Although my internship with Port City Media Co. is coming to a close, I want to reflect back on the incredible connections I’ve made and the design experience I’ve gained along the way. This role has allowed me to objectively understand my strengths and weaknesses. I am eager to apply all I have learned these past few months throughout my next roles.
What I Have Enjoyed
Ultimately, this opportunity has taught me the importance of maintaining “grace under pressure.” Whenever difficult design tasks or tight deadlines occurred, I had to learn to adapt my skills and apply them effectively for both the client and the agency.
Surprisingly, I discovered a newfound appreciation for blogging after writing weekly blog posts. This discovery has led me to launch a blog section for my own personal website too. Beyond just writing the posts, I have learned the crucial strategy behind using SEO to reach my readers. See below for some of my favorite authored pieces:
- 4 Web Design Trends of 2019
- Getting Type Right in Design
- 5 Signs Your Website is Ready for a Redesign
- 4 Tips for a Beautiful Yet Functional Website
What I Have Learned
As an intern, I really valued the creative opportunities I was given to grow the agency’s digital feeds. I was fortunate to have unlimited creative freedom to express and develop my unique design aesthetic. Port City Media Co. has taught me patience and time management, despite quick turnarounds. This opportunity not only instilled life-long lessons in me, but also, has given me case study pieces for my personal site.
My Favorite Works
Time to raise the curtain and showcase my favorite piece of artwork. I portrayed a “hipster” dad and was thrilled that the result was exactly how I had envisioned it. After sketching the initial digital layout, I strategically applied the “Andy Warhol” technique of contrasting colors to make my piece pop. The runner up is my cyclist illustration. Sometimes, simplistic design is the most effective. I would love to further expand it by testing out varying color schemes again. It was so humbling to see how much I have improved since my first project, the duck illustration.
As far as other design works that I felt were noteworthy are the icon packs. The German-inspired icons were developed in light of the Germany Brewery project with Cast Brauerei. Another crowd-pleaser was the Halloween inspired icon pack. I hope to continue doing these one-off vector illustration and document the process.
In conclusion, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Port City Media Co. I am grateful to have learned so many skills and met so many industry mentors that will benefit my future as a designer.