My summer
internship in the creative industry
As a
Networked & Social Systems engineering student, I had the option of going
into software, consulting, product management, etc. just like the other kids in
my major. However, I wanted to build up skills that would allow me to be more
creative and allow more room for design thinking. Thus, I interviewed for a
small creative digital agency in New York called Ivory Digital.
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| Ivory Digital |
Ivory
Digital is made up of a small team of
entrepreneurs who build products they love for small brands that matter. As a
production assistant, I helped the production team on every facet of a digital
project: from business and web development to the creation of a business class
website; from collecting project requirements to creating design presentations;
from browser-troubleshooting to producing HTML markup; I experienced the full
cycle of crafting websites for a wide array of client sites Ivory Digital
currently maintains. In short summary, many of my projects consisted of giving
a “fashion makeover” for a company’s website. Although I had mostly only
technical skills, my boss was willing to take the time to teach me design
skills such as Photoshop and InDesign because I was in a small startup company.
Typically when I start my project, I
would first meet with the clients to understand their brand goals and
objectives for their new website. I would then strategize content, website
features, and plan the architecture of the new website. Once that was approved,
I got to the fun part which was putting together mood boards and concept
designs for the new website based on inspiring themes. After my clients approve
all of the steps above, we would code up our newly designed website and Voila!
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| Bianca and her coworkers |
At this internship, I found out both
that I have a creative side as well as the value of being a Penn Engineering
student. I had the skills to talk to clients, understand the coding behind the
website and figure out what the developers wanted out of the final product.
With these various skills, I was able to act as a middle-man between the
various departments and translate the needs of each department to one another.
It was difficult to find a balance between all of the departments, but I had
the power to pick and choose what elements made sense to put together to build
our final product. Thus, I really encourage students develop new skills that
you have always wanted to develop and try working in a startup environment,
because there, you can learn a lot about yourself and learn from the people
around you.
Questions for Bianca? You can contact her at phamb@seas.upenn.edu
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