Calling all emerging designers – we’re looking for you!

We’re Elmwood – an award-winning global brand and design consultancy delivering meaningful and memorable brand solutions for global and local clients.

We’re looking for you! Our London studio offers 8 1-month paid placements throughout the year to candidates with applicable experience looking to get some hands-on experience at a global design agency, including recent graduates, final-year students and those who may not be entering the industry through higher education.

What do we offer?

· 1-month paid placement

· For the best experience, we ask designers to come into our studio a minimum of three days per week (based in Covent Garden)

· Flexible working hours

· Working on live projects alongside experienced creatives across all levels

Tips for our interns:

1. Have an online portfolio

This might seem obvious to many, but your full PDF folio is likely to be very large and could be blocked or fail to send. Having an online presence allows you to put all of your work in one place, and you can tell the full story of each one at your own pace. However, we know that hosting a site can be an expense not everyone can afford – if your file is particularly large or you have a portfolio in a different format, please reach out to us! WeTransfer is also a great alternative for file sharing.

2. Social media should be an extension of your folio, not the core

This one speaks for itself!

3. Have a PDF CV and mini folio with hyperlinks to your projects ready to go

Save them to your device or in the cloud.

4. Tailor your emails

In your cover letter, introduce yourself briefly and say why you’d like to work at this company. Mention projects that you liked (and why), and why you think you’d be a good fit for this placement/position.

5. Curate your work

Come prepared to any interviews you might get; with a PDF of the projects you’d like to talk through. Take the time to present the process you went through. If you have projects you think are relevant to this agency, include them!

6. Research who you’re meeting

Looking up your interviewer on LinkedIn isn’t stalking, it’s showing them that you’re taking the time to prepare for your meeting. If you find something you have in common with this person, use it as an icebreaker!

7. Come prepared with questions

You might have specific questions on projects the agency has worked on, but maybe you have a couple that you can ask to every agency such as “could you describe the agency culture in three words?".

8. Follow up

After your interview, follow up with an email thanking the individuals for their time. If you’re keen on the role, say so, and if there are any further questions ask them here. Just by doing this, you’re more likely to get a response regardless of the outcome.

9. Seek out opportunities

Keep an eye out for opportunities on job boards, LinkedIn, and Instagram!

10. Don’t give up!

Don’t get disheartened by rejection. Instead, take as much from each experience as you can, and see it as a positive that you’re heading in the right direction. At any stage of your career you are likely to get more ‘no’s’ than ‘yes’, but that isn’t necessarily a reflection on you or your work – it might be culture, circumstance or even that the agency recognise that you won’t get as much out of the role as you would want. But do keep going.

FAQ:

Why am I expected to come to the studio x3 per week?

We want each and every one of our interns to get the most out of this opportunity, so we feel that’s the case through a collaborative, in-person approach. We also put on several social events that we love for our interns to be a part of to get to know the team better and immerse yourself into the true Elmwood culture (check out our Instagram to see what we’re talking about)!

Do I get to choose which projects I want to work on?

We aim to have our interns trial working across various teams during their time with us and working on branding and packaging work for a number of well-known brands. Each intern’s experience will vary based on the live work we have on at the moment.

What happens after the internship?

We have had an intern every year over the last few years obtain a full-time role at Elmwood based on the work they produced during their time interning with us.

How To Apply

Step 1: Get your portfolio in shape. Pick the work you’re really proud of and which you believe reflects your personality. Feel free to show sketches that show your thinking process - it doesn’t have to be polished. We’re looking for what’s the big idea!

Step 2: Send us a PDF of your work along with your CV and a cover letter. If you have won any awards, let us know here too!

Remember to include your available dates in your application.

Step 3: Send your email to [email protected]

Step 4: The boring bit – waiting. We get quite a few applications, so please be patient with us whilst we review them. We’ll get back to you about next steps – if you don’t make it this time, please don’t feel discouraged from reapplying again in the future (we’ll be around for a while).