Closing the Chapter

March 30 - April 3

Week thirteen: Goodbye my lover, goodbye my friend.

• BYUI and Pathways revival

• Touch-ups and clean-up

• My bacon is burned, my files are a mess

This week has been more about clean-up. I’ll be staying in my role for a few more weeks, but my internship phase is ending. I’m transitioning to California post-grad, and the Creative Services team has been kind enough to let me stay on while I pack and prepare for that move.

I thought I had good file organization, but I was wrong. As I’ve been making sure everything is uploaded and ready for the next person, I’ve spent an embarrassing amount of time renaming files and organizing folders. This is also the last time I’ll be working on the Pathways and BYUI document, and I’m honestly relieved to see it finished. I wasn’t sure that day would ever come.

Final thoughts on my internship: I had a great experience. I worked with an amazing team and a great boss. I’ve grown a lot as a designer. I’ve been humbled, and at the same time, my confidence has grown more than I expected. I still have a long way to go.

I originally wanted an internship out of state to grow my network, but I truly believe this experience helped me in ways I didn’t know I needed.

At the beginning of my internship, I set a few goals:

Understand and research design for clients, not myself

I spent a lot of time this semester researching and surveying. There were moments where I had my own biases, but I’ve learned that it’s not about what I want. It’s about what serves the client best.

Learn how to take critical feedback from art directors and other designers

This one was harder. I recognize that in the design world, I’m still just starting out, and that’s okay. Some days were tough, and I felt like I wasn’t good enough. Other days, I felt like I was destined to be great. It’s still a balance, but I’ve learned how to take both criticism and compliments without letting them define my self-worth.

Develop time management skills while maintaining high design standards

I don’t have as much to say here, but I learned how to design both well and quickly. Not every project needs to be perfect. Some need precision, and others just need to get done.

Understand different work and collaboration stylesThis was challenging. Everyone thinks and works differently, and supporting creativity across those differences can be difficult. Some people need to talk things out and create rough ideas first, while others won’t put anything down unless it meets their standards. Learning how to support both has been a big takeaway. I’m glad I’m not an art director yet. I still have a lot to learn before taking that next step.

If you’re still here, why not stick around a little longer and check out some of my work? I have a portfolio post coming soon that dives deeper into Rixida and highlights other projects that haven’t been shared yet. If that’s not your thing, I’d recommend checking out Dragovich: A Dive into Dramatic and Personable Branding.

Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.