Placement Q&A’s 21 – 22
This year’ s students share some of their thoughts, experiences and hopefully give advice to those of you who may well be looking to follow the same path.
rob partington
Which company(s) did you do a placement with and how long for?
- Jack Renwick Studio (2months)
- NextBigThing (8months)
2. What were you asked in the interview?
I was asked about what I enjoyed doing most about design and the particular areas of design which I enjoyed working in the most.
3. What did you ask in the interview?
I often liked to ask them what their favourite project was and why, this often helped me get a good idea of what they enjoyed as a designer.
4. Did you work part of your placement remotely, if so what was that like?
I did my entire placement at Jack Renwick Studios remotely and personally I did not find it to be very useful for me in my studies. As this is something which is likely to be much more mainstream in the future I found it interesting to see how designers worked in that environment.
5. How did you find working in a professional studio environment?
I really enjoyed working in a professional studio environment as I found it to be much more productive than working remotely and I was able to learn a lot more and really develop my skills as a designer.
6. On reflection what would be the 3 most important things that you learnt from your placement(s)?
1. Consistency is massively important.
2. Writing lists to make sure I’m never forgetting things when juggling multiple projects.
3. When you think you have checked everything, check again!
7. How did you find accommodation and how much did it cost?
I found accommodation in London after much determination I was contacted by a landlord in London with accommodation in a really great area of London, just a 20min walk into the heart of the city and 30mins walk away from my workplace near London Bridge. It cost £800 a month which is expensive however I rarely had to use the underground.
8. Did you get paid and roughly how much?
I was paid for both internships, around £1200 a month on the remote placement and around£1400 at my London placement.
9. What was the most unusual thing you did while on placement?
Deliver some branded chocolate to a conference halfway across the city.
10. In what ways do you think that your placement has helped you in furthering your design education and future career?
I feel like my remote placement helped me realise my dream of working in London for the start of my career but ultimately working towards freelance work once I have developed as a designer.
11. With hindsight, what advice would you give to a fellow student who are thinking about embarking on a placement?
Try to save as much money as possible before going onto placement in order to have the best time possible and in order to persue other hobbies in your spare time. If possible, get down to London, it gives you the most valuable experience.
sarah coull
1. Which company(s) did you do a placement with and how long for?
Soka Studio (2 weeks), Manasian and Co. (1 month), Dar Studio (4 months 2 weeks), Snug Media (3 months 2 weeks)
2. What were you asked in the interview?
Reasons behind my choices was probably the main question and sometimes how I came up with certain ideas. On one occasion I was asked about my experiences with UCLan and the atmosphere/helpfulness of other students in the classroom, so expect unusual questions and you can compliment your classmates you won’t lose the placement if you say they are talented.
3. What did you ask in the interview?
I asked questions about their work, such as how they came up with certain ideas or what inspired them. We also talked a little bit about their favourite and my favourite pieces of work from their company.
4. Did you work part of your placement remotely, if so what was that like?
Three of my placements were remote, although 2 of them would include days out to Manchester / the Workplace. Most of my experience with remote placements were good but this does depend on the company. Two of the three companies would consistently reply within 15 minutes or have at least two meeting a day to catch up. Whereas one company was far too busy and often forget about me so I didn’t learn or do as much for them as the other two companies.
5. How did you find working in a professional studio environment?
Friendly, everyone would say hi and introduce themselves or say goodnight. I was offered to go to lunch everytime I was in the workplace. It was busy though, people always seemed to be very busy but there was no stressful tension.
6. On reflection what would be the 3 most important things that you learnt from your placement(s)?
1. Short Cuts - you can learn a lot of short cuts from designers or videos. Dar Studio en-couraged me to use Skillshare to enhance my skills on certain programmes which helped a lot and made things quicker
2. Speed - Although I had very few deadlines, I was still quite slow, I sometimes needed to work a little bit later or start earlier just to keep up.
3. Write down everything - I carried a notepad with me everywhere and wrote down everything even the bad advice because that can provide inspiration for an idea further down the line.
7. How did you find accommodation and how much did it cost?
When I was in London I used Spareroom, I shared with a room with a classmate so it cost around £450 a month. But considering I only wanted to go to London for a month I found a place in Preston so I could either work remote or travel to Manchester/Liverpool as it was cheaper to travel than live in the busy areas.
