From school bench to design agency
Gaute Refsum joined Mission on December 1, 2022 after completing a bachelor's degree in graphic design from Kristiania University College and a two-year vocational school in graphic design from Fagskolen Kristiania. With experience as an in-house and freelance designer, Gaute has developed a broad toolbox. In this article, he shares his best tips, based on his own journey from school to designer at Mission.
The day I was offered the opportunity to start as an intern at Mission, it seemed like a scary transition to go from school to a design agency. With a good dose of imposter syndrome, I sat there counting down the days until start-up.
It was a mixture of being proud of my performance during the initial interviews and that I had landed the job, and the uncertainty of whether my knowledge and experience was enough to handle everyday life in an actual agency.
Jump to December 1, 2022, the day I had my first day at Mission. Excited and nervous, but happy to start and humbled by the opportunity. I showed up like a schoolboy on the first day of school with a new pencil case, backpack, ball and new Velcro flashing shoes, excited to see what I had in store. As it turned out, I had nothing to be nervous about. I was met by a fantastic, welcoming group of people who welcomed me with open arms right from the start.
I hardly had time to "land" before they trusted me enough to allow me to participate in various projects, attend customer meetings and take on tasks that I felt had value. This gave me a big confidence boost and a feeling that I was making a difference.
Green as I was, I envisioned an internal position a bit like you see in movies. Filled with "boring" everyday tasks such as fixing coffee and assisting with small things here and there while I observe the others working.
How wrong you can be! You'll be thrown in at the deep end, fortunately with a lifejacket in the form of the opportunity to get guidance along the way. There are a lot of good people around you who answer your (at times, probably stupid) questions and assist where needed so that you don't drown. As a result, I was motivated to give it my all and show that I deserved this trust.
Now that I've completed my internship at Mission, I have a good understanding of what is expected of you, but also what you need to bring to the company to get the most out of such a period. Below, I've gathered some of my tips for those who find themselves in a similar situation.
1. Ask for feedback
In my case, the study period was quite affected by the corona pandemic. This resulted in a lot of work at home alone in the living room, without anyone to discuss with. After joining Mission, I quickly learned how much more interesting, and not least more fun, the work becomes when you get to discuss with others.
In a setting where there is room to ask others and discuss different aspects of a project openly, you see your work from a completely different perspective. Details you've overlooked or angles you would never have come up with on your own suddenly reveal themselves. It takes your work to new heights. So grab a colleague (or several) when you can, print out your work, put it on the table and start a discussion.
Like most designers, I find it scary to put my head down and show my work (especially before it's finished), but if you dare to be open to feedback, both negative and positive, I promise you'll get a lot in return. In addition, it shows that you have a desire to improve.
2. Show commitment
One of the first goals I set for myself before starting was to show a clear commitment. Opportunities to do something, whatever the task, I wanted to show that I was there. If somebody needs help with something, do it with joy, and do it properly.
If you show clear commitment, your colleagues will see that you're willing to contribute, and this will give you more confidence to carry out different tasks. Then it's up to you to do the tasks properly and prove that the trust is deserved!
3. Don't be afraid to take up space or speak up
Showing that I wanted to be here was very important to me. You have to take up some space, talk a bit loudly and signal to the others that this is something you really want. Early on in my time at Mission, I overheard a conversation about some illustration work they wanted to test out for a potential concept. I heard that a deal they were trying to land with an illustrator fell through, and filled with newfound confidence (and a lifelong interest in illustration) I shouted out the suggestion that "I can draw?".
Everyone turned around and looked at me with understandable skepticism, but after a good chat we decided it would be fun to try. This resulted in me creating a series of fun illustrations that became the centerpiece of the whole concept, which was also developed just a few weeks into my internship.
4. Have a desire to learn
I was clear that there's a lot I don't know yet, so I tried to absorb as much learning as possible. Everything from how the experienced designers set up their work files and how they worked in the different programs, to how they structured layouts in presentations, and how they presented to clients. I looked at every process, regardless of whether I had done something similar before or not, as something new and paid close attention.
I think it was Petter Stordalen, or some other very successful person who probably knows a lot of important things, who said something to the effect that "he walks into a room with the idea that he's the dumbest person in the room." Which I was too (at least the least experienced). With this mindset, I had the opportunity to observe the knowledgeable people around me and absorb as much learning as possible.
5. Show interest
This tip may have been a bit tiring for those around me, but for my own learning process it was very important. I also like to think that the others appreciated it, without me dictating how they actually felt... But, I did. When my colleagues were working on some exciting projects, I would ask them to show me what they were working on and explain a bit about what they had done.
I looked through older cases and previous projects, asked about what it was like to work on them, what the thinking was behind different choices, etc. This in an attempt to show interest in my new workplace and their work. At the same time, I also had a desire to learn how you work on such projects from good and experienced designers.
NB. There's a balance here between being annoying with thousands of questions all the time, and being curious and genuinely interested. I hope I was the latter.
As a young and ignorant student, I had some thoughts about what it would be like if (WHEN!) I got a job in an agency. I thought that working in an agency would be filled with deadlines galore, and a work environment characterized by a lot of stress and little time. Being thrown around in all directions, trying to hold on tight and hoping to land on your feet at the end of the project.
But it turned out that agency life is something completely different. Yes, there are deadlines to meet, but the road to them is very different. Filled with good conversations and discussions along the way, and a close collaboration with your colleagues, this makes the journey towards the deadline much more pleasant than I had imagined.
You don't have the opportunity to skip the last day before a delivery, as many (including me) students tend to do. This compromises not only the end result, but also the quality of the work and creates enormous stress.
In an agency, you work in a structured and strategic way towards a goal, where frequent meetings with customers during the process and internal discussions help to ensure that you deliver a good result that both you and the customer can vouch for.
"Life in an agency is also filled with a lot of fun and good conversations with colleagues."
Life in an agency is also filled with lots of fun and good conversations with colleagues. Everything from professional chat and discussions, to light-hearted and bizarre topics such as "Do Lilli Bendriss and Erlend-Elias look alike?", or other banal topics.
Having good people around you who you can talk to about anything and everything between deadlines and tasks creates a comfortable and safe working environment. Not least, it also helps creativity, as you feel that you can make suggestions and ideas (no matter how stupid they are) without being judged.
I know it can be nerve-wracking to go from studying to an agency job, but I promise it's not as scary as you think. Once you've landed the job, you've obviously done something right. Not only has the agency liked what you've shown in your portfolio, but they also like you as a person and see your potential!
That's an excellent start. So believe in yourself, show up on the first day with determination and a positive attitude, and show that this is actually something you want. Come to work every day with an attitude that you're going to learn something new and take up some space. Then a lot is done!