Where did you find out about the internship?
I found the job on our university job board. Wayfinding design wasn’t something I’d done or even looked at, before but it really grabbed my attention. When I saw it, I sent across my CV and portfolio pretty quickly!
The interview process was really smooth. I’d done a couple of interviews before and it was mostly a case of me going through my portfolio page-by-page. However, at Endpoint, it was much more personality focused, which was really nice. I got asked a lot of questions about myself and how I worked.
How were your first few days in the Endpoint office?
It was a little daunting being a solo intern, but I got over that quickly and felt welcomed by everyone from day one. The first few days involved a lot of getting to know people and learning about how Endpoint worked.
I got a lot of help from Richard Wilson and Cerys Thomas (former intern-turned-full time employee!) in the early days which helped me settle in nicely.
What were some of your highlights at Endpoint?
I did a lot of product design work alongside Paul Garratt. He mentored me on a range of different projects and I got to focus on the conceptual stuff as well as the technical.
One of the main highlights was working on Theatre Royal Drury Lane for three or four months. I was lucky enough to see this project through from the development stage all the way to production and procurement.
We developed the internal wayfinding signage in bespoke brass lettering so it fitted and worked effectively within the building. I also produced elevations to help ensure feasibility.
More recently, I worked on marketing the project with Tiffany Lewis, producing photography and videography which will be used on Instagram and the website.
You spent some of your internship working from home due to the COVID-19 lockdown. How did you find that?
It was a totally new experience! It was daunting, as an intern, wondering if I would be able to work. Luckily, Endpoint was really busy during that period so I was given the opportunity to collaborate at the concept stages of some big and exciting projects.
I still felt like part of the team as we regularly communicated via Microsoft Teams. I was busy and felt included... but I missed being in the office every day, seeing everyone. I was also grateful that Gideon delivered my office chair to me, which meant I could work efficiently.
What did you enjoy the most about working at Endpoint?
What really surprised me was the variety of areas I got to experience. As my year progressed, I got to delve into every department. I had a lot of highlights! I particularly enjoyed getting involved with some of the photography, quality control, and site visits.
It was also really nice to have face-to-face interaction with clients and manufacturers. In that respect, the internship was very open and accommodating – I certainly wasn’t kept in the background.
I’ve always been interested in arts and culture, so I was pleased to have the opportunity to work on museums as well as big architectural projects.
What are the next steps for you?
Although I've enjoyed my time here at Endpoint, it’s now time for me to go back to Uni to complete my final year. I’ve enjoyed working on product designs, so I know I definitely want to focus my career in this field. But first, let's finish Uni!
Do you have any words of advice for future interns at Endpoint?
Be yourself! Everyone at Endpoint is so kind and welcoming. The people here are great to work with and really fun. You can also learn so much from talking to different people in different roles. Every day you learn something new.
Thanks, Ollie! We’ve loved having you around too :) Best of luck in your last year!