You Know You Can Win an Internship, Right?

You Know You Can Win an Internship, Right? Now that you've got all the details on our Student Design Competition, we're hoping you're inspired. But if you need a little more motivation at this point (after all, entries aren't due until early March), how about the prizes you could win?

There's certainly the money and the Adobe Creative Cloud subscription that are both very motivating. But perhaps the most valuable part of the prize might be the internships. Want proof of just how incredible an experience that can be? Well, how about we get one of our recent winners to give you a little recap.

Above is a sneak peek at some of the work Honorable Mention-winner Nicole Zigmont did at her internship at Complex magazine. Read on to learn more...

Honorable Mention-winner Nicole Zigmont
SCHOOL:  Rochester Institute of Technology
INTERNSHIP PRIZE:  Complex magazine
 
"It was my senior year in college when I realized I was fascinated by editorial design. From then on out, I was determined to focus my portfolio work in this area of design and ended up producing spreads that were apparently award-winning. The SPD award changed my life, and it all started with my internship at Complex magazine. I learned and accomplished so much in such a small amount of time, it's hard to believe that I was there for just over two months! 

I would say the greatest part of my experience with Complex was that I wasn't treated like an intern. I was given a lot of responsibility, deadlines, and projects that were featured in both the magazine and the website. Some things in particular that I was able to work on were blog art images, style icons, infographics on featured artists, page layouts, researching illustrators, and those are only to name a few. (Above is a piece she concepted and illustrated for a story on Rick Ross and below is an accompanying illustration she also did for the story. Find the original story here.)
ROSS_KEYS.jpgI was able to work individually with most of the editors on specific projects which was a great learning experience for me as well. I was also finally able to see how a magazine was produced from start to finish which was a huge perk. I witnessed how each page was treated with such care and devotion; it's no wonder Complex is so stunning. 

Everyone on the magazine staff was very friendly, unique, and enthusiastic about their jobs... they all made me feel appreciated for my efforts and I ALWAYS got a thank you no matter how big or how small a project was. My two directors in the art department, the Assistant Art Director Jason Sfetko (also a former Student Competition winner) and the Designer Anthony Clarke, were incredibly knowledgeable, inspiring, talented, and were very supportive throughout this whole thing which is something that I will be forever grateful for. They gave me my own space in the office where I could work with them closely, look over their shoulders, and go over concepts and execution. I remember several times feeling under pressure about meeting a deadline and then finally getting through it... those instances were of the greatest benefits I received from Complex because it really did prepare me for what's to come in my creative future. I looked forward to facing those pressures everyday because I knew it would help me understand what this business is all about. 

This exciting summer has meant more to me than I can even express in words. I am so honored to have been considered a winner in the SPD competition as it is, but on top of it, that prize was irreplaceable. So really, all I have to say is thank you so much SPD and Complex for letting me dive face-first into my dream as an editorial designer."

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Sounds pretty great, right? Even better, Nicole got a job at Family Circle magazine soon after. Talk about some good reasons to enter. Want even more? Check out some of our previous winners' internship experiences:
- Tina Nguyen at Fortune
- Megan Cummins at Departures
- Jason Sfetko at Martha Stewart Living
  • Jason Sfetko

    Nice job Nicole! We miss you :(

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