shop, called Limonata Creative. A Prop Up Shop is a prop house full of props and a studio that people can use for various projects. The owner started out in corporate work. After working in that world for a while, she decided to make a creative change and became a prop stylist and created her own prop house. After the tour, I told the owner how inspired I was from her story and asked if she needed an intern. She said yes and told me to email her, after that everything else fell into place.My responsibilities included helping the owner with styling the props during photoshoots. Also, during these photoshoots, I learned different skills from the photographers that I meet and even made some connections. I also worked with the in-studio photographer who photographed the inventory and uploaded it to the company website. When I worked with him I got a closer look at the ins and outs of photography and gained...

I found this opportunity when I reached out last year to a MICA Alum whose most recent position was at MacMillan, but completed the Barefoot Books internship in the past. I wanted more insight into the publishing industry and she had indicated that the program was a valuable experience. I submitted my website portfolio, made it through the final interview rounds where I highlighted my improvement over the year within my work, how I have researched the company and what I could contribute to them all while highlighting my passion to make a difference in the publishing industry. I got my offer letter about a week later. Barefoot Books is an independent children's book publisher based in Concord MA whose mission is to publish books that open kids' hearts, minds and worlds. There is a strong encouragement and advocacy for more representational diversity and educational concepts within the books they publish. My responsibilities included designing graphics for marketing and promotio...

My journey with AARP began when I was actively searching for internships in publication design. I discovered the opportunity through a faculty member who taught designing for a diverse and mature audience. I secured the internship after a competitive application process, which included a phone call and an interview that tested my design sensibilities and understanding of AARP's audience. My primary responsibilities included working on layouts for the upcoming issues of AARP's magazine, creating branding assets, assisting in preparing presentations, and providing support for social media campaigns. I was deeply involved in the conceptualization to final production stages of several key layouts, which taught me the intricacies of publication design in a real-world setting. I am most proud of a layout design I created for a feature article in the magazine. I’m eager to see the response of the readers. The most important thing I learned was the significance of empathetic design – c...

I was thrilled when my advisor introduced me to the RCCE E/Studio Internship that aligned perfectly with my interests in business and entrepreneurship. I quickly began preparing my application and polishing my portfolio to showcase my skills and passion for the field. This internship is eligible for credit which was another aspect that made it an ideal fit for my academic goals. It also provides hands-on experience and knowledge that will undoubtedly shape my future career in the business world, and I was eager to seize this opportunity to learn and grow.  The Executive Creative Director at Andre Bean Brand served as our internship director at the RCCE E/Studio Internship. Throughout my time under his guidance, I gained insights into the world of marketing, drawing from his wealth of real-life experiences. The knowledge and personal stories he shared with us proved to be incredibly valuable resources, as they are not typically accessible within the confines of a traditional school...

The place where I conducted the internship was a small company called J4D. Like other advertising companies, J4D was a company that designed advertisements for clients' specific needs or requests. We worked together as a team with one set of values called “We make big waves.” This means that the advertisements we make cause big waves and make a difference in the world. My direct supervisor was the CEO of J4D. He provided me with enough opportunities to learn the overall company flow and work so that I could adapt well to the company, and those efforts made me able to complete a successful internship thanks to him. During the internship, as a member of the design team, I participated in the process of designing and producing advertisements for various domestic and foreign client companies such as Nike, Porsche, Yuserin, Goose Island, and Innisfree. The company was separated into a planning team and a production team but often the work was carried out as one team. I worked on the pro...

When searching for a summer internship in the United States, I knew I was going to be staying in North Carolina. I was looking to work for a marketing agency, so I found one in the area and applied to Wray Ward’s FORM internship. FORM is a paid, 10-week, full-time summer internship where you’ll work on real projects with eight other interns. I was accepted into the program and I had a great host family let me stay with them for the duration of the internship.  Wray Ward is a full-service agency creating inspired marketing solutions for brands in the home and building categories based in Charlotte, NC. My direct supervisor during my time there was a motion and design director at the agency. My responsibilities at the agency were to help with my assigned department’s projects. I created short logo animations and primarily created promotional videos for a non-profit visual arts organization called Charlotte Art League. For our campaign with Charlotte Art League, w e created a marke...

This summer, I was fortunate to serve as a brand and creative services intern at the Cleveland Metroparks. The parks system has received the National Gold Medal for “best in the nation.” It includes 18 reservations or parks, golf courses, and a zoo as well as several other properties. Their mission is to protect nature, connect communities and inspire conservation in our world. I became aware of the internship opportunity after spending a day with the Metropark's Marketing Team as part of a high school senior project. I applied for a creative services internship role later in the fall and after several interviews and sharing my portfolio, I landed the job. My supervisor was the Director of Brand and Advertising at the Cleveland Metroparks. As a brand and creative services intern, I was assigned a series of impactful projects. I leveraged my graphic design and illustration skills to develop actionable concepts for the Metropark’s 2024 Calendar, 2024 Eclipse merchandise, commemorativ...

  The Syndicate is an entertainment marketing agency that focuses on musicians and comedians. They also work in radio promotion. I was working with Dismiss Yourself, an independent record label and one of the people I was working with posted a link to the internship. I applied for the position and did an interview after my application went through. My supervisor was in charge of the design department in the Syndicate. She oversaw the design team and works with the marketing team to make sure that they create compelling work that fulfils The Syndicates' and clients' criteria. My responsibilities were to work with the design and marketing teams to create assets for their clients. we would make videos, posters, social media content, and more for multiple people. I am most proud of the video I made to promote the Guns N’ Roses Mexico tour, I was also very proud of the posters that I made for the Laugh Button Live.  My biggest takeaway was that this would be an ideal kind of job ba...

This semester I spent one day per week helping out at the Compound, a small non-profit institution based in Baltimore that provides affordable live/work spaces to artists, holds cultural programming events, and supports small local businesses. I have a friend who worked there in the past and got me an internship position through word of mouth. The Compound has been around for over 20 years and has maintained an active presence within the art scene in Baltimore.For years it was mostly underground, providing warehouse spaces for artists to live and develop their practices. Over time it has developed into a legitimate 501(c)(3) non-profit that actively engages with the community on a more widespread level. There are regular music events held at their venue which fairly compensate musicians, community gardening events, 2 local businesses that use the space and employ residents of the Midway neighborhood, and 8 artists-in-residence that benefit from the below market rate housing. The Compou...

I learned about this Creative Capital Shanghai (CC) from a MICA alum.  CC is a brand advertising company and now it is collaborating with Altavia, a  French advertising firm. My direct supervisor was the creative department manager. I participated in design idea generating, presentation designing and even designed a project  independently. I learned how to present my work more professionally. When I was in school, I only  needed to think about my own feelings about the design, but when I work, I have to think about how  everyone feels about the design, not just from the designer's point of view. I am most proud of my time management and multi-stream working schedule. I learned  about managing my time with various projects going on, and I think designing culturally is the most  important thing I have learned. I am also more familiar with Adobe Suites. This internship experience has given me a better understanding of what people at a b...

I got this internship through a family friend who used to work at Sony.  She put me in contact with Sony Music Canada director of the office I worked at then he linked me to my supervisor.  I am very proud of the new skills I learned such as  improving my Photoshop skills and learning how to make GIFs. I have also learned how to network and create professional relationships.  I was  responsible for designing GIFs for artists, create playlist album covers, helped with  some artists websites. I was also asked to help film for GIFs, videos,  and for photography  artists.  This internship helped clarify my career goal and helped me realize that I want to work more in the music and entertainment industry, but still as a graphic designer.

I applied to over 20 companies and R/GA was one of the few that responded. I got my first interview acceptance email on the day of the Internship + Career Fair at MICA, which was the first touchpoint of getting into R/GA. After two phone calls with the recruiter and a phone call with the Design Director, I was offered to be a Visual Design Intern at R/GA's Los Angeles office. I had applied to R/GA's Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago offices. When I arrived at the office, the first week made me realize why they chose me for their LA office. My portfolio included many branding samples, and the LA office focuses on branding more than their other eight offices.  The on-boarding process consisted of different workshops and information session about R/GA. I found out that R/GA started as a production company making title screens for Alien and Superman. Then they evolved into a global digital marketing and consultant agency with eighteen offices around the worl...