Mallory Mershon

I’m finally home again and trying to get back to some degree of normalcy. When you spend 2 months in a new place, just when you manage to achieve a sense of comfort and routine, you’re immediately thrust back into the life you used to live and that’s what is surreal about this experience. It seems like just yesterday I was excited to go to London, but sad about leaving my family and friends. Now I’m faced with the opposite experience, glad to return to those people, but regretting that my time in London has come to an end. I suppose it would be easier if I knew that I would be back at some point, but I have no idea what the future will bring.

I can say for certain, though, that my internship at 3 Fish in a Tree and my London experience was the opportunity of a lifetime that it promised to be. I’ve never met a nicer group of people. Ricky is the kind of guy who will go out of his way to help you in any way that he can and he is an excellent contact and friend to have as a new designer. 

At 3fish, I had the chance to dabble in a little of everything, from photography, to image editing, to illustration, to conceptualization, to typography, etc. I’ve learned a great deal about using the tools of the Adobe programs in faster and more effective ways, which I’m hoping will mean less time working on homework for me this year More important than the tools, I had the opportunity to sit in on brainstorming sessions with all of the designers and see how an idea is first born and how it evolves through all stages of the design process. It is always an interesting experience to see all of the initial ideas, and then find out which one the client has chosen to go with, even if you are not always happy with the choice. Graphic design is a business after all, and I’ve learned the importance of not getting too attached to any of my work, especially in the beginning, because it will change over the course of the project, if it even gets used at all.

It’s been a big help in my own work to get the criticism and feedback from the 3fish designers on any given project. One of the hardest parts of the whole ordeal was probably opening up my work on the screen, with all of the designers crowded around, and waiting to hear what they had to say. It was very similar to how we put our work on the wall in class, but it’s extremely intimidating to do the same thing with a room full of professional designers. Difficult though it was, I survived, and I know I’ll be a better designer as a result of taking their advice.

The best part of the internship was that it was more than just going to a job every week. I made friends, I got to live in London for 2 months, and I have memories of an experience that I’ll never forget!