As my time at the South London Club has come to an end I have had the chance to reflect on the past eight months. I couldn’t be happier with how the placement has turned out and am proud of what I have achieved as a designer. I feel as though I have fulfilled my aims for the placement and have gained more knowledge about the industry than I ever could have imagined. I have nothing but good memories of the South London Club and I feel that the placement has set me up nicely for the future.

Turning up on my first day and finding out that I was going to be the sole In-House Graphic Designer was both exciting and terrifying. It had always been my plan to have some responsibility within a professional environment on this sandwich year, however the responsibility I was given on my first day was more than I could have imagined. However with my boss Tom’s guidance from the start and some manageable briefs early on, I was able to ease into the role. I created a poster for the new summer “Beer Boxes” which was an instant hit around the office, as well as some presentations for their digital marketing platform ‘Grow Pro Digital’. I got to grips early on with the work communication software ‘Slack’ and was able to easily navigate my way around the company Google Drive account. I never let the pressure of being the sole designer get to me, and I think that this is what has made the last eight months being so personally successful.

One of my biggest aims for the internship was to leave with a solid body of published, professional work. At the time of writing this blog post I have just finished sorting through the vast amount of work that I have created over the last eight months. By working as a designer for the South London Club and Tom’s three other business ventures, I have had the opportunity to create work in a range of different media including video, print and digital. I have acquired new technical skills and strengthened old ones as I have created designs for social media, merchandise and the company website amongst many other platforms. My portfolio now looks better than ever as it showcases a variety of skills and professionally, published work. It is a healthy mix of University projects and work that I have completed on this placement year, giving me much to discuss in interviews after third year.

I feel grateful for the opportunity and mentoring that Tom has given me over the past eight months. I have been able to apply the design skills that I learnt during those first two years at University and continue to learn and grow as a designer. I have enjoyed commuting to London five times a week and have had the chance to explore and socialise more than ever in the capital. I have grown in confidence as a designer in the past eight months and feel surer than ever that Graphic Design is the right career for me. I still have a lot to learn but I certainly feel that the foundations have been laid for me to continue to grow and develop as a designer.