In the course of a day’s work as an intern or entry-level assistant for a design firm, a design trainee performs a variety of tasks. The type of work will be determined the firm’s design capabilities. A firm that specializes in interior design, for example, will typically require a design trainee to run errands, perform clerical duties, and learn the fundamentals of material acquisition and customer relations. A graphic or Web design firm will require tasks beyond errands and clerical work, such as proofing and generating code or designing a Web site, as well as basic pre-press operations prior to printing. In either field, a design trainee’s responsibilities typically include providing assistant-level work to experienced designers and staff.
The day-to-day tasks of an interior design intern typically include keeping all work spaces at the firm organized and clutter-free. The design trainee makes phone calls to vendors and suppliers in order to locate all necessary materials for a project, such as paint, moldings, fixtures, flooring, and any other tools or materials. The trainee will typically serve as a liaison and coordinator between the design firm and the client, scheduling meetings and other planning activities. Trainees in design are also in charge of coordinating work and scheduling any subcontractors needed to complete a project.
Some interior design trainees keep general records and generate invoices for the firm’s services. In addition, the trainee may be asked to run errands such as coffee runs, lunch deliveries, and other tasks, freeing up experienced designers to focus on their own work. Often, an interior design firm’s design trainee does not need any special skills other than the ability to organize and coordinate the elements of a complex project.
A graphic or Web design trainee is frequently required to provide back-up for the firm’s experienced graphic or Web designers, in addition to performing clerical and organizational tasks. This means that the trainee will frequently double-check all completed work to ensure that it meets both aesthetic and technical requirements for publication in print or on the Web. A graphic design trainee, for example, will check an InDesign® or QuarkXPress® document before sending it to the printer to ensure that all images are cyan, magenta, yellow, and black (CMYK), that all fonts are packaged, and that all including elements can be packaged.