8. Did you get paid and roughly how much?
Most of my placements weren’t paid, but for Manasian and Co, I was paid £500 a week. Initially, I didn’t get paid at Dar Studio but when they asked me to come back I got paid £320 a week.
9. What was the most unusual thing you did while on placement?
Probably editing about 100 images of environmentally friendly sex toys and just working with a sex toy company in general. It was definitely unexpected.
10. In what ways do you think that your placement has helped you in furthering your design education and future career?
One of the main things placement helped me with was explain my work in detail, the interview process forces you to do that so I hope to be able to retain that skill for crits and also future interviews / client meeting. Placement also helped me come out of my shell more, Graphic Design is a very social job so this gave me the chance to talk more. In general, I learnt so much such as: creating social media posts, breathing space, consistency, etc. and I hope to keep putting that into practice for future projects.
11. With hindsight, what advice would you give to a fellow student who are thinking about embarking on a placement?
Remote placement can be just as good as inperson placements, so don’t stress too much about just getting inperson placements. Criticism is better than compliments, obviously it’s not great receiving criticism but you will learn a lot more from criticism than compliments, so don’t take it to heart you are still learning. Be social, go to lunch and the pub etc. etc. because I wish I had done that more and you will feel like you should have been social when it comes to leaving that company. Finally, it’s a good way of finding out what sort of company / work you want to do in the future, because I found that some of the work I did wasn’t for me and some others were really fun and interesting.
sophie robinson
PLACEMENT REFLECTION AND ADVICE
1. Which company(s) did you do a placement with and how long for?
I did my placement with two main companies, Edit (4 months) and Brandon (9 months)
2. What were you asked in the interview?
Most of my interviews were very relaxed and I just got to talk through my portfolio, in which sometimes i was askeed about the reasoning behind it or how i got to the conclusion and the process behind it.
3. What did you ask in the interview?
I asked questions about them and how long they’ve worked at the place and where they worked before, but even if you don’t have any pre written questions always research the company and the projects that they have done as you never know what they might ask.
4. Did you work part of your placement remotely, if so what was that like?
I did most of the time of my placement in the studio, however, they were quite flexible and did give me the option if most people were working from home or if it was a half day but i did prefer going into the studio most of the time.
5. How did you find working in a professional studio environment?
I loved it. The places i went to were very chill and i loved being around all the other creatives and seeing their design process. Watching their design process and being their to just ask questions was so important and i definately wouldn’t have got that over zoom.
6. On reflection what would be the 3 most important things that you learnt from your placement(s)?
Always scribble your ideas down, even the ones you think won’t go anywhere as someone may see an idea in your thought.
Speak to the other creatives about your ideas, again it may lead to something bigger.
Trust your ideas and thoughts and have confidence in your ability because they have hired you for a reason.
7. How did you find accommodation and how much did it cost?
For my placements i was fortunate enough that i could live at home and either get the train or drive to the studio as i decided to stay up North.
8. Did you get paid and roughly how much?
All my placements were paid and i would recommend only going for those that do offer a paid placement, especially if you will be commuting or paying for rent. I got paid between £50-£60 a day which seems to be roughly the same across most agencies for an intern.
9. What was the most unusual thing you did while on placement?
I wouldn’t say anything unsual however I did have lots of fun being invited on their socials
(Segwayying being one of my favourites)
10. In what ways do you think that your placement has helped you in furthering your design education and future career?
Over the past year i have learned so much. It’s changed the way I will be approaching work, just seeing the speed and pace that ideas and deadlines happen in industry and also just the realization to have confidence in my own ability and those initial thoughts.
11. With hindsight, what advice would you give to a fellow student who are thinking about embarking on a placement?
you are making the right decision, the experience and knowledge you gain from industry is one that you can’t get from Uni and you’ll be itching to get back and get stuck in. You develop contacts and friends that you can lean on or ask for advice about your portfolio, you’ll find everyone knows each other somehow and everyone wants to help each other.
Ask if you don’t know how to do something, it isn’t a weakness to ask, it shows you want to learn and ultimatley it will help you in the future.
Always be up for the fun socials.
Try not to be late (if you can help it)
From what I gathered people don’t expect the world from you just yet.
And be confident but don’t be cocky.
Lastly, ENJOY IT !
tom wignall
1. Which company(s) did you do a placement with and how long for?
TrueNorth - 6 months
Pearlfisher - 2 weeks
Manasian & Co - 1 month
The Modern World - 1 month
2. What were you asked in the interview?
What do you know about our agency?
What sort of design are you most interested in?
