Intern Beat: Hilary Conlisk, MA in NMS

MA in NMS student Hilary Conlisk
MA in NMS student Hilary Conlisk
We spoke with Hilary Conlisk, MA in NMS 2014, about her recent experience as an intern at Neiger Design Inc. Conlisk interned for both work experience and course credit through WRD’s Professional Internship program. Take a look at why this internship was Hilary’s favorite to date!

” From July until November of 2013 I worked as a Graphic and Web Designer for Neiger Design Inc. in Evanston. Most of my previous work experience was as a freelance designer or as the only person in a department who had any design experience, so this was a great introduction to the way a design firm operates on a day to day basis. I learned a lot from the other designers there and greatly appreciated the collaborative atmosphere that NDI fosters.

During my internship, I got to work on a wide variety of projects including: client website updates, new website animations, developing a new logo for a division of an existing brand, fraternity expansion materials, mailable newsletters, hand-crafted invitations, t-shirt design, intricate graphs for an industry report, and a marketing book for NDI as a capstone project.

With each new project, staff meeting, and client meeting, I learned a little bit more about my co-workers, the clients, the company, and myself as a designer. I know now which areas I need to work on to improve my craft, and which areas I excel in as an employee. For both of these, I am very grateful to NDI and all the people there. I’ve kept in touch with them and hope to return in the coming weeks as a freelance designer on some of their new projects. If all goes well, maybe they’ll have room for me full-time in June when my NMS Graduate Assistantship and degree are both complete. If not, I know I gained valuable experience and some great references.”