Tiphène Amber Lechleiter, a Digital Arts student, undertook an EP internship with local design studio Dodgems and Floss, we caught up with both to find out how it went….
Dodgems and Floss are a collaborative design studio committed to crafting experiences through delightful design. Comprising a small team of designers, developers, animators, photographers, videographers and business leaders, they seek to use technology and design thinking to help make life easier and more enjoyable for users of products and services.
Ben Fitter-Harding, Studio Director, has been a valuable supporter of the Employability Points Scheme for a number of years and shared his enthusiasm for the Scheme and University of Kent students – Dodgems and Floss employ two Kent graduates! Ben also expressed his gratitude for support from Santander Universities who generously provided funds towards the cost of the internship:
“For a clock-based studio like ours, resources are our time and clients pay us for our time. Funding from Santander allows us to cover things like training, tutoring and additional feedback as we did for Tiphène, we wouldn’t have been able to bill for that extra time, therefore would not have been able to provide it. The additional support from Santander makes it viable for a company our size, we wouldn’t be able to offer an internship without the extra cushion, it really is key and fundamental to make it work.”
When asked about Tiphène, Ben was full of praise, commenting on how different it was this year due to COVID restrictions preventing work in the studio and how they adapted the experience accordingly. Ben was impressed with the progress Tiphène made, stating how constructively she took on feedback and the resulting changes in her work.
“Tiphène certainly added value to the studio, she did some great artwork and design work for PRIDE in Canterbury. We particularly benefited from her fresh eyes, new ideas – she was able to look over pitches and proposals and give a new opinion about how well it would be understood. We enjