I still recall being that shy thirteen-year-old sat in the studio, in total awe of creatives deep in discussion over a Burberry annual report. I was embarking on a weeks work experience at Emperor Works Studio, an experience that was to have a huge impact as it cemented my ambitions to pursue a career in the design industry.

At mark-making* we value giving back to the community – pro-bono branding work via our Project Pledge scheme is testament to that, but equally we value giving opportunities to help nurture the talent of the future. This summer we opened our doors to two students aiming to give them a true-to-life experience of what it is like to work in a busy design studio.

The successful students were selected after an interview process, where they talked through their work, ideas and processes, which also gave us a real insight as to how they would fit within with the design team.

It was tough, but we eventually narrowed it down to two. Josie, year 12, from the Warriner School and Felix, year 10, from Chipping Norton School. The project they worked on was as true to life as possible. They were briefed from a briefing document, gathered research, developed ideas and created final outcomes. We squeezed as much in as possible to help the students understand what it’s really like to work in our industry.

– Felix’s poster

While we hope the students are proud of what they created and the knowledge they absorbed, enjoying the week is of equal importance. Felix and Josie both seemed to have a good time and we found it just as rewarding!

“I really enjoyed learning about the workings of a design studio and also getting to understand new software, like Adobe Illustrator, that I have never used before. All of the team were really friendly and meeting and getting to know them was something else I enjoyed, so I think it’s fair to say that my favourite thing about the week was the whole week.”

– Josie

Here’s some more insight from Josie’s week at mm*:

What got you into design?

I studied the subject in some of my lessons at secondary school and really enjoyed it so I decided to take it as a GCSE. That’s when I became properly interested in the subject because I realised there were so many different routes you could go down.

Do you have a favourite artist or designer?

Last year, my Mum and I went to an exhibition about optical art and there was a lot of work by Bridget Riley which I found really interesting. She uses lots of different techniques to create different effects all of which were equally mind-boggling and intriguing, which is why I’d have to say that she is my favourite artist.

What’s been your favourite thing about this week?

I really enjoyed learning about the workings of a design studio and also getting to understand new software, like Adobe Illustrator, that I have never used before. All of the team were really friendly and meeting and getting to know them was something else I enjoyed, so I think it’s fair to say that my favourite thing about the week was the whole week.

What’s been the hardest bit about this week?

I think the hardest part of the week was at the beginning when I was nervous about meeting new people and getting things wrong. But I soon realised that I needn’t have worried at all because everyone was, as I mentioned before, really friendly and always happy to help me.

What are you up to for the rest of the summer?

I’m going on holiday to the Lake District at the beginning of the school holidays which I’m really looking forward to. I’m also taking part in a National Trust Working Holiday in Yorkshire which should be interesting. And in August I will have my seventeenth birthday so I’ll probably be starting learning to drive which is quite a scary thought. Other than that I’ll probably be relaxing and doing whatever homework I get set.

– Josie’s ticket