How to get design studio experience
You’ve just sent off (it probably feels like) your 99th application for design studio experience at [insert cool design studio here]. You swear: if you open your Inbox to one more ‘application unsuccessful’ subject line you might just completely give up on the design world altogether. Simply admit defeat.
You’re thinking: “There must be something wrong with me! Was it that sweatshirt I wore at the last interview? Should I change the sub-headline font on my portfolio from Futura to Helvetica? Maybe I should have actually learnt After Effects before putting ‘proficient knowledge in all Adobe software’ on my CV?”
Maybe those things are worth considering… but are the design agencies really looking at your application in the same way you are? Trust us, when agencies receive so many applications each year, the reasons why you’re not bagging that dream placement might not be what you think!
We checked-in with the professionals at Mytton Williams and Taxi Studio, two renowned agencies with a combined 45 years under their belts. They have received hundreds of applications from those seeking design studio experience, and they have kindly shared their top tips with us. So, if you don’t want to spend the best part of your summer lost in a pile of applications, and you are beyond ready to start your design studio experience - read on…
First impressions count
Approach each application with intention and care, don’t allow avoidable mistakes to let you down. When it comes to portfolios, send a PDF or website link with about eight projects. Include your strongest examples at the beginning and end. Your portfolio branding needs to be at the very least a beautiful typographic style that you use consistently throughout everything you present.
If you’ve landed an interview, congratulations! Come with questions, follow-up with a thank you and keep in touch. Even if you aren’t the right fit at the time, you’ve made a positive impression. You never know when your name might come up for other opportunities or in conversations with fellow studios.
Get a good match
Ensure your work and the work of the agency you are applying to have a kinship. If you only have editorial work in your portfolio, look for an agency that has similar work in its portfolio. Solely having editorial or typographic layout work in your folder and then applying to an agency that specialises in packaging is not a great match.
Behance portfolios and websites are great as a further look into your portfolio, but make a bespoke PDF specific to the agency and attach it to your application email. This allows you to control the order that the viewer will see your work. PDFs named ‘online portfolio’ is not useful when someone receives 12 of them all called the same thing. Make sure the file name includes your name.
Take time to get it write
It’s all too easy to rattle-off a general email, but this is your first introduction to the agency (and, as we’ve already mentioned - first impressions count!). Do you really want to work in this particular studio? If so, why? What was the piece of work that piqued your interest? Tell them – they’d love to know.
The words you use, and the way you talk about yourself, and your work, are vital. You do not have to be an author, a poet, or a copywriter, but you do need to take yourself seriously. What was the brief/problem/challenge behind each of your portfolio pieces? How did you solve it? When you send a PDF portfolio via email, the descriptors need to work hard for you.
Before you hit the ‘send’ button, use tools like Grammarly, and remember, spell-cheque doesn’t pique everything up… A common example is ‘stationery’ as in letterheads (remember ‘e’ for envelopes) versus ‘stationary’ meaning not moving or standing still (remember ‘a’ for at rest). The details are important – they get noticed.
You deserve to get paid
In such a competitive environment, young designers are keen to get their foot on the ladder and gain experience. It looks good on a CV and can open doors. If you are just shadowing for a few days, that’s one thing, but if you’re assisting on a client project or are doing something else of value for the studio, expect to get some level of pay in return.
Asking about money might feel awkward, but the industry is open to this conversation. Whether you are negotiating a paid internship, a salary, or a freelance fee, asking to be paid properly for your work doesn’t make you difficult. It makes you someone who knows their worth as a designer.
Building confidence is the key to getting paid what you deserve. Platforms such as Creative Lives In Progress provide transparent advice about navigating your finances as a creative. In the UK, there is also Government guidance on your rights as an intern: www.gov.uk/employment-rights-for-interns
And finally… the industry needs you!
Young designers bring new talent and fresh perspectives to each agency. They love to see student work and you keep the industry growing. Before you know it, it will be your first day! Don’t be late (be early). Think about what you want to gain from your work experience. Expect to be shown around the studio, so you know where things are and who you should talk to if you have any questions.
Over to you…
After reading these tips, we really hope that you land your dream design studio experience. Please don’t be disheartened if you receive that ‘application unsuccessful’ email instead. You’re not starting again from scratch, and you might already be most of the way there. Before you hit ‘send’ on another application it’s always a good idea to check it against these tips.
It’s almost time to apply for Werkhouse 2022. It’s a weekend studio experience for young creatives, designed as a deep dive into the creative and interpersonal skills you need to succeed in a studio. Werkhouse actively welcomes applications from young people who are from backgrounds and lived experiences that are under-represented in the design industry. Applications will open here on our website on 5th September 2022.
This blog was put together by Werkhouse’s Content Coordinator Jess Knights, all tips were provided by Bob Mytton and Emily Skailes from Mytton Williams and Emma Hopton from Taxi Studio.