contributed by Hannah Mack

This summer I completed an internship at Kate Spade New York in Manhattan. I was a web design intern working on the creative marketing team. I worked four days a week 9–6. Growing up I wanted to be a fashion designer, but things changed as I got older and I found myself wanting to be a graphic designer,
interning at Kate Spade allowed me to join the two worlds together.

As an intern I was responsible for a variety of things. I was put to work immediately–and it was hard work! On the first day I created banners that appeared on websites advertising Kate Spade. Later I worked on e–mails, sweepstakes interfaces, more e–mails, as well as various tasks around the design department. As an intern I was also required to work on a larger project that would eventually be presented to the leadership team at Kate Spade and Jack Spade. Jack Spade is the male counterpart to Kate Spade producing both bags and clothing as well.

My large scale project was very exciting, I was required to design the creative for the Kate Spade website in August. Every month Kate Spade changes the creative on their website to reflect a ‘Color of the Month’ – this coincides with the 2011 Year of Color Campaign that Kate Spade is currently running. August’s color was Blue, and I was required to make the website’s assets reflect this color. This meant banners on the website, the landing page, etc. This project is usually executed by the head web designer, but they put it in my hands! I had to make sure that all of the assets on the website worked seamlessly with the product on the site as well as other campaigns that Kate Spade was running. It was a difficult job requiring lots of work and meetings, but I was able to pull it off.

This internship not only was a way to make connections and put myself out there, but it also boosted my design confidence. I ended my nine weeks at
Kate Spade with multiple portfolio pieces and knowledge of a real world design environment. I could not speak more highly of my experience, the
people I worked with were wonderful. I had a blast at Kate Spade and learned so much!

Hannah Mack is a senior graphic design major from Loveland, Ohio.

Sandie Maxa joins up as a full-time faculty member and leader of the new post baccalaureate program in graphic design, relocating from New York. Junior April Dai interviews him below.

AD: What inspired you to get into design?
SM: As a child I was fascinated by visual information, the more complex the better: maps, phone books, catalogs, tickets, etc. I made a lot of books and little mockups of printed ephemera with paper and markers. In high school I learned that I could make these things and be paid for it as a graphic designer. I’ve been expanding my definition of graphic design ever since.

AD: Was there a defining prior experience that influences how you design?
SM: I am most influenced by the people I have learned from; my professors, but also my classmates and colleagues.

AD: What are some of your inspirations?
SM: One of my favorite places to go for inspiration is Storm King Art center in New Windsor, New York. It is a 500-acre sculpture park with rolling hills and woods. Each art work is specifically sited for the space it occupies, so there is a beautiful connection between the object and its context. My favorite pieces are by Richard Serra and Andy Goldsworthy.

read on.

A candid review of my post-graduation transition, in five parts
Contributed by Claire Mueller (11) 

Part One: Set Goals, But Be Open-Minded
Entering into my final year at MICA I had very specific expectations for myself. Apart from schoolwork-related goals, I wanted to secure a design job for myself by the time that I graduated. Even though I wanted to be open about where I was job hunting, New York stuck out because of the vast number of exciting design opportunities, and because the idea of living there was appealing. Nominated by professors, in May I attended the Art Directors Club student portfolio day in NYC. I announced to everyone that “yes, I plan on moving here right after I graduate!” One art director from a prestigious and hip firm in Philadelphia invited me in for an interview, but I politely declined because I was still completely engrossed in moving to New York.

Part Two: Wave Goodbye to Entitlement
I heard back from several people after the event; including a representative from a luxury hotel company. I was so excited that a company in New York wanted me to come in for an interview that I overlooked the fact that working for a hotel had never been something that I aspired to do. I paid for a bus to their offices in lower Manhattan, gave my student portfolio speech in front of three semi-interested designers, and learned about the design process for the company. The whole interview lasted about 20 minutes. The office environment and people seemed nice enough. When I got a prompt follow up email, they seemed positive and asked me to contact them when I was eventually living in the city. It wasn’t a bad response, but its vagueness was frustrating.

While apartment hunting in New York, I stopped by a different design firm where I had a previous connection. Two new designers there seemed patronized by my presence, and were clearly in a hurry to move on with their busy days. I left the design firm, walked a block down the street and started to cry. Looking back I know I was upset because at MICA I had been made to feel smart and unique (which I do think I am but maybe in a healthier way now), and out in the real world it turned out that I wasn’t entitled to a design job or praise from professionals.

Part Three: Don’t Fight Your Frustration
I emailed back the Art Director from Philadelphia, and in early June went in for an interview. In contrast with my previous experience, this firm paid for my travel expenses. I spent five hours (not 20 minutes) speaking to Art Directors, Graphic Designers, and Copy Writers. It felt like they were taking great care in the interview process, which made me a lot more comfortable and confident in myself. More importantly I had an exciting revelation; I really wanted to move there, even if I didn’t get the job. I was never made a job offer by that firm, but for the first time after graduation I had been treated like a professional, which I respected.

My family was concerned about the risks of my decision to move to Philadelphia: I had no job, no emotional support group there, no money (at least for the time being). I was hurt that the one concrete decision that I had made post-college was being undermined, but in reality my anger was because I knew they were right. My “one concrete decision” was flimsy, and my father wanted me to move back home. Leaving college for home had never been part of my plan, and there was so much stigma associated with doing so that for the first time I was worried what my peers would think of me and my job hunt. One day in mid July I stopped feeling sorry for myself and forced myself to brush off rejection. I kept searching.

