Creating opportunity in Brighton
This week is National Apprenticeship week and one of the big things we're committed to at Designate is the idea of creative opportunity. Creating it for our clients, but also giving people the chance to experience what working in the creative industries can be like.
Later this week, our creative director, Faye Carre, is going to be talking at the Prodigies event at Brighton Beach House to help inspire young creatives. Get your tickets here.
We've also just had a second year University of Brighton student do a four week placement in the Designate offices. So we asked her to share how it went.
If you're interested in a placement or work experience, get in touch via recruitment@designate.com
My Placement Journey at Designate
My name is Emma Tierney and I’m a second-year student at the University of Brighton, studying Media Industry and Innovation. Part of my course gives me the invaluable opportunity to spend a month working at a company in the media industry getting real life experience and making valuable connections.
When looking into possible companies, Designate immediately stood out to me. Their company brand and clear creativity through past work showed how established an organisation they were and the kind of standard they hold with what they produce. I sent my CV and website and then two days later was in the office for an interview.
Interview
Stepping into the building, there is a very cool and modern atmosphere which reflects the tone of the company perfectly. I was excitedly greeted by one of the ‘Dogs of Designate’, Ernie, and after my interview and hearing more about the work that they do I was even more keen to get my placement there. To my surprise only a couple of hours after, I received the news that I had secured it and would be coming to Designate.
My Experience
Understandably, I was nervous to start, but felt immediately at ease with how welcoming and friendly the team was. I was happy to learn how close everyone is and with daily meetings at the start of the day with the whole team, it allows everybody to connect as well as being updated with what’s going on in the company.
I was lucky enough that my time at Designate coincided with a pitch, so had the opportunity to follow the process from start to end. Starting with initial competitor research, to then conducting street interviews and attending the creative meetings. When it came to the actual pitch, seeing how everyone came together, developed their ideas and the accumulation of all the work over the last 4 weeks, it was amazing to see. With different projects going on, I also got to see the further creative process with creating different versions for clients and all the development that goes into that stage. This was an incredibly useful experience that has allowed such an insight into the work involved with the different ideas that go into the final product, and how the team all work together.
The Team
It’s definitely a community here and everyone genuinely cares and is interested in each other’s lives which creates such a nice environment. With me being there to learn, I was so grateful for how people took time out of their busy days to explain their roles, what they do in the company and answering any questions that I had. It was very interesting to hear about the different jobs, everyone’s journeys and how everything connects with the process of work coming in and out.
I was also really impressed with how interested they were in my opinion not only as a future worker in the media industry but also as an insight to a younger audience. They fully understand the need to target a more online generation and are keen to be able to do this in the most innovative and effective way possible.
Everyone here is clearly passionate and dedicated, and I can see that they really want to produce the best work that they can which has been really inspiring. There is no settling for just a good level, it’s all about thinking bigger and bolder and producing exciting work that stands out. I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to experience a month here at such an encouraging and supportive company.
Thank you to everyone at Designate for making me feel so welcome and giving me the opportunity to work with such a creative, dynamic and hardworking team.