My internship with Centreline started following my 3rd year of study at the University of Nottingham - Product Design and Manufacture. Even though I’d visited Centreline for my interview and already met a few of the design team, I started my placement with the usual anxiety one suffers when starting a new job; worrying that I may not fit in well with the office dynamic or wouldn’t be able to perform to the high standard required at Centreline. These concerns were all swiftly put to rest though as I found that my coworkers were very welcoming to myself and Peter and were always willing to offer help and answer questions.
Before starting my placement, I would have ranked my ability to use industry programs such as Solidworks and Keyshot quite highly. Now that I’m reaching the end of my placement, I realise how far I have progressed within these programs. I feel as though all aspects of my professional and design ability have been nurtured while at Centreline and I couldn’t have asked for a more welcoming and constructive introduction to the professional field of industrial design.
A challenge I faced was the speed at which work needed to be produced, whilst reaching a high standard. When working on projects in a university setting the time you can allocate to a project is largely determined by the individual. Coming into an environment where the time allotted for a project with firm deadlines was a big change. Adapting my work style and design process has improved the quality and efficiency of work I’ve been able to produce.
During my time at university I had developed a frustration with graphic design and was less than overjoyed to undertake what few graphic design tasks were required of me at university. My attitude towards the discipline began to adapt as time went on with my placement and I found myself being challenged to undertake more graphic design work, I think mainly due to the help and teaching given to me by my colleagues. They were able to give me helpful suggestions and tutelage that has allowed me to over my time here develop my graphic design abilities to a degree where I would no longer consider it a weakness of mine.
Now that my internship at centreline is coming to a close, I can reflect on how fortunate I have been to have had the opportunity to work alongside my colleagues on live and exciting projects. With my final year of university looming over my head I feel as though I couldn’t have placed myself in a better position for success. Armed with the skills I’ve developed through my time here I feel very optimistic about my development as an industrial designer and suitably prepared for whatever comes next.
