To create a comprehensive brand identity for each client within a fast-paced environment.
3 months, Summer 2022
Ciara, Melissa, Zaac
8 client presentations with each client (16 total) on brand strategy, creative strategy, naming options, brand identity, and verbal identity.
Railyard Lab is a student design group run by the branding and packaging company behind the Mikes Hard Lemonade and the Little Potato Company brands. This paid internship targets startups and non-profits, and encourages business and design students to collaborate.
I was fortunate enough to be mentored by senior designer Steve, who taught me some tips about branding and creative strategy. Thanks to Steve, I was able to expand my design toolkit and learn how to create 3 diverse creative corridors that align with the client's needs. I also gained some valuable insights on concisely communicating design to non-designers using mockups, colour meanings, and tangible design rationale.
An Indigenous company whose goal was to create a thought-provoking apparel brand with proceeds going to support Indigenous non-profits, communities, and nature.
— Organized and planned project timeline to work within schedule restraints
— Lead intern team, defined project goals and communicated with stakeholders
— Defined the core of the brand and how the brand is perceived
— Conducted audience research and synthesized findings into bite-sized research insights
— Developed and refined audience personas, focusing on the 'ignitor' persona
— Used keywords to define the mood and feeling for future copywriting
— Created sample 2-3 word slogans
An international financial consulting firm whose goal was to rebrand their company in a way that it is better aligned with their core strengths and differentiators within the financial sector.
— Organized and planned team name ideation sessions
— Systematically came up with 5 strong naming options that addressed different client needs
— Created multiple moodboard and colour options for the brand
— Used keywords to define the mood and feeling for future copywriting
— Created sample 2-3 word slogans
Internships are invaluable, I learned more in my three months here than I do in a whole semester. Client presentations and interactions, balancing team dynamics, the incredible convincing power of applying branding to collateral, and creating style guides even non-designers can follow - these are things the classroom simply can't teach.