Fishtales
Introducing our newest work experience designer – Stevie!
Posted: 09/08/2021
Author: Fishtank
Last week we had the pleasure of hosting Stevie for a week’s work experience at Fishtank.
According to Statista, when asked, 51% of employers who offer work experience in the UK voted the main reason as it “Gives them experience”.
That is exactly why we wanted to give Stevie the opportunity to experience the working world with us. The insight that work placement opens you up to is invaluable, you are introduced to a new perspective on life and where it can take you.
Stevies placement week allowed her to practice social skills, familiarise herself with a real office environment, and explore future creative career paths.
We spoke with Stevie to find out about her background, interests and what she loved about her placement at Fishtank, here’s what she had to say :
Who is Stevie?
I am a 15 year old, going into my last year of high school at Salendine Nook High School Academy.
At the moment, my favourite subjects include Art and Textiles. I particularly enjoy these subjects as they both allow me to find new and different ways to express my creativity, helping me to find my own, unique style. Along with expressing my creativity with art, I also enjoy expressing myself in writing.
My passion for art and design is what drives me towards a creative career path, allowing me to express my creativity as well as apply my natural interest in all things artistic.
Why did you choose Fishtank for work experience?
I wanted to come to Fishtank for my work experience as I knew it would give me an insight into working in a creative agency environment, as well as teaching me valuable people skills I need for the future. I also wanted to explore the different creative career paths I could embark on in the future.
Your first day at Fishtank
During my first day at Fishank I met most of the team, including the designers I would be working closely with – Joe, Niamh, Liam and Georgia. I also met some of the other team members over video call on the team’s weekly Monday morning meeting.
The team were extremely friendly, helpful and welcoming, going above and beyond to help me adjust to office life and supporting me through every step, making my time here very enjoyable.
On my first day, I was introduced to different software the designers use on a day to day basis, one of which was Adobe Illustrator. Right away, I was given the opportunity to work on editing staff headshot images for one of Fishtank’s clients, JMG. I really loved this particular task and I would have to say this was one of the best tasks I was given during my placement week.
What projects have you been working on in the studio?
My time in the studio was great. I was introduced to both Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. I worked closely with Liam and Niamh as they taught me how to use photoshop to cut out staff headshots and overlay them on to different backgrounds. These images were for JMG’s website as they initially sent us simple staff images with them standing against a plain background, it was our job to take these images and make them look professional, as well as natural. I really enjoyed working on this as it taught me how to pay attention to detail and taught me the basics of adobe.
During my time at Fishtank I also researched for one of their newest potential clients – Glu Recruit, researching their competitors and searching for inspiration, as I was tasked with generating and illustrating a design concept for their brand new website. This task taught me how to use research to inspire designs and allowed me to input my own personal style within design work.
What have you learned?
In my short time at Fishtank I have already learned so much. I have experienced the day to day life of an agency workplace, waking up early and having a full day of work, compared to my shorter high school days. I have also learnt different aspects of graphic design, along with the process, research, tools and thought exploration needed to produce and complete the assigned work.
What was your favourite aspect of the role?
Although I enjoyed all the tasks I was challenged with, my favourite aspect of the role would have to be designing and developing an idea for the Glu Recruit website, having to use software such as Photoshop and Illustrator to complete this task.
Have you enjoyed your work experience at Fishtank?
Overall, I have really enjoyed my time at Fishtank – thanks to the team, their help and the tasks I was assigned with. I would definitely recommend work experience, not only at Fishtank, but in general. I have learned invaluable skills even in the short time of a week.
I would specifically recommend Fishtank’s work experience programme to anyone interested in design, web development or digital marketing roles as well as anyone with interest in the creative industry.
