Craig Ward

Craig Ward is a British born,  New York based designer and illustrator who likes playing with words. His full website can be found at www.wordsarepictures.co.uk. I really love his work and his website and he has inspired me greatly.  He also has a blog which he posts things that he says he envys, but honestly I dont know why as his work is greater than the work he has posted (in my opinion) and it is really useful as he has some tips on how to get internships as you can see listed below....

1. Send anything but an email. Write a letter, design a mailer; anything that shows you’ve put some thought into it. Don’t just email with a CV attached, people want to see the kind of work you’re capable of.

2. If you want to contact multiple studios, by all means do so but don’t send them the same damn thing. Tailor it. Mention work of theirs that you particularly like, why you want to work with them, what you think you’ll learn etc. “I find your work really inspiring” is not good enough, you can say that to anyone. There’s no need to suck up but be genuine.

3. Spelling and grammar. Seriously, this is really important. Foreign students, OK, you’re allowed some broken English etc but the fact is, you’re trying to get work in a field where communication, information, legibility and clarity are key. If you mis-spell internship in the subject bar things don’t look good. This has happened.

4. Be nice. Again, I can’t stress this enough. Why would anyone want to work with someone who comes across as arrogant?

5. P’s & Q’s! If a studio can’t take you on this year but takes the time to get back, say thank you! Would it kill you to be polite? This is the real world where people don’t have 6 week+ deadlines. If a busy studio has taken the time to get back to you, it’s the least you can do to respond in turn.

So, to reiterate: a tailored, genuinely interested, well put together and polite first point of contact will get a much better response than any carpet bomb email enterprise.