The Intern Diaries: Design intern Vincent
Beginning of this year we were looking for a design intern to join our team in Amsterdam. Lucky us, we got an application from a happy-go-lucky talented young man who always seemed to be in a good mood! We are proud to present to you our design intern Vincent King! (With a last name like that you must be born for success right!).
To us the perfect design intern needed to be a:
’Hybrid’ with feeling for design and function: What we needed to form a two-men design army.
Someone who dares to dive in deep. There was no need for someone who only makes copies and gets coffee. We wanted to share responsibility for high-stake projects. (Although coffee is always appreciated.)
An ambitious student excited to work alongside motivated pros.
Tell us, who is Vincent?
I'm a Communication & Multimedia Design (CMD) student at the Hogeschool of Amsterdam, but I also have an interest in film and photography. I always try to show people the best version of me: A Happy, Energetic and interested Vincent.
How did you find Clay?
I found Clay through Fresh Heroes. A website specialized in offering jobs and internships in the tech/creative sector.
Why did you choose Clay?
The way Clay wrote the job description really captured me. Especially since I used to write copy at my former internship. I guess I’m a sucker for good marketing. But it also helped my inner nerd who screamed that I had to do this. I had to try a tech company. It was totally different from what I was used to and exactly the reason why Clay appealed to me. It was so different and new and I was more than ready to dive in and experience something else!
What is the best part of being a Design Intern at Clay?
The best part is that instead of getting everyone coffee I got to shoot people with these awesome nerf guns lying around. Haha. Just kidding. The best part was definitely the patience people have with you. I started with pretty much no experience in Visual/UX design besides the assignments I did for a few courses I followed. Now I can make designs, and explain to my peers why I made certain choices design wise. I really felt Clay was the perfect environment to learn a lot! The internship turned out to be something I could be really proud of.
On which projects did you work during your internship?
Redesigning the complete icon set to be more consistent, and updating it to the latest functionalities
Page design for the new saltoks.com
Office- and installer photography
Help with CLP documentation
Several design activities for social / blogs
Setting up new workflows in Sketch
How would you describe Clay's company culture?To me, the company culture at Clay is the perfect combination of work and play.
How did the internship match your expectations?It was actually more than I expected. I expected to be trained in one thing and one thing only. But I grew as a person as well. The way I communicate with my colleagues and also how I present myself as a professional. I am so thankful to have been a part of this team!
If you could make a change to your internship program, what would you change?Couldn’t think of anything. Perhaps training on how to dodge Lennart's Nerf shots!
What do you believe the next step is in your profession, and how did we help you get there?Graduating is my first focus and Clay helped me prepare for that. I have a steady skill set and I learned a lot about the way I work. Now I know what my strengths and flaws are, I know better how to start a project, how small or big it might be. Clay helped me prepare for my career for the rest of my life.
Any advice for the next Design intern?Come with an open mind. Expect nothing.
Thank you Vincent! For this interview and your ongoing motivation during your internship. We will miss you (especially since you were the perfect nerf gun target ;)
Looking for an internship? Find out what we can offer you here!