Interships

Follow my internship journey, gaining experience, skills, and network. I am striving to be a artist that focuses on creating impactful visuals

[jbinterns]

This past week, the team has been prepping for interviews with Bowie State's Royal Court as this past week was Torchfest and the semester is coming to an end. I will be on the videography team, catching behind the scenes and audio for the interviews.

Here are a couple of photos from prep. We staged where everyone would be sitting and how the chairs would be. I collaborated with other videographers to make sure the camera angles and lighting were all staged in a way that every person could be seen.

Also follow @bsuthespectrum on Instagram to see the full and final work!

[jbinterns]

Podcast Thumbnail Logos

The Spectrum also has a podcast that I was assigned to designing a logo for, as well as a mockup thumbnail for the videos.

Ensuring that everything was cohesive and true to the brand of the newspaper was important. I definitely think this was a mission accomplished.

Is there anything you would add?

[jbinterns]

Staff Page Layout

After the headshots were taken, we moved onto incorporating them into the Staff Page layout design. Everything came full circle.

There were some errors that had to be fixed in order otherwise make sure all of the headshots were consistent. There were photos taken on separate says and it affect the lighting.

I worked with my Intern partner to adjust those photos.

[jbinterns]

Headshots for April Issue

These are a sample of some of the headshots that I took for our Staff Page on this month's issue. The preset I created in Lightroom is also applied.

Let me know if you guys like the preset or want tips/tutorials on how to achieve this look!

[jbinterns]

Now I’m showing the frames in a mockup layout so you can see how everything comes together.

This is where it starts to feel more real. The frames aren’t just individual designs anymore. Seeing them placed together made me think more about balance, spacing, and how everything flows across the page.

It also showed me what needed to be adjusted. Some frames worked perfectly, others needed tweaking once they were in context.

Overall, the mockup helped connect the idea to what the final could actually look like.

Let me know what you guys think!

[jbinterns]

So, I wanted to show some of the work I did during Women’s History Month and how it actually came together in the final layout we designed.

When I first started making the frames, I already knew that we would incorporate colors associated with women’s history. I was playing with shapes, spacing, and how I could create something that felt intentional but still expressive. It wasn’t just about making something look good, it felt like I was creating space to highlight and honor women in a way that felt strong but also thoughtful.

The real shift happened when we started working on the layout. Seeing everything together changed how I viewed the pieces completely. Some frames had to be adjusted based on the photos used in the layout.

One thing this project really showed me is how fast everything moves in the design process. There’s not a lot of time to sit on ideas, you have to create, revise, and finalize pretty quickly. It also made me realize how important it is for the whole team to be in sync.

If other parts of the team are not ready, then the entire project can be delayed or even replaced, like this one.

It was honestly cool to see something that started as simple experiments turn into something more complete and intentional, even if the process didn’t go exactly as planned.

[jbinterns]

This week I also received a new task that was a little different from the layout work I had been doing. I was asked to create a preset filter in Adobe Lightroom that could be used on photos to help them fit the overall newspaper aesthetic. The goal was to create a consistent look that would work well across different images while still maintaining a professional and editorial feel.

I spent some time looking at examples of newspaper photography and exploring how lighting, contrast, and color tones are typically adjusted for print-style visuals. I also looked for inspiration and tutorials to better understand how to build a preset that could be reused across multiple photos.

Creating a preset was interesting because it required me to think not just about one photo, but about how the same adjustments might work across many different images.

I’ll include the YouTube video that helped inspire my process below.

[jbinterns]

One thing I’m learning quickly about working on larger projects with a team is how fast priorities can change.

I started working on an article design highlighting recent CIAA basketball moments. I focused on creating a layout that captured the energy of the games while still keeping the design clear and engaging for readers. It was exciting to think about how typography, images, and composition could help tell the story of the games visually.

While we originally started focusing on basketball highlights, our attention soon shifted toward creating content for Women’s History Month. Because the team works collectively and responds to current themes, the direction of our work had to adjust.

Having flexibility is an important part of working in a collaborative environment. Not every project follows the exact path you expect, and learning to adapt is part of the process.

Do you work well in fast-paced creative environments?

[jbinterns]

Honored to help design layouts for our Black History Month issue. These are sample spreads my partner and I were assigned to create!

These samples showcase the visual direction of the project, focused on readability, representation, and strong visual flow.

Black history deserves thoughtful design.

[jbinterns]

Excited to officially step into my role! This poster outlines what I’ll be working on this semester with my internship with The Spectrum, student ran newspaper at Bowie State University. Grateful for the opportunity to grow, create, and collaborate.

Have you guys done any internships before? If so, how was the experience?

[jbinterns]

From interest meeting to internship secured ✨

This flyer is from the info session I attended for my school’s online student-run newspaper — and now I’m officially part of the team. Showing up really does matter.

If you’re thinking about applying for something, go to the meeting. Ask questions. Get your name in the room. You never know where it might lead.

Start somewhere.

Are you guys interested in seeing posts for internship opportunities?

[jbinterns]

A SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) is basically a self-check tool. It helps you see what you’re good at, where you need growth, what opportunities are out there, and what challenges you might face. The goal isn’t to judge yourself, it’s to get clear and move smarter.

This is the analysis I created while I search for internships and prepare for my post-college career!

Feel free to use this as an example!

Have you ever taken a few minutes to really consider where your strengths and weaknesses lie?