A Year In Industry

Hi - I’m Sophie Jones who is studying Design for Art Direction.

​From entering into yer two of my degree I pondered with the idea of taking a year out, and to tell the truth I wasn’t necessarily keen on the idea as it seemed like an awful lot of hassle. While I was working towards my degree I was also working for fashion production companies, PR companies and even assisting some stylists of a weekend. It came to the deadline of applying for the DPS year and I thought that I might as well apply as it gave the chance even if I didn’t want to take it. 
I set out in my application for DPS that I wanted to strengthen my skills in pitching, graphic design and creative concept development.  As well as wanting to explore a lot of different roles across the disciplines of fashion, graphic design and publishing , events production and possibly even within the music industry.

I intended on remaining within the small fashion production company ( Picnic Productions) that I interned for during term time and going full time there, and I also was quite set on doing the Erasmus programme and moving to Paris. I’ve done neither of those things and I'm quite glad I didn't. This is because while I applied for the DPS year I also was sending some applications in the background for year out in industry schemes. I only applied to two jobs, as like I mentioned I wasn’t too set on going for the DPS year. One of them was a brand partnerships role with the British Fashion Council which I did interview for and decided that’s not a place I would ever want to work. The other was an events internship with luxury online fashion retailer MatchesFashion.Com . Neither were related to my degree title nor specific to the context covered in ‘Design for Art Direction’ but I was happy enough to apply for something entirely unrelated. I want to go into fashion after my degree, I have known that from the start but I chose to study my course to gain a better understanding of publishing, graphic design and generally do develop a better creative discipline which infect has really helped me with the placement I got.

In March I interviewed and two days later was offered a year long, full time paid events internship with matches fashion which I took and then confirmed by place on DPS. I started quite soon after I finished second year at LCC,  on the 8th of July with 6 other interns who had also been recruited for different roles across the company. 
I didn’t necessarily have any expectations for this internship but I didn’t certainly didn’t expect it would be quite as full on and intense as it has been. I've worked every week day since the 8th of July. I have loved my time so far, despite the hard work! I am still shocked about how much responsibility I am given and my course has certainly allowed me to stand out in the workplace with my graphic design skills, my team don’t need to out source graphic designers to mock up CAD drawings or renderings of potential products etc any more. Even though my internship is events I work quite a lot in graphic design on a daily basis, I produce renderings for product for the vending machine we have in Matches’ townhouse in mayfair (5 Carlos Place) and I produce the designs for the vinyl wrap of the machine. I had the ambition to work in fashion which I’m doing as well as working in music and events production, all of which I get to do within my internship role with the array of events the company produces. 

I’m aware my DPS year will be quite different to a lot of other peoples as I am staying in one place for the whole time but with the variety of events we have on the event schedule I am gaining so many skills I wouldn’t  have dreamed of having before graduation. For example I have helped create an instillation for Bottega Venneta’s Creative Directors first collection in the brand, I’ve helped secure a new cafe residency of East London’s trendy restaurant ‘ Bistrotechque’ and launch a really successful fashion week party / installation to celebrate the collaboration between Moncler genius and Richard Quinn. All of which have been completely different yet at the basis it comes down to the design and aesthetic and how that is beneficial to my employer and the client we are working with. Design and technology are both crucial when it comes to planning these things as without the aid of CAD or the ability to render and design ideas, we wouldn’t be able to plan and collaborate with people from around the world so effortlessly. With all of the complex issues in planning I face most days, it comes down to some kind of design flaw and it’s learning how to use the assists available to you to fix that flaw which gets the job done. The most successful people we work with use technology to their absolute advantage to do this also. 


​Overall, I feel my motivations and ambitions for this year initially were to just work in fashion and take what I could get as I thought anything extra on my CV would benefit me, regardless of what it was. I am however extremely happy with my placement and the challenges involved. I am working with a team who I feel will only help my creative abilities to flourish as the year goes on.