What’s it like doing an internship these days at TLD? Tatiana shares, in detail, her experience.

Editor’s note: This article was written by Tatiana, who did 2 weeks work experience with us at TLD. The rest of this article is written in her voice!

Sharpening My Skills: A Graphic Design Internship at Top Left Design

I completed a two-week industrial experience at Keren Lerner’s graphic design agency, Top Left Design. Despite her busy schedule as a CEO, Keren always found time to provide informative and constructive feedback on every piece I designed.

The tasks I undertook during my industrial experience were diverse, ranging from documentation, website reviews, and image sourcing to small design briefs. These included website interfaces, Instagram posts, postcards, promotional material, and infographic design. Through these varied tasks, I had the opportunity to experience the fast-paced work environment of a graphic design studio.

I also learned how to design in a house-style, using the elements of the agency’s brand identity. Additionally, I refined my layout and typography techniques, focusing on essential skills such as leading and kerning, which are crucial to master from the beginning.

A significant benefit of this internship was the weekly Zoom sessions with Keren. During these sessions, we discussed my progress, and I received valuable feedback on my designs. Although all my work was online based, it didn’t feel remote. It felt like being in a studio because I was constantly supported and never felt alone.

Another benefit of my internship at Top Left Design was learning to keep track of time. This was a new concept to me because the university environment is more relaxed. Time management is a very important skill, and it doesn’t mean doing everything quickly at the expense of quality. It means planning and optimising your work and choosing the right resources and tools. It takes time to learn this skill, but it is crucial in the fast-paced world of a graphic design studio.

A valuable aspect of my internship was receiving real customer feedback on one of my graphic design projects, the yoga flyer. This experience was particularly useful as it allowed me to understand the importance of meeting client expectations and incorporating their input into the design process.

Here are some examples of my graphic design work.

Carmen Tapas

The task was to create two alternative website layouts and several Instagram posts for the Spanish restaurant, Carmen Tapas.

Instagram posts:

Landing page concept:

Yoga flyer

The task was to create a flyer for a yoga studio, incorporating a detailed timetable of classes. The design needed to be visually appealing, clearly presenting the class schedule while reflecting the serene and welcoming atmosphere of the studio.

TLD Instagram posts

The task was to create three designs for the TLD Instagram feed. The first design featured an inspirational quote, the second was an educational post about my favourite food, and the third was an image describing my favourite design tool. Each design needed to align with TLD’s brand identity. I used TLD Instagram posts as a reference.

TLD postcards

The task was to create postcards that include the theme of forward thinking, using the TLD style. I used TLD Instagram posts as a reference.