It was the best of times, it was the…no wait, it really was the best of times being Beehive’s first Graphic Design Intern! I had the special privilege of being the guinea pig for the internship, developing the role to become a solid part of the marketing and design team.

Throughout my time at the Hive, I learned three lessons that will stay with me through the rest of my design career:

1. Ask questions (the RIGHT questions)
2. Be yourself and play to your strengths
3. Stretch and grow

Ask questions

Communication is a key tool for a designer. They’re the ones bringing stories and ideas to life through beautifully designed (yet functional) pieces. Asking your clients the right questions before you begin your design process is imperative and WILL save you headaches down the road. These questions can range anywhere from, “what kind of feel do you want the piece to have?” or “what demographic are you trying to reach?” all the way to, “is the piece going to be printed?” and “what is your timing on this project?” Asking questions shows the client you’re invested in their project and want to do the best work you can.

Be yourself and play to your strengths

Beehive has a wonderful wellness program that encourages everyone to be their best and to do their best not only at work, but in life as well. Everyone at the Hive has 5 strengths, which are used to better understand one another, and to perform better as a team. It was interesting to learn more about my own strengths and the strengths of others, and to find out how to better work together on projects. I also felt safe to be myself at Beehive. I’m naturally an introvert (although I like to think of myself as an extroverted introvert) and that was respected. I was never pressured to jump into the thick of projects and people, without first taking my time to think things through.

Stretch and grow

One of the things I truly appreciated about Beehive is how invested they are in their employees. Even as an intern, I felt Beehive took an interest in my work and well-being and offered guidance whenever possible. I learned through the stretch and grow process that it’s ok to work outside of your comfort zone (in fact it’s encouraged!) and that even if you make mistakes, you still grow from the experience. This technique helped so much with my work on challenging projects, and I learned that I don’t always have to have all the answers. It’s a good opportunity to think of creative solutions and make mistakes without fear of ruining a project.

As a parting note: be prepared to have a remarkable experience with Beehive. There is no other agency quite like Beehive out there. So if you have a positive attitude, strong drive to work hard and better yourself, the Beehive internship is for you.