Approach
In the passed, I have emailed studios instead of calling, in order to arrange visits / interviews. This time I decided to call studios up, something much more personal. This can also give me a straight yes or no answer instead of waiting.
Graphic Thought Facility
http://www.graphicthoughtfacility.com
For a long time Graphic Thought Facility have been one of my favourite studios. They are also situated a commutable distance from my home in London.
I called up, and then ended up speaking with Andy Stevens via email:
Hi there!
My name is Joe Leadbeater, i’m a final year BA (Hons) Graphic Design student, studying at Leeds College of Art. I absolutely love your work, it seems you’re an agency with a carefully considered ethos that’s communicated throughout all of your projects. I would love to visit the studio to find out more, and hopefully result in an internship at some point after I graduate in July. After graduation i’ll be moving back home to London, so commuting to your studio wouldn’t cause any difficulty.
Here’s a link to my website, my most up-to-date portfolio:
Looking forward to hearing from you and all the best,
Joe
Joe Leadbeater
Graphic Designer
+44 (0) 7854 398957
Hello Joe
Why don't you call by the studio in the New Year? It would be good to meet up and then we can take a view on what's available here re internships etc.
Let us know when you are down, possibly in New year before you head back up to Leeds?
Yours, Andy
Hi Andy,
That sounds great. I start university on the 6th, so the earlier the better really! Were there any dates you were thinking would work best for you?
Best,
Joe
It's not true that students get 3 months off at Christmas then. I'm up Scotland for Christmas so earlier might not be possible if I'm heading down and you're heading north. Let's Email after New Year. The 2nd might be possible but if not just give me a heads up for when you're next heading down to London and we can sort something out for then.
Andy
Unfortunately there was not enough time to meet up with Andy before going back to uni for the next term. I will follow this up and hopefully gain a 3 month internship in the future.
Two Times Elliott
http://2xelliott.co.uk
Hi James!
My name is Joe Leadbeater, i’m a final year BA (Hons) Graphic Design student, studying at Leeds College of Art (I think one of your designers - Matt Tucker, was on my course). I absolutely love your work, it all seems so carefully considered, and executed with beautiful clarity. I would love to visit the studio to find out more, and hopefully result in a placement. Out of term time I live in London, so it would be no problem for me to visit in the next couple of weeks. We’re allowed to take up to 2 weeks off university for placements, so again, this wouldn’t be a problem.
Here’s a link to my website, my most up-to-date portfolio:
Looking forward yo hearing from you and all the best,
Joe
Hi Joe,
Really lovely work — how long are you looking for a placement for?
Best,
James Horwitz
Creative Director
—
After a long email correspondence, we organised an interview for the placement. I visited the studio and the next day was offered a placement! I was really happy with the result, which I will obviously blog when it comes to the placement itself.