3. What did you ask in the interview?
What is your most common type of work/client?
How involved will I be in the design process as an intern?
4. Did you work part of your placement remotely, if so what was that like?
Yes, two days from home and three in studio. Was great as long as you have something to be getting on with.
5. How did you find working in a professional studio environment?
Really inspiring. Just being in a studio surrounded by professional designers is a great experience, let alone watching their practice and being tutored by them. Make sure you use the studio as much as you can, even going into the studio on your own will help you be more productive.
6. On reflection what would be the 3 most important things that you learnt from your placement(s)?
Always ask for something to do!
Don’t be scared to ask questions!
Make sure everyone has been offered a brew!
7. How did you find accommodation and how much did it cost?
I was lucky and stayed with relatives!
8. Did you get paid and roughly how much?
London: £2000 a month
Manchester: £500 - 600 a month
9. What was the most unusual thing you did while on placement?
Market research in the form of Tequila tasting!
10. In what ways do you think that your placement has helped you in furthering your design education and future career?
How to design at speed.
Time management.
File management.
All aspects of design!
Just little things that you wouldn’t even think of.
And more...
11. With hindsight, what advice would you give to a fellow student who are thinking about embarking on a placement?
Definitley worth it! You can tell the difference from those who have had the experience. The experience gained and the connections made will stand you in good stead not only entering final year, but after graduation also. (I hope!)
phil white
1. Which company(s) did you do a placement with and how long for?
Ripple Creative (7 Months)
2. What were you asked in the interview?
The interview itself was very relaxed and was a general conversation about my portfolio and the thought process that went into each project.
3. What did you ask in the interview?
What were the expectations of myself.
4. Did you work part of your placement remotely, if so what was that like?
No, had to be present in the studio.
5. How did you find working in a professional studio environment?
Immensely beneficial not only for myself but working together for the business. There was thatdaunting feeling of having a senior designer/creative director lurking over your shoulder, judgingevery move you make. But often enough it was accompanied by a better/easier way of doingsomething, a pat on the back or if needed… a slap round the back of the head.
6. On reflection what would be the 3 most important things that you learnt from your placement(s)?
- You learn the most by making mistakes.
- The service provided is just as important as the quality of the work.
- Save you work every 15/20 minutes, software crashes and power cuts are a thing.
7. How did you find accommodation and how much did it cost?
Lived at home while traveling 90 mile per day to get to and from the studio
8. Did you get paid and roughly how much?
1k per month
9. What was the most unusual thing you did while on placement?
Hit an old lady with a conker in a studio tournament (we couldn’t afford a ping pong table)
10. In what ways do you think that your placement has helped you in furthering your design education andfuture career?
I think it has given my career a massive boost in terms of when graduation comes. The experience and connections will be an asset when applying for jobs and starting a new role ill be able to dive straight in at the deep end.
11. With hindsight, what advice would you give to a fellow student who are thinking about embarking on aplacement?
Go for it, you’ve everything to gain and nothing to lose. Also don’t feel like you have to apply and get into big design agencies to gain valuable experience. Ripple had a small team of 5 designerswhich allowed for me to take on more responsibilities and often be the lead of my own jobs liaising with the client directly.
nilesh kawale
1. Which company(s) did you do a placement with and for how long?
The Chase, 1 year.
2. What were you asked in the interview?
They were more interested in getting to know me as a person than asking me about my Projects but I have been asked about the length of time I spent on some of the projects & which design expertise I’d wish to work in in the future.
3. What did you ask in the interview?
In addition to talking about my favourite projects with them, I inquired about whether they still function in the traditional way because it was of particular interest to me.
4. Did you work part of your placement remotely, if so what was that like?
6 months online, 6 months offline.
5. How did you find yourself working in a professional studio environment?
Working in a professional studio environment right after University wasn’t that hard for me because they introduce me to major projects gradually. I think every agency does that only how much time you get there that’s important.
6. On reflection what would be the 3 most important things that you learnt from your placement(s)?
• Being yourself
• It’s not all about design you as a person matter
• Responsibilities, time management & presence of mind
7. How did you find accommodation and how much did it cost?
I stayed in Preston & I used to commute throughout my placement (Monthly travelling coast £200).
8. Did you get paid and roughly how much?
Yes, £1500 a month.
9. What was the most unusual thing you did while on placement?
I prepared food for 30 people for one of the roof parties, it was fun!
