Company
September Digital
Agency
Date
September 2024 -
February 2025
Website
https://september.digital/
During the third year of my CMD studies, we had the opportunity to do a twenty-week internship. For me, this was the perfect chance to work on real projects for real clients, while also learning what it’s like to be part of a professional design team.
During my internship I got the chance to work with, and learn from my colleagues. For twenty weeks, I was part of a team of experienced UX/UI designers, and I quickly discovered that I could learn far more from them than I had ever expected.
The goal of an internship is to give you a preview of what working life will look like later on. That’s why I felt it was important to find a company that truly suited me, and I can proudly say that I did!
I spent the twenty weeks of my internship at September Digital, a small creative agency based in Utrecht.
What I liked about September, is that they choose to work on projects that have a positive impact. This means that the work you do really makes a difference.
It wasn’t just the agency’s values that appealed to me, but also their personality. September is a small, close-knit team where work and fun go hand in hand. As soon as I walked through the door I felt right in place.
During my internship, I worked closely with real clients. I was given full responsibility for the communication with them and learned how important it is to be able to clearly explain my design choices.
This made me design more consciously. Because I had to justify my decisions, I began to see design as more than creating something that looks good. It’s about thinking through why it works and recognising that what works for one product doesn’t automatically work for another.
Approaching a project with this mindset results in a product that not only looks good, but also functions effectively and provides the best possible user experience.
One of the projects I got to work on during my internship was designing an interactive longread page for Natuur & Milieu.
I started this project by doing research: what exactly is a longread, and how do you make it engaging to read? I looked up examples of other long-reads and drew inspiration from them.
With enough insights gathered, I could move on to the design phase. The longread had to consist of different sections that could be combined to build a complete page. Each section had to be designed as a flexible building block that could stand on its own and fit with any other section, in any possible order.
As the designer on this project, I was also responsible for handing over the design to the development team. This not only allowed me to explain my design choices, but also to discuss the feasibility of the concept and ensure good implementation.
Walking this project through from beginning to end allowed me to learn a lot, from structuring research and design to communicating effectively with developers.
Looking back at my internship at September, I can proudly say it was a valuable experience that taught me a lot.
I experienced what it’s like to work at an agency, where every project is different and comes with its own challenges. I had the chance to work on a variety of projects, each teaching me something new. Along the way, I learned how to approach projects more effectively, explored new techniques, and worked with tools that expanded my skill set as a designer.
Beyond gaining more experience in UX design, I also grew as a designer. I became more confident in my work and learned how to communicate that confidence to others.
Looking back, I am proud of my internship at September, because this is where I grew into the designer I am today.
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