HEATHER PURDY

Assignment 1:
Internship & Design Company Research

Week 1 — Internship Search Strategies & Career Planning
Focus: Competency 6, 7, 10, 12

Objective

This assignment is designed to help you begin exploring the professional design industry while identifying companies, agencies, studios, or organizations where you may eventually apply for internships or employment. Since you have already selected preliminary portfolio projects, this research should also help you understand the kinds of work and presentation styles currently being used in the industry.

Assignment Instructions

Research 5 design agencies, studios, creative shops, or companies that employ graphic designers located within the broader Midwest region of the United States. These may include:

  • Branding agencies
  • Advertising agencies
  • Interactive/media studios
  • In-house corporate design teams
  • Packaging or publication companies
  • Motion graphics or UX/UI firms

Choose companies that you genuinely find interesting or exciting as potential future employers.

As you explore each company’s website and portfolio, pay close attention to:

  • The type of work they produce
  • The industries or clients they serve
  • How they present and organize projects
  • Their overall branding and professionalism
  • Internship or employment opportunities
  • Ways to contact or connect with the company

You should also begin thinking about how your own preliminary portfolio projects could eventually fit into this type of professional environment.

For Each Company, Include the Following

Company Information

  • Company name
  • Location
  • Website URL
  • Type of company/studio

Research Questions

  1. What kind of design work do they do?
  2. What industries or clients do they work with?
  3. How do they present their projects?
    • Mockups?
    • Photography?
    • Motion/video?
    • Case studies?
  4. What visual or professional qualities stand out to you?
  5. Is their presentation style consistent across projects?
  6. Can you identify owners, creative directors, or team members?
  7. Is there internship or career information available?
  8. How could your current portfolio projects potentially fit within this company’s style or industry focus?

Presentation Requirements

Create a professional presentation as though you are presenting your findings to a creative director or employer.

Your presentation should include:

  • A title slide
  • One slide per company
  • Screenshots or visual examples from company websites
  • Brief written analysis and observations
  • Professional formatting and visual consistency

You may create your presentation in:

  • Adobe InDesign
  • Adobe Illustrator
  • Google Slides
  • PowerPoint
  • Figma
  • Canva

What to Turn In

Submit:

  • A PDF version of your presentation
  • Any supporting screenshots or research materials used

Evaluation Criteria

You will be evaluated on:

  • Depth and quality of research
  • Professionalism of presentation
  • Visual organization and design
  • Thoughtfulness of analysis
  • Connections made between industry research and your own portfolio direction