10. In what ways do you think that your placement has helped you in furthering your design education and future career?
It’s confidence, and it’s going to help me get a job once I graduate. Adding professionalism to your university assignment will undoubtedly help you land ajob. The three most important aspects of the creative industry are time management, teamwork, and budget awareness.
11. With hindsight, what advice would you give to a fellow student who is thinking about embarking on a placement?
Be authentic! Enjoy each step of the process. When you are on placement, interaction and communication are key components. Let them know you. Making drinks is a great way to start a conversation. Try to understand the work’s flow. If you make errors, don’t worry; that’s how we all grow. They will acclimate to you gradually, so don’t worry.
max greer
1. Which company(s) did you do a placement with and how long for?
Frank Bright & Abel for a grand total of 11 months.
2. What were you asked in the interview?
I was asked about the ideas and connections in each project I was showing in my portfolio and also a bit about myself and what part of design I enjoy the most!
3. What did you ask in the interview?
I showed interest in their agency (doing a little bit of research before the interview) and not just asked what kind of projects they work on but also a bit about the area of the office! It’s always nice to know a little bit about the area you may be doing your placement in.
4. Did you work part of your placement remotely, if so what was that like?
I didnt. However after a short period of time I was able to WFH, which was quite nice once or twice a week.
5. How did you find working in a professional studio environment?
I found it extrermly benefical. In my opinion it matures you as a person and also improves your design skills at a great level!
6. On reflection what would be the 3 most important things that you learnt from your placement(s)?
Good question. The first thing i learnt was the speed of the turnover with projects. You have much less time and always working to strict deadline. The second thing was the importance of working in a team, that everyone has a role to play that all comes together in the end!The final thing I learnt is with a postive attitude you will be able to go the extra mile. Don’t be afriad to act yourself and take part in as many out or work activites as possible.
7. How did you find accommodation and how much did it cost?
My placement was in London, and this meant the prices of things were considerably higher than the North. However I did manage to find someone on ‘SpareRooms.com’ which was very central. The area was questionable and a bit rough around the edges but you’re there for the experince of the placement so don’t worry too much if your first place is a bit of a shithole. It’s still gonna be worth it! I paid £650pcm for a room with all bills included in the center of London.
8. Did you get paid and roughly how much?
I got paid very generiously for my placement, however I did take a lot of work on and was always keen to take part in as much as I could! It was roughly £400 a week.
9. What was the most unusual thing you did while on placement?
Lots of things, always offer to do jobs or things that could be done away from design. I cooked breakfast once every 2 months, built all the office furniture and also had to deal with a gnatfly infestation on the office plants.
10. In what ways do you think that your placement has helped you in furthering your design education and future career?
It’s helped me with confidence in my own ideas and also the speed of getting work done. Also the possiblity of employment after my course ends. The placement year is great for networking.
11. With hindsight, what advice would you give to a fellow student who are thinking about embarking on a placement?
DO IT!!!!! It’s invalueable without a doubt, why wouldnt you if this is the career you want to persue?
emily sumner
1. Which company(s) did you do a placement with and how long for?
September 21 until October 21 - 22 Group
December 21 until March 22 - Absolute (portfolio refresh)
March 22 until June 22 - Sprouto
June 22 until July 22 - Straight Forward Design
August 22 until September 22 - WPA Pinfold
2. What were you asked in the interview?
Which was myfavourite project to work on? What were my inspirations? When would i like to start the placement?
3. What did you ask in the interview?
What do they look for in a creative?
What are the things you ask/prepare yourself when tackling a project? What are the qualities you look for in a designer?
Do you ever tackle 2 projects at once? And if so, what would be the stratedgy to deal with this?
4. Did you work part of your placement remotely, if so what was that like?
I started remotely in September with 22 Group. The team ensured that I was included on morning team meetings and zoom catch-ups, however it was proven to be challenging as this was my first placment ofthe year and there was no social interaction until my final 2 weeks which couldn’t have been helped due to covid.
During my London Placement, we had 2 days a week when the team worked online, again this was due to previous covid restrictions. However, the team set up a laptop system so everyting that i worked on andsaved, all connected back to the computer in the studio which made it alot easier.
5. How did you find working in a professional studio environment?
I found it incredibly rewarding. It was so interesting to see how the industry deals with design briefs andclients. Also, to just listen in to stories and discuss current issues that can have a creative outcome.
6. On reflection what would be the 3 most important things that you learnt from your placement(s)?
Coming to an idea/conclusion quick enough for a deadline.
Discussing the ideas with your design team is essential for coming to some sort of conclusion.
When it comes to presenting, be honest but also persuasive with the ideas for the client.
7. How did you find accommodation and how much did it cost?
I asked others in my year group about what they found/how they found it. Sometimes asked the previous final year.
Searched on 4 or 5 different websites in order to find the best deal. People recommended‘Spare Room’, but this wasn’t successful for me.
8. Did you get paid and roughly how much?
I did, for my Manchester based placements it was between £100-£150 per week. For London, is was £100 a day.
Leeds paid for travel expenses(hotel expenses)
Absolute was voluntary-not a paid placement, but they assisted with improving my portfolio projects.
9. What was the most unusual thing you did while on placement?
Nothing too unusual.
10. In what ways do you think that your placement has helped you in furthering your design education and future career?
It has enabled me to work on several angles of graphic design from web design, to packaging,and so has helped me find my passions and strengths but also my weaknesses and how to better myself as a designer.
11. With hindsight, what advice would you give to a fellow student who are thinking about embarking on a placement?
Be confident, don’t be afraid to ask questions. At the end of the day, they are just human like us and have been through similar processes with interviews etc...
They know what they’re looking for in terms of an intern/designer, and so always present your strongest projects/the ones that are orientated towards the agencies interests.
Always stay in contact with the industry/studio/agencies. Even if it’s just a catch up email, or an improvement to one of your portfolio projects.
Always stay open to ideas. During placement, always be writing down any ideas that pop into your headbecause alot of current issues can happen over 12 months - can help with final year projects. Keeps you one step ahead.
anas mohamed
1. Which company(s) did you do a placement with and how long for?
Total 13 Months
Purple Creative - 2 Months
Interstate Creative Partners - 3 Months
NB Studio - 2 Months
The Chase - 6 Months
2. What were you asked in the interview?
Few of the questions i was asked were :
To talk through my favourite piece of work, and the thought process behind it,
Do I have the capability to work within deadlines?
What do i look forward to achieve from the internship?
Have i worked in a team environment before?
3. What did you ask in the interview?
As an international student it was important for me to ask if they had the licence to sponsor if i were to be hired in the future.
4. Did you work part of your placement remotely, if so what was that like?
Yes, due to covid most of the studios were familiarised with Hybrid
working schedules, few days in studio, few days from home,
definitely prefer working from studio, adds more value to the intern experience.
5. How did you find working in a professional studio environment?
Very exciting, didn’t expect to be working directly on industry projects, learned a lot, i no longer name my files final_final_final_.psd, everythings got a structure, better time management, and a professional approach to working on projects.
6. On reflection what would be the 3 most important things that you learnt from your placement(s)?
Managing time efficiently
How to approach a project professionally
Collaborating and working within a team
7. How did you find accommodation and how much did it cost?
Found accomodations through Spareroom, In London i paid £ 420 for single room in the beginning 4 months in Aldgate area, pretty central, very convienient, then £ 550 for a double room at Hampstead for couple a months, very fancy, and then £ 250 per month for a ROOM sharing with 3 others in Lewisham, yea it sucks.
But, its all part of the intern experience!
8. Did you get paid and roughly how much?
Yes,
Purple - £300 p/w
Interstates - £250 p/w
NB Studio - £240 p/w
Chase - £1500 p/m
9. What was the most unusual thing you did while on placement?
My first work trip was to Peppa Pig World
Would have never thought i will get to visit or work with Peppa Pig.
10. In what ways do you think that your placement has helped you in furthering your design education and future career?
Helped me understand more about the different design disclpines,
like branding, packaging, strategy, motion etc.
Got to make a lot of Industry connections and networks
Was blessed to work with some amazing projects and update my Portfolio.
11. With hindsight, what advice would you give to a fellow student who are thinking about embarking on a placement?
Networking is key - Attend every socializing events, Talks, Expos, Exhibitions etc. Keep sending out Portfolios - and ask feedback from everyone, classmates, seniors, alumnis, tutors, design professionals, etc.
Be confident in your interviews,
Do research on the type of work the agency does, and if it aligns with the kind of work you want to do, as every studios are different!
Recommend looking for accomodations in advance,
and getting rooms more central, so its easy to travel!
Apply for an Oyster card if you are going to London, helps with travel costs.
Feel free to contact me at anasxkv@gmail.com if you have any questions!
