Fun Starters

Getting to know the human side.

Main Course

A quick deep dive into the day-to-day job.

Tell us about yourself and your job.

Hi, my name is Ana and I’ve been working in graphic design since I graduated in 2018. I got my first internship at the beginning of 2018 working in Consumer products on packaging at The Walt Disney Company. I currently work for BoxLunch working on digital and retail marketing. All the ads and retail signage that you see from BoxLunch online/in-store are what my team works on.

How did you end up in your field? What do you like about it?

I fell into both packaging and digital marketing by accident. When I applied for the internship at Disney, I had no idea what the job was, just saw that I could do it. Fortunately, the team liked my work and hired me! I was there for all of 2018 and finished in January 2019. After that, I worked on a couple of contracts, one with an architect firm working on graphics, and the other working for a toy company on the packaging.

I ended up at BoxLunch working on digital marketing by again applying for a job I knew I could do, but not really knowing the job completely. It has been an amazing job working on cool projects with different licenses and working with amazing people.

What does a typical morning look like on the job?

I start work at around 9:00 AM. The first thing I do is check my emails and see if anything important came through about any projects that I’m working on. If there’s an email about some feedback on a project, I like to finish the updates first and get it done.

Cool, then what does a typical afternoon look like?

Throughout the day I have a couple of meeting regarding projects, team check-ins, or campaign kick-offs. If I’m not in a meeting, I’m working on upcoming projects and helping out the marketing team with any asset they requested. No two days are the same! Every day is something new.

What types of projects and meetings are you involved in?

The work varies day-to-day. Some days I’m working on a new campaign making the digital and print assets, others are working on emails and internal designs our marketing team requested. I’m usually involved in campaign meetings where we kick off a new campaign (ex: Father’s Day coming up, Disney, Harry Potter, etc.) and meetings where I check in with the rest of my coworkers and see if anyone needs any help on the team with projects.

Who do you collaborate with within meetings and projects?

My team is the creative team. We work on all the designs you see in ads online, and retail signage you see in store. We work with the marketing team who market our work on social media, the internet, and in-store. The marketing team will request what they need and then we will create it. It’s fun getting to work with them on all these different projects.

Dessert

Now for some juicy insights in the tea room.

What's the most challenging thing about your job?

I would say the most challenging thing about my job is keeping track of all the projects, and making sure you have the correct information you need. Some days are so project-heavy that some projects get lost and forgotten until the deadline comes up. Thankfully our marketing team is flexible and can adjust deadlines if needed, but sometimes that’s not the case.

Also, making sure I have the correct information can be a challenge. Sometimes there’s a lot of back and forth regarding a project, so I usually check in with the project lead and double-check everything I need is up to date.

What are some characteristics that can help someone succeed in your role?

Being flexible and not super attached to what you make. Sometimes I get to work on a project, but the licensed files that were sent to me were the incorrect ones so I have to fix all of the digital assets. It’s a downer when you get attached to how something is designed and a higher-up tells you to change it up a bit. I find it very helpful to always be open to change.

Any advice on how to stand out and get hired for those just starting off?

Come to interviews as authentic as you can be. Just be you! When I interviewed at Disney, I was TERRIFIED, but I came into the interview being me; a huge Disney nerd. Told them how much Disney meant to me and just being able to get an interview with the team was already the greatest thing to happen to me. They looked at my work, liked it, but they wanted to know more about me as a person. If you go into the interview just being authentic, you have a better chance of getting hired in my opinion.

What's something that surprised you about your job?

How varied it is! I never really thought about graphic design before I graduated high school and didn’t look into it until I was in college. There are so many things you can do with graphic design it’s crazy! You can work at any place that needs design help.

Any last thoughts, advice, or recommendations for someone who wants to do what you do?

Be flexible and accepting of criticism on your work. Things always change and you have to be open to critiques when they are given. They are never personal, only to make the design better than it is. If you start taking criticism personally, that will greatly affect how you work with others. And just be you! The best jobs are the ones where you get to work with amazing people and everyone gets along great.

Drinks

Chat more over coffee or tea?