From school 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 Kristiania College. 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 from school to design agency. With a healthy dose of imposter syndrome, I sat there counting down the days until the start.
It was a mix of being proud that I performed during the initial interviews and that I had landed the job, and the uncertainty of whether my knowledge and experience were enough to handle the day-to-day life in an actual agency.
Fast forward 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-fastened shoes, excited about what was in store for me. It turned out I had nothing to be nervous about. I was greeted by a wonderful, welcoming group of people who welcomed me with open arms right from the start.
I barely had time to "land" before they showed me enough trust to participate in various projects, attend client meetings, and be given tasks that I felt had value. This gave me a huge boost in self-confidence and a feeling that I was making a difference.
Green as I was, I imagined an intern position a bit like you see in movies. Filled with "boring" everyday tasks like fixing coffee and helping with little things here and there while I observed the others work.
So many mistakes can be made! Here you are thrown into deep water, fortunately with a life jacket in the form of the opportunity to get guidance along the way. There are many good people around you who answer your (sometimes, probably stupid) questions and assist where needed, so that you don't drown. This resulted in me getting motivated to give it my all and show that I deserved this trust.
Now that I have completed my internship at Mission, I have a good understanding of what is expected of you, but also what you yourself need to bring to the company to get the most out of such a period. Below I have compiled some of my tips for those of you who find yourself in a similar situation.
1. Ask for feedback
In my case, my studies were quite affected by the corona pandemic. This resulted in a lot of work at home alone in the living room, without anyone to discuss it with. After I started at Mission, I quickly learned how much more interesting, and not least more fun, work becomes when you get to discuss it with others.
In a setting where there is room to ask questions and openly discuss different aspects of a project, you see your work from a completely different perspective. Details you have overlooked or angles you would never have come up with on your own suddenly become apparent. It takes your work to new heights. So grab a colleague (or several) when you have the opportunity, print out your work, spread it out on the table and start a discussion.
Like most other designers, I also find it scary to put my head on the block and show off my work (especially before it's finished), but if you dare to be open to feedback, both negative and positive, I promise you will get an extremely high return for it. It also 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, no matter the task, I wanted to show that I was willing to do it. If someone needs help with something, do it with joy, and do it properly.
Showing a clear commitment will show your colleagues that you are willing to contribute, and with that you will gain more trust in carrying out various tasks. Then it is up to you to do the tasks properly, and prove that the trust is deserved!
3. Don't be afraid to take up some space or speak loudly
Showing that I wanted to be here was very important to me. You have to take up some space, speak up a little, and give others signals that this is something you really want. Early on in my time at Mission, I overheard a conversation about an illustration job they wanted to test out for a possible 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, “I can draw, right?”
Everyone turned and looked at me understandably a little skeptical, 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 entire concept that was also developed, just a few weeks into my internship.
4. Have a desire to learn
I was clear that there was a lot I still didn't know, so I tried to absorb as much learning as possible. Everything from how the experienced designers set up their working 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 followed closely.
I think it was Petter Stordalen, or some other very successful person who probably knows a lot of important things, who said something along the lines of “he walks into a room with the thought that he is 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 knowledge as possible.
5. Show interest
This tip may have been a bit tiring for those around me, but for my own learning process this was very important. I also like to think that the others appreciated it, without me having to set guidelines for what they actually felt ... But, I did. When my colleagues worked on some exciting projects, I asked if they could show me what they were working on, and would be happy to explain a little 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 was in an attempt to show interest in my new workplace and theirs. projects At the same time, I also had a desire to learn how to work on such projects from skilled and experienced designers.
NB! There is 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 at an agency. I thought that working at an agency would be filled with deadlines and torture, and a work environment characterized by a lot of stress and bad time. That you are thrown around in all directions, while you try to hold on and hope that you 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 journey to get there is very different. Filled with good conversations and discussions along the way, and close collaboration with your colleagues, this makes the journey towards the deadline much more pleasant than I had imagined.
You don't have the option to rush things on the last day before a delivery, as many students (including me) tend to do. This not only weakens the end result, but also the quality of the work, and creates a huge amount of stress.
In an agency, you work structured and strategically towards a goal, where frequent meetings with clients throughout the process and internal conversations help ensure that you deliver a good result that both you and the client 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 conversation topics like "Do Lilli Bendriss and Erlend-Elias look alike?", or other banal topics.
Having good people around you to talk to about anything and everything between deadlines and tasks creates a comfortable and safe working environment. Not least, it also helps with creativity, as you feel like you can come up with suggestions and ideas (no matter how stupid they are) without being judged.
I know it can be nerve-wracking to go from college to an agency job, but I promise it's not as scary as you think. If you've landed the job, you've obviously done something right. The agency has both liked what you've shown in your portfolio, and they also like you as a person and see the potential you have!
That's a great start. So have faith in yourself, show up on your first day with determination and a positive attitude, and show that this is actually something you want. Come to work every day with the attitude that you're going to learn something new, and take some space. Then a lot will be done!