Interview with Design Intern, Tara

It’s the last day at PS for our lovely design intern, Tara. Before she leaves, she agreed to sit down and chat with Danny, one of our digital marketing specialists, to talk all about her experiences, what she's learnt and how the pandemic has affected her internship. She also shares her advice for other design students considering a year out in the industry.

Danny: Thank you for joining me today on what is your last ever day with PS. Unless you’re coming back in the future, of course! I can’t believe how fast it has gone!

Tara: I know!

Danny: So Tara, tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you become involved with working at PS?

Tara: I’m a graphic and design student at the University of Leeds and we were given the opportunity to do a year in industry, so I applied to a couple of different placements. And then, through an email from my lecturer, I also found out that PS was offering a placement and I applied for that in June. I had an interview shortly after submitting my portfolio and then I received an internship task to do which lasted about 3 days. And then I was given the job, thankfully! So, I took the year out of uni and I will continue uni next year.

Danny: That’s great! Was the internship task from PS or from the university?

Tara: The task was given to me by Billie at PS, it was a Seabrook-themed task, to see whether I could think outside the box and see what designs I could come up with.

Danny: That’s really cool! So, going into the role then. Let’s say the week before you started. What were your expectations? What did you think things would be like?

Tara: It was a bit of a weird time because of COVID. It was the start of COVID, no one really knew what was going on, so I didn’t know if I’d be in the office or not. I did move up to Leeds thinking that COVID wouldn’t last that long and we’d all be back in the office.

Danny: I think we all thought that too!

Tara: I was just really happy to have the year out and experience what working in the industry would be like. I was a bit worried because I’d never had a job within this creative field, but I’m really happy with how it turned out.

Danny: Oh that’s good then! Just going back to what we were saying about COVID, we’ve never actually met you face-to-face, have we?

Tara: Yeah it’s been very strange!

Danny: It’s a really weird one. How did you find it working through a pandemic? How did you find working over Skype and Google Meet?

Tara: I would have loved to meet everyone, but I still feel like I know you all quite well, just from the daily meetings and regular games we play. Luckily I’m in a flat of 7, so I have had people around me, I haven’t been alone. If I was living with my parents or living alone, I’d have liked to go into the office. Seeing you guys every day was quite nice, seeing what you’re up to and how you’re dealing with the pandemic. I was weird at first, working from home, but you just get used to it.

Danny: Yeah, I think having those regular chats with the team really helped to have that interaction with people that you’d normally get in the office.

Tara: This is a whole team thing, everyone sees each other. It’s not just the graphic design team that talks to each other, everyone gets involved.

Danny: Exactly, and I know we’ve worked together on a few projects and you’ve worked with the other teams too. It’s really nice how we can still all work together despite the pandemic.

What have you learnt whilst working with us? What have you got from this experience?

Tara: Well, for starters, in my interview one of the questions was “have you ever worked with adobe XD?” I’d never worked with it before so they suggested I take a look at it over the summer and now it’s one of my core foundations. If I was going to make a design, I’d go straight to Adobe XD.

Also, doing projects quite quickly - I’d never done that before. In the real industry, you get the ideas out quickly, whereas at uni you spend 3 weeks or more on a project. I’ve also enjoyed getting feedback from Billie about designs. It really helps and I’ve learnt a lot.

Danny: What would you say your favourite part was? Was there a favourite project or favourite aspect of design you really liked doing?

Tara: I always found it fun helping out with Seabrook and also seeing how it has progressed in terms of style.

Danny: It’s quite fun working in social media I think because you play a part in that interaction with people. You can see people liking things or commenting on them.

Tara: Yeah, seeing people’s reactions on posts and everything!

Danny: Yeah it’s a great feeling. I’m happy you’ve learnt new things, like Adobe XD, you use that all the time now. And you’ve come away with some fun times working on social media. Have you got any advice or tips for people in your position?

Tara: Try and make the most of it! I did some personal projects on the side of work too and Billie would say to me “try this Adobe XD challenge” and then I’d feedback to her and she’d let me know her thoughts. If you’ve got time, do some reading…

Danny: So learn as much as you can? Be like a sponge, really!

Tara: Yeah, while you’ve got people to get advice from, you might as well do it.

Danny: Good sound advice, I say. Well, Tara, that’s all my questions. I’d just like to say on behalf of everyone at PS, thank you so much for all the hard work you’ve done. You’ve been a pleasure to work with and we’re all going to really miss you!

Tara: It’s flown by. Although COVID has happened, I’ve actually really enjoyed the year when I think about it.

Danny: It’s not all doom and gloom is it, there are things we can do to keep ourselves happy. We’re still working as a team and you’ve been able to learn all these things even though we’ve never met you in person. But yes, please stay in touch. Who knows we might see you again in the future! Christmas party maybe?

Design Intern Placements at PS Website Design

Are you a design student looking for experience in the industry? Every year we look for candidates to join the team, help out on projects, grow their knowledge and most importantly, have fun! Get in touch with us for more information on our internship programme.