Part Four: Finding a Job is a Full-time Job
For the rest of July I sat in my apartment Monday through Friday treating 9-5 like working hours in which my job was finding myself a job. I made a chart of all the places that I applied to, the date at which I applied to them, what city they were in and what the job position was. When I heard a “no thank you” back from one of them I would strike the name through on the list, and not give it a second thought. A week before I was scheduled to move back home, I attended another vague interview in New York for an e-commerce site. This time however, I let the lukewarm interview roll off me and didn’t allow myself to be upset.

In early August, one week after I moved home outside of Washington DC, I scheduled an interview at a nearby news media company. The associate with whom I had made the appointment called instead of emailed, sounded good-natured and even made a couple of jokes. During my interview I was taken seriously and was not treated like an inexperienced recent college graduate but like an intelligent creative individual. The interview felt like a conversation, not a police interrogation. The people I had met were embarking on creative projects that I truly wanted to be a part of. Two days later my interviewer called me to request references. Two days after that he called with a job offer, and I began working there last week.

Part Five: Don’t Compromise
I am not sure why I was hard on myself for not securing a job right away, because it was so unrealistic to do so. Yes, every year a couple MICA graphic design students have a job before they walk across the stage at the symphony hall, but not being one of them should not have made me feel any less competent of a designer. Go into your senior year without getting hung up on the details of a path you may have forged a long time ago. Make decisions based on what your life is like now, not what you feel like it should be. Do not settle for something that does not feel right.

Claire Mueller is the Visual Designer of User Experience at CQ Roll Call in Washington, DC.

Hayley graduated from MICA in 2009, with a major in graphic design and concentration in fiber. She currently works at LLBean in Maine, and was interviewed by Jessica White (alumna of 10).

1. What were your intentions of studying both graphic design and fibers? Did you have a goal?

During my freshman year I walked into the fibers department and inquired about double majoring and/or concentrating, unfortunately neither was an option. I knew that I wanted to take advantage of the resources the department had to offer, so over the course of my four years at MICA I enrolled in as many classes as I could. I found a way to incorporate my graphic design knowledge into my fibers work and blend the two creatively. I got my start with textile design in Introduction to Fiber and Pattern & Digital Print/Textile, and proceeded to design two collections on my own time for the Juried Fashion Show. I had found the loophole to pursue my two passions simultaneously. Graphic design provided me with a solid foundation and my fashion and textile design expanded my horizons. I am so happy that I pursued these two avenues at MICA. The experiences and support I received from the two departments gave me the opportunity to customize my education to fit my needs. This strengthened my portfolio and vision for my future. I think that more than ever before it is crucial to be able to take on many different roles within your career. It makes you a much more desirable candidate.

2. How did you become interested in fibers? Was this something you enjoyed before coming to MICA?

As long as I can remem- ber I have loved sewing, both my grandmother and mother had sewing rooms and as a kid I would go through their scraps and make clothes for my dolls. I loved exploring through all of the boxes of buttons, lace and patterned cloth. By middle and high school I started to design clothes for myself. Even though working with fabrics and designing clothes made me extremely happy the thought of making that my career never crossed my mind until I entered into my junior year at MICA.

3. It’s hard to find a job these days, what was your application process like? Did you inquire with many studios? What was the outcome?

Yes it is. I applied to forty something design and fashion companies and studios. I sent my credentials everywhere from large in-house design departments to small design studios. I was extremely discouraged by the lack of response. Out of all the businesses I contacted I only had one interview (not including my interview with Sea Bags.) My job at Sea Bags happened because I walked into one of their stores and started up a casual conversation with the woman behind the register, only to later find out that she was the president of the company. She spontaneously invited me to lunch with her business partner. It’s all history from there.

4. You’ve been recently hired at Sea Bags, what is your role in the company? Do you feel your knowledge of graphics and fibers are being used to their fullest?

I design and sew for Sea Bags. In my first month working for Sea Bags I have redesigned the line sheets, created marketing materials and drafted flats for future product designs. I also get my hands dirty, I help kit the bags and sit down at the industrial machine and stitch the panels. One of the best features of working for a small company is that you are exposed to many different facets of the business. I am able to sit down and chat with the selling managers and the owners; through this exposure I have a well-rounded understanding of the business. I am also designing products along the way too, being on a team of twenty presents me with many different opportunities. So yes, I do feel that my knowledge of graphics and fibers are being used to the fullest.

5. On your blog you recently posted progress photos of your studio renovation. Do you have any fun projects planned or in the making?

My first big project this year was to create a studio space. In addition to that I have quite a few projects and collections I want to dive into. I am always interested in graphic, fashion, and textile design but more recently I have been thinking of product and furniture design. Right now I am simultaneously researching paint by numbers, haute couture sewing, maritime knot tying and old sailor tattoos. I am excited to see where 2010 takes me!

6. Your style is influenced much by your atmosphere. Do you have plans to go in a different direction someday, or will you stay true to your Maine pride? I LOVE Maine, and am so proud to call this beautiful place home. I always knew I was lucky to live here, but it wasn’t until I ventured to MICA that my time away made me appreciate it that much more. As a result quite a bit of my portfolio was shaped by my home state. Maine will always influence me, but I have a deep desire to go see the world. I would love to live and work abroad, see how coastal communities around the world live, and find connections between the two.

7. If you could collaborate with anyone, not limited to a designer(s), who would it be?

Good question! I would be honored to work with Marimekko. To design textiles and then to turn them into garments and home goods would be my dream.

Check out more of Hayley and Jessica’s work!

Hayley Griffin’s Blog

Jessica Lynn’s Website

Interested in interviewing a fellow student or alumn or sharing your story? Contact Brockett at bhorne@mica.edu.