Getting A Placement In Design: Part 1

From the first day I got involved with graphic design I was told that to progress in this field you have to complete placements, whether this be during your education or when you leave. It is rare that a graphic design firm will offer a paid position to a designer without them completing an unpaid internship beforehand (unless, of course they have already completed internships and/or had other jobs elsewhere and can prove they have the experience). Having recently been through this experience myself I decided to put together a two-part post that will provide you with a complete guide to graphic design placements, from researching agencies to working for them, for anyone else that is going through this process.


The course I am currently studying at university provides me with the opportunity to graduate with a Masters, and the extra year gave me the opportunity to complete a 12 week placement which accounted for 50% of my third year. Nobody likes the idea of having to work internships as they feel like they are working for nothing, and I was no exception to this, but I completed my placement during the first half of this year and it was the most beneficial thing I have done for my career.

Step 1: Research

While it is tempting to just apply everywhere and hope for the best, it definitely pays to do your research before you start. A graphic design placement is only going to be of benefit to you if you stand to learn something useful from it, so if your specialism is typography, for example, applying for placements with web design agencies aren't going to have much relevance. This is not to say that you couldn't do that if your primary intention was to learn something entirely new, but you may find it more difficult to secure a placement, and you would have to tailor your portfolio for these circumstances (but we'll talk more about this later).

I don't have a specialism, and when I was applying I wasn't in a position to travel and was therefore limited to applying for agencies in Sheffield, but I looked at about 15 different agencies and still only chose 8. When making my decisions I asked myself two questions - do they have a similar style of working to me? do they have a character/characters that I would fit in with? - and I only applied to agencies that ticked both of these boxes. After I had done this the agency that I secured my placement with was my top choice, and when I went for my interview with them they admitted that the primary reason they had asked me to come in was for the same reason; they had already decided I was capable of doing the job from the portfolio I sent them, but they wanted to know what I was like a person to determine if I would fit in with them. 

None of this is to say that you couldn't apply to agencies that are different to you, but the main point i'm trying to get across is that I think it is important to research first, and have good reasons for wanting to apply to the agencies that you get in touch with as it will save you time in the long run and you will find you are more successful at securing placements if you are targeting agencies you think you will fit in with or have a particular interest in working for.

Step 2: Cover Letter

Okay, so when you have decided which agencies you would like to apply for, you should take down contact details from their website (email, address, phone number). This will give you a list of addresses and email addresses ready for when you come to emailing/posting your work. Next you should take the time to ring each agency and ask for the name of the person you should send your work in to, which will allow you to write a personal cover letter. This will make you stand out straightaway as a lot of people will email CVs to "Sir/Madam" so receiving a CV with a cover letter personally addressed to them will immediately grab their attention. In your cover letter you should also include a brief couple of sentences about a project that that agency has completed that you particularly liked. By writing a unique cover letter like this you are making your stand out, and your potential employer will find it hard to ignore. A lot of people will send generic cover letters that they read variations of dozens of times a week, so they will appreciate that you have taken the time to find out who you are speaking to and explore their projects and complement them on their work which will immediately give you the upper hand on your competition.

Step 3: Designing your CV and Portfolio

Before I even started designing my CV and portfolio I spent some time looking through examples on Behance and Pinterest for inspiration. I recommend that you do this as it gives you a good idea of what is done often and what works well as well as showing you examples of the more extravagant lengths that some creatives go to. I also looked online for tips on designing a CV and portfolio as well as asking my tutors for some advice so here are some pointers that I found useful:

CV:

• Never use word! This is your opportunity to show off your design skills, so your CV should be a design project in its own right.
• Avoid using A4 as the size for your CV, as this is too standard.
• Typography matters, so make sure that you have used fonts that are legible and appropriate.
• Tell your story. Custom write a profile that focuses on what you can bring to the company with accomplishments that complement the job description. Leave out anything that doesn't support your story.
• Be creative and innovative, and play to your strengths.
• Show your comprehensive skills. You might be applying for design jobs but you still need a strong covering letter! 
• Don't give everything away in your CV. Hold back some work in the hope you get an interview, and whatever you do include in your CV, don't fully explain. Let your employer be intrigued by your work.
• Avoid emailing CVs as they can easily be deleted. It is harder to ignore a printed CV that has been posted.

Portfolio:

• Think of the competition. Make sure your portfolio is clean, spacious and beautiful.
• Filter your work. Only include projects that you are proud of and think will make the strongest portfolio.
• Make sure it tells a story. In mine, I put the title of the brief and sentence or two to explain it, but after that let my work speak for itself and visually tell the story. 
• Make it relevant. The projects you include should complement the job description, showing your employer you are capable of doing the job.
• Keep it up to date, and focus on work you have completed recently.

The most common queries I encountered when my and coursemates were applying for placement were:

1. Should I post or email my CV?
2. Should I send a portfolio prior to an interview?
3. What images and text should I include in my portfolio?

I soon discovered that there is no right or wrong answer to any of these questions so you have to just make a decision based on what you think is best for you. In terms of what to include in a portfolio, I was told by my tutors that I should only include finished projects. However, I spoke to an agency about my portfolio and asked for feedback and they completely disagreed, saying that they would have liked to have seen development work for each project, including the other outcomes I considered before arriving at my final piece. I think that unfortunately this is something that, like everything else in design, is subjective, and different people will have different opinions, so you should include as much or as little as you feel best tells the story of that project. The two things that I would recommend is that you keep your writing to a minimum and let the visuals speak for themselves, and keep it clean and professional.

In terms of what to send and how to send it, again this is entirely up to you. Personally I think that to make this decision you should do whichever suits the agency you are applying to. If they specialise in print design then a printed CV and portfolio would be more appropriate, whereas a digital CV and portfolio would be more appropriate for a web design agency. This gives you another opportunity to exploit relevant skills and impress your potential employers. As the agency I applied with caters for both print and digital graphics, I chose to print and post a CV and follow it up with an email two days later with a digital portfolio attached; this is a safe option if you are unsure of what to do and definitely appropriate if you are applying to agencies that are more general. As I mentioned I sent my portfolio prior to my interview; you do not have to do this, it is just an option. It is always good to arrive at an interview with something new to bring to the table, so my suggestions are:

1. Just send a CV and sample of work to intrigue your potential employer and make them want to get you in.
2. Send a CV and portfolio and in your interview show them your most current work in progress (and ask for their feedback if you're feeling daring!)
3. Send a CV and portfolio and in your interview share with them some personal projects you may have completed.

SO, now we have covered research, cover letters and CVs and portfolios the next step is actually applying. For guidance on the rest of your process head over to part 2!