Internship at ISIC Latvia: Elīza's story
Elīza is a final-year student in the “Art” study program at the University of Latvia. Her daily life is very busy - alongside full-time studies, she works at the company “Rocket Bean” and is writing her bachelor’s thesis. Due to this intensive schedule, the opportunity to undertake an internship at ISIC Latvia became an excellent decision, as it offered the necessary flexibility and the ability to plan her own time.
Why Choose an Internship at ISIC Latvia?
Elīza admits that the company attracted her not only because of its well-known brand but also due to her desire to gain valuable work experience.
“Many people know what ISIC is,” she comments, adding that an important part of the internship was the opportunity to receive feedback, which is sometimes lacking in other internship placements.
“Here, all tasks are assigned on time, and communication is very efficient - if any questions arise, you can immediately receive an answer from the internship supervisor.”
Working with Brand Guidelines and Creativity
- Elīza’s main task during the internship was creating visual materials for the brand, based on the existing ISIC Latvia brand style guide (brandbook). She worked on:
- preparing and adapting presentations;
- creating visual materials and templates for social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook.
Speaking about the working process, Elīza highlights a pleasant surprise: “I knew the work would not be creatively experimental, but rather systematic, following the framework of the style guide. And that was exactly the case. Honestly, I did not expect my opinion to be taken so seriously - I was allowed to stand up for my ideas instead of just blindly completing the tasks given by the supervisor. I truly appreciated that.”
Creative Boundaries and Key Projects
When discussing creativity, Elīza shares her approach - if a task feels challenging or ideas get “stuck,” she finds inspiration on the platform Pinterest, but she mostly relies on her own intuition and experimentation with the given elements.
“You can express creativity through how you use the elements that are already provided. If the company’s style guide includes specific guidelines, be creative and think about how to successfully combine them with your own ideas.”
Among the most interesting and significant tasks, she highlights working on the “Travel with ISIC” project and creating customer email newsletters, where she had more opportunities to express herself and explore new creative solutions.
Main Takeaway
During the internship, Elīza strengthened her understanding of how important it is to follow a company’s values and visual identity.
“The internship at ISIC Latvia taught me that it is not always necessary to redesign or ‘improve’ everything - if certain guidelines exist, they are there for a reason, to preserve the brand’s essence and identity.”
Advice for Future Interns
Elīza encourages students not to be afraid to try working in companies with clearly defined guidelines, structure, and a style guide. This helps you understand whether you prefer working within structured creative boundaries or in an environment with greater freedom for experimentation.
She emphasizes that any internship experience, especially one involving collaboration with different people, helps better understand your future goals within the broad field of design.
Written by Valērija Gerasimova
