Internship

For this internship, my main aim was to earn real life experience working in a modern day and renowned design firm.

Spaces and Design provided me with exactly this, being a modern day design services firm that has been nationally recognised multiple times since its inception in 2006. Over the course of this internship, I was a part of the team responsible for the creation of a premium homeware line, revolving around the theme of Yin and Yang. As I worked with the team, I was able to understand the intricacies of working within a team of experienced designers, devouring new knowledge and adapting to a new, fast flowing and collaborative workflow. Over the course of 6 days, the team and I were able to create a series consisting of light fixtures, board games, a paperweight and a planter. This experience was extremely helpful and insightful as I was able to experiment with rapid prototyping techniques such as paper based manufacturing and 3-D printing, thereby also allowing me to hone my skills in CAD modeling. While working with the team, I discovered the tedious process of making a project such as the product line, partaking in deep conversations about the product, the user experience and various physical properties of the products themselves such as texture, materials, colour palettes and the overall design language we wanted to go with. I was also given full freedom to make my own planter design. In order to make the product effective and compliant with the theme, I decided to do some research on Yin and Tang and learned about the many ways in which it it not only a philosophical concept but can actually be applied to design processes in order to create harmonic and well balanced products. An example of this can be combining two contrasting textures in order to create a well rounded product, which is an idea I tried to incorporate in my product.

Overall, this intership was an invaluable experience for me as it allowed me to work on a team of talented and experienced individuals who have established a name in the field of my interest. It also showed me how collaborative efforts can often result in products that are well thought out, as multiple perspectives often trump those of an individual and allow for the product to be viewed objectively without any personal attachment to an idea. All in all, it gave me an insight into a workplace where I envision myself in the near future.