Internship 101: The Survival Guide for a Rookie Designer
By: Soumya Suhane
Tags: Internships, Experience Design, Designer, Design

Your first ever design internship is an exciting endeavor. It’s the culmination of the hard work that you put into your portfolio while interviewing at various agencies. But finally receiving word from recruiters regarding offers is only the beginning. For most of us, when we get our first internship, we don’t know what to expect. The joy of working on real projects over the summer is invigorating. However, most designers entering the workforce for the first time don’t realize that internships are starkly different from university life. When I started my internship, I experienced a significant culture shock during my first week. I had to adapt in order to make the most out of my internship and learned.

Here are some of the tricks of the trade that I picked up along the way that I believe will help you ace your first ever internships and become a better designer:

Take Control of the Reins

During the first week of your internship, things might be pretty laid-back. You spend that time acclimatizing to the company. Typically, it is only after the first week, does the internship tend to get overwhelming as you get assigned your first project. Devoid of a proper structure and the four walls of a classroom, you might begin to falter. It could be because once you receive a brief synopsis of the project, it’s pretty much up to you to complete the task at hand. Your manager isn’t going to be giving you a step-by-step guide on what to do, nor will you have to deal with any major constraints that you might encounter while completing a project at school. In short — you have to take control to steer your internship towards success.

Believe in Yourself

Do the best you can. An internship provides the opportunity to be able to take ownership of your own work and drive change for yourself and the company you are working for. When I started my first project, I would present many different design options to my stakeholders, not knowing who gets to decide on the final version. I soon realized that it is the designer who owns the design process and narrows down on the final design. Although it’s important to take feedback into account, you should also exercise your own judgment.

Leave the Classroom — Enter the Real World

Remember, you only know how to use software and nothing else. Industry life is completely different from what your life at university was. Working in a company and studying at school are different experiences. In design school, you typically are only working towards a good grade at the end of the day and nothing more…but work is a whole different ballgame. Working for a company requires a lot of forethought. You need to ask questions and learn from people who have ‘been there and done that’. It helps. You can’t expect to wait on the manager to tell you what needs to get done — take initiative from your own end.

But Don’t Get off the Learning Curve!

The workplace and the university, however, do have certain things in common. They both constantly offer opportunities to learn. As a designer, you are expected to have the know-how to get the job done. You should also be willing to step out of your comfort zone and learn new skills. After all, there is always something new that you can learn to elevate your designs.

As an intern, you are in a great position to learn from mistakes as your design team and manager don’t expect you to know everything. They even encourage you to fail as often (and quickly) as possible in order to improve and become a better designer over time.

Feedback is King

Here’s the thing — you were probably hired because you probably have the potential to drive impact by bringing in a fresh approach. You are in a position to provide a different perspective for your design team and the current projects they are working on. So, don’t worry about making mistakes. Just focus on learning and getting as much feedback as needed to improve your craft.

Lost? Ask for Help!

When I said you are on your own when given a project, that is only partly true. You are given the space to plan and execute, but it is imperative to ask questions if you are stuck on something. In fact, your project would only benefit from clarity. So, whether it is about getting a better understanding of the end-users or having access to existing information that can help assess the value you are trying to create; reach out to relevant stakeholders and seek help. In fact, my design manager once said, “It’s better to speak up sooner when you are stuck instead of at the end.”

Don’t be afraid to ask for help and there is no such thing as a stupid question. People are always keen to impart their expertise and it puts you on track to become more knowledgeable.

You got This

In my first internship, the learning curve became so much more effective when instead of feeling like everyone was against my bad designs, I realized we were all working together against all bad designs. Changes were easier to see, and thus, hiccups were easier to identify, and I felt like a new woman.

It’s much easier to think that the world is against you when you let your work define who you are. Take a step back, and you define your work instead.

Design ‘Gyaan’ I got at my Internship

Even though college gave me the tools and resources create good designs, it was during my first internship where I learned to become a bona fide designer. I carry these lessons with me every day:

Make it functional: When you start working for a client, you begin to realize the importance of making your designs functional. You approach your work from the user’s perspective and the business perspective. Your work could be visually brilliant but it’s worthless if it does not do what it’s meant to do.

God’s in the details: The tiniest of details can make or break your work. You have to think of everything from how your design connects to the bigger picture to every micro-interaction that’s built. The detail-savvy designer is ahead of the game because he or she has already laid the solid foundation to make sure the project is a success and it pays off with the clients.

Industry standards: In the classroom, you are worried about grades but in the workplace, you are creating designs meant for functional use. Therefore, you cannot turn in something that looks amateurish. The best part about a design internship is that you learn about industry standards and what’s expected from you in order to elevate your own work and you can take those skills when you start your career in earnest.

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