Coming straight from university to working at a design studio like Mission, I didn’t really know what to expect. But I knew it would be very different. Here are some things I have experienced and learned working at Mission for a year.

Eight takeaways from my first year in a design agency

1. A positive work culture is crucial

A good working environment and culture is essential for wellbeing at work. At Mission I have experienced a culture that is open and welcoming, and a great mix of both fun and focused. We can joke about just about anything (and we do), and there is always a good laugh to be had. But we do serious work, and I believe collaboration is an important key to our success. When someone needs help with something, it’s easy to just ask. Not just being able to ask questions, but others asking me for my opinion has been very important for me. Even though I’m among the least experienced, I feel that I’m really able to make a difference and contribute with my own abilities and knowledge.

Collaboration with colleagues is an important part of the job as a designer.

2. Projects can be challenging

One of the most challenging projects I have been involved in this year is the annual report for EVRY , which I did with senior designer Hege . In this project, I was given responsibility for the digital edition of the report, which meant transferring the design from print to the web. This was definitely a challenge and a real puzzle to solve at times. As responsible for the digital report, I also had to communicate with a team of programmers to turn my design sketches into code. I had some previous experience with code, which was helpful, but working across disciplines in this way was an important experience for me anyway. With the beginning of the project at the end of 2018 and launch in April, this was an intensive and comprehensive project – a real challenge without a doubt.

“Getting the opportunity and trust to design a visual identity from scratch was exciting and a lot of fun.”

3. Projects can be rewarding

In November, I got the chance to work on the logo and visual identity for Noteworthy Books, our own publisher, for our new book . This was a project where Julie and I were given a lot of freedom to design a solution. Having the opportunity and confidence to design a visual identity from scratch was exciting and a lot of fun. Through the process, I also gained experience in presenting my design solutions, where argumentation is an important ingredient. Along the way I also received good guidance from our design director Karl Martin . The result is something I am very proud of. Seeing the Noteworthy logo go from sketch to finished solution – to being foil-embossed on our own book Point of purpose – has been very rewarding. There are few things that compare to seeing your own design come to life.

The logo for Noteworthy Books.

4. Things you don’t learn at university

The day-to-day life in a studio compared to university is definitely a big change. I’m someone who likes structure and routine, so going to work at the same time every day has actually been quite nice. In terms of working with projects , there have also been some changes. At university I was used to doing my own projects from start to finish, but when working in a studio you don’t always get to do that. A lot of the time you might have to jump into a project midway, or do work based on an already established visual expression. When I started working at Mission, most of the ongoing projects were at the end phase and I had to jump in to help with the implementation of a design I had not been a part of creating. This was new and challenging, but I have learned a lot from it. Also, communicating with customers (mostly by e-mail) was not something I had done much of. It felt scary at first, but I’m glad I got the opportunity and responsibility early on to communicate with customers directly. Inki, the studio’s client director and the other team members have helped me along the way.

5. Work is not always predictable

One important thing I have experienced working a year at a design studio like Mission is that the workload can vary a lot. There are periods when the pace is slower and there are periods when the workload is immense. The most intense periods, juggling four to five projects at the same time, have definitely been challenging, and sometimes it has felt a bit overwhelming. These periods have forced me to be structured and effective, and once I have pulled through, the better is the reward of having accomplished.

6. Sharing is caring

I have always enjoyed sharing my knowledge with others, and I’ve been able to do so not only through working with the other designers here at Mission, but also through writing. At Mission we call this Insight . In my first year, I have written two blog posts (this being my third). In December I wrote Rebranding of three well-known brands in 2018 , where I reviewed three big brands that rebranded in 2018, scoring them from 1 to 6. In March this year, I published a blog post with the title Is simplification of brands a consequence of digitization? . In that post I wrote about how brands have been simplified over the last years, what could be the cause and what implications it can have.

“I have learned that it’s the sum of all things that make for a coherent brand.”

7. There’s more to a brand identity than you can see at first

Working in a branding-focused design studio I’ve learned how much work that actually goes into creating a brand identity. Once a visual identity is designed and approved, that’s when the real job starts—implementing the design. For a brand to be consistent , it needs to be applied to every surface. This means not only business cards, but also the website, every Word and Powerpoint document, posters, brochures, uniforms, signage, desktop backgrounds and social media—everything needs to be designed. Designing templates for Word may not be the most exciting thing to do, but I have learned that it’s the sum of all things that make for a coherent brand.

8. Having a passion can impact your work

Digital design is my passion—designing user experiences that are intuitive, functional and easy-to-use. I believe in putting the user into focus and thinking about how he or she interacts with a website, an app or a service, and not just how something looks aesthetically. Luckily, I have been able to contribute to multiple digital projects, for Eika, AKJ and EVRY. And hopefully, more digital projects will land on my desk again soon. I’m ready.

Hi, I’m Espen and I work as a designer at Mission.

With a good eye for quality and details and with a great variety in his portfolio, Espen soon landed a job in our design team.
Karl Martin Sætren, Design Director of Mission

Mission’s Design Director on working with new talents

We quickly got the impression that Espen was a well-structured and capable designer with sound thinking to back up his ideas. With a good eye for quality and details and with a great variety in his portfolio, Espen soon landed a job in our design team. To give new designers the opportunity to establish themselves and showcase their abilities and dedication, we like to challenge them with the tasks they are given. It can be in the form of complexity, tight deadlines or open briefing. Espen took it all in stride and is now working closely on several customer projects.

As a relatively small design agency that works with identity design in every conceivable form, it is important that we find people who fit well into the environment and adapt to their role in the team. In addition, we rely on designers who have a wide scope in both technical capabilities and creative solutions. They must be able to work with everything from annual reports to app design and with customers from spanning from a brick and mortar bakery to IT industry giants. But most of all, they must have a genuine passion for branding and design.

Find out what projects designers work on at Mission.

Still curious about what it's like to work in Mission? Read about Julie's experiences after her first year .