My journey from intern to junior designer at UnitedUs

Charting my course

It’s quite lucky to have a clear understanding of what you want to do from a young age. For me, I knew it was graphic design, but definitely in the world of branding. Knowing quite early meant I had time to curate an image of the sort of environment I wanted and take the time to learn how to get there.

Discovering UnitedUs

I came across UnitedUs when my graphic design course at the University of Portsmouth organised a visit to their studio. Before I went to the studio, I checked out their projects online. After just a few minutes of scrolling through the work of UnitedUs, it became pretty evident that this was the place that did the type of work I wanted to do.

The studio visit allowed me to gain an insight into their studio culture, which is something very important to me. After all, solid working relationships allow for collaboration that aids creative thinking. I also saw the dedication to every aspect of branding (design, strategy, copy, development), which I really appreciated and loved. This seemed like an environment where I would be able to learn every aspect of what builds a brand, from each member of the team. At this point, I was captivated.

Fast forward to the end of uni, we had a graduate showcase in our university studio and I knew that some of the team from UnitedUs were attending. Over the coming weeks, I tailored an application to work at UnitedUs, which you could call a love letter of sorts.

I passed my portfolio over to UnitedUs. It may have been a bit of a long shot as they weren’t advertising any intern or junior designer roles at the time, but if you don’t ask, you don’t get.

Being decisive and knowing what you want

A couple of weeks later, I exhibited at the D&AD New Blood festival with all my coursemates – shoutout to the team at Portsmouth! The exhibition allowed me to showcase my work to lots of design agencies. I knew this was the perfect time to connect with people in the industry and explore the way I talked about my work.

As a result of the show, I was invited to several back-to-back interviews for about two weeks straight, resulting in a few internships and full-time job opportunities at some really interesting studios.

I am deeply committed to the idea of finding creative fulfilment in my work, so I knew that this was especially important to consider when looking for my first job in the real working world. But at this time, I still hadn’t received a response from UnitedUs.

To avoid the limbo territory of unemployment between university and job, I was beginning to think about my plan B’s. Although these opportunities seemed like good options, nothing stood out to me as much as UnitedUs. The studio’s work was exactly the kind of work I saw myself working on.

What if they haven’t even looked at it? What if they don’t like my work? What if they lost it? Have they even started recruiting yet?

I got the doubts out of my head and began to think about what really could be the cause of a delayed response; they’re a small studio with a super busy team, receiving a lot of applications on the daily – to stand out, I had to cut through that noise and sharpen my focus.

I knew the opportunity I wanted, I just needed to bring confidence and communication to get it, so I dropped UnitedUs co-founder and creative partner Luke a DM on Instagram to ask directly. I later found out that it wasn’t due to my previous worries, it was just that UnitedUs were not actively on the look out for a designer.

A couple of messages were exchanged… and I was asked to come in NEXT WEEK for an internship. RESULT. It meant ditching my current part-time job at an arcade, for the creative freedom of a brand agency I wanted to be at. It was a pretty easy decision to make. Bye-bye Portsmouth, hello Brighton!

Stepping into the studio

With a desire to impress through my work and creative thinking, nerves were high but straight away settled as soon as I stepped foot into the studio on my first day. Warm welcomes and introductions all around were a lovely start – a testament to the friendly studio culture mentioned previously. Of course, visiting and meeting a few of the team a few months before helped break the icebreakers, but being fresh meat is always going to be slightly nerve-racking.

Something widely known about internships is that there is a slight chance that they may lead to a full-time position. When I expressed my aspiration to secure a permanent role under Luke’s wing, one of the conditions I made clear was that I would make myself indispensable. Quite a high bar to set for someone with no previous industry experience, going into a multi-award-winning agency, which meant I was either pretty confident or just pretty silly.

I thoroughly enjoyed the early stages of my internship, which plunged me headfirst into a dynamic mix of a diverse range of client projects spanning various industries. Whether the task was to explore and design creative opportunities for one of the UK’s leading construction firms, or to delve into imaginative ‘campaign style’ brand opportunities for the fast-growing sport of padel, my work was a constant source of enjoyment and excitement.

There is something quite special about the collaborative nature of working in a design agency such as UnitedUs. I held the preconception that it would be a great way to work and would often use the analogy that collaboration is like climbing a ladder where each person’s idea can propel you to the next. With only a month into the internship, I found out I was wrong – creative collaboration is less like climbing a ladder, it’s more like riding a rocket!

A significant aspect of the internship was its function as a massive learning experience. In some ways, I needed to rewire my brain to think like a UnitedUs designer. This allowed me to not only bring my love for craft and design to the table but also expand my knowledge of how to best employ these skills within a conceptually rich framework.

This learning experience was made especially smooth, being surrounded by a great team of smart, passionate and all-round interesting people, one of which being design director Carl, who often finds typographic inspiration from old novel covers – a valuable new perspective towards design that I had not previously used as a source of inspo.

I found that people at UnitedUs are willing to take that bit of extra explanation time to make sure we’re all on the same page. Something I can imagine doesn’t happen in a lot of workplaces.

Being a fully-fledged member of the UnitedUs team

After nagging away at Creative Partner Luke for a decision about the next steps coming to the end of my internship, I was called up for the CHAT.

Being told that you have been offered a dream job is a very exhilarating feeling that is pretty hard to contain. When that news came in, I was buzzing.

Now after a couple of weeks of being on the team as a full-time junior designer, I have worked on a whole visual identity alongside Carl, where I was supported to deliver my first client presentations; one showcasing different moodboards, and another for a brand identity reveal. Although initially, this was a nerve-racking experience, the time was put into preparations. It’s safe to say it went well, and with my first presentation under my belt, I can’t wait to get in the driving seat again.

Confidence and determination unlocks (studio) doors

In my journey from intern to junior designer at UnitedUs, I’ve learned some valuable lessons that I’d like to share. First and foremost, it’s crucial to have a clear understanding of what you want and to have the confidence to pursue it. Understanding your career goals allows you to tailor your path and learn how to navigate the challenges that come your way.

My experience has also shown me the importance of reaching out, taking initiative, and not being afraid to ask for what you want. When faced with a number of tempting opportunities, it’s essential to be decisive and choose the path that aligns most with your aspirations. I firmly believe that creative fulfilment should be at the heart of your career choice, I know it’s something I’m over the moon to feel. Thanks to UnitedUs for helping me to get there on a rocket.