Introduction
Hello! I'm Penny, and I'm currently undertaking the role of a graphic design intern at Picos Media. With a deep passion for design, I was eager to find an environment where I could both unleash my creativity and understand its impact on business growth. Prior to undertaking this internship, I had completed my Bachelor and Master of Design. I had a number of great experiences from my studies and had worked as a freelancer during that time. However, this was my first time working in a professional/agency environment and my time at Picos has been nothing short of transformative. I'm thrilled to share with you the ins and outs of what it’s like to be an intern in a dynamic, innovative marketing environment.
First Impressions
I was a bit nervous about starting my internship at Picos Media as I really didn't know what to expect or if I'd be up to scratch. I made a visit to the Yellow Desk office before my internship began, to meet everyone and get a feel for what I'd be doing during my time there. After speaking with everyone, my nerves turned into genuine excitement for what was ahead.
I still vividly remember my first day: everyone was super welcoming, helping me settle in and get started as the new graphic design intern. I spent the day being onboarded with everything I needed to know and dived right into creating several social media posts for the company. It was my first chance to showcase my skills so I was pressuring myself to do the best I can. Thankfully, everyone seemed really into the designs I made and gave such enthusiastic reactions, which was a huge reassurance. By the end of that day, I remember being completely wiped out – information overload! I crashed the second I got home, but I was buzzing to get back and do it all over again.
Learning and development
I gradually got the hang of things at Picos and started feeling right at home. Every day, I was soaking up new information about digital marketing, how businesses operate, and how the company onboards new projects. I’ve been getting hands-on with tools like Figma and Notion, which I only knew the basics of before, but now they are a part of my go-to softwares for design. I’ve also gotten the hang of managing my time and staying organised with tools like Harvest and Monday, learning a tonne about how I work best across different projects. Additionally, my technical design skills have definitely levelled up thanks to the guidance from fellow experienced coworkers.
One of the main projects I got to work on was a logo design project that was done completely on my own from start to finish. Stevie, the founder of Picos, kept an eye on things but really let me do my thing creatively (within the brand’s needs, of course). I’m super proud of how it turned out and I can’t wait to keep building on it in the future.
I’ve also dived into designing EDMs for various clients, something completely new to me. It was cool to come up with unique marketing designs for each one, then see them go live in tools like Klaviyo and Mailchimp – it really opened my eyes to how email marketing works.
In other areas, I’ve been creating loads of social media content and reels for Picos and their clients too. They served as great design practice and it’s been heaps of fun learning how to content schedule and learn the ropes of process management.
One thing I’ve noticed is how crucial communication is here at Picos. Learning to exchange ideas and seeing how my coworkers push projects forward has been a new twist for me, as I’ve mostly worked individually in the past. Getting into the groove of team collaboration has been great – there’s always something new to learn from everyone’s different viewpoints.
Challenges and overcoming them
There haven’t been any challenges so far technically, as we’ve approached difficulties as opportunities to learn rather than issues. I would say the toughest part has been adjusting to full time hours. I'd never worked full-time before, so at first, it was a bit intense having to sit and work for long hours. But I've gotten the hang of it now, and honestly, it's not too bad – plus, we get half-days on Fridays, which is a huge plus!
Other than that, everyone's been super welcoming. They've thrown me into as many projects and bits of internal work as they can. I'm always picking up new things and chipping in with ideas or client work whenever I can. If I ever get stuck, I feel very comfortable to just ask another member of the team. Everyone just has great personalities and really helps make it a great environment to learn in.
Conclusion
I've had an incredible time at Picos, and it's been exactly what I needed to boost my career. I've learned more than I ever thought possible, and this experience has really helped me grow as a graphic designer. A huge shout out to the Picos team for making me feel so welcome and at ease from day one. I'm super excited to see where this internship takes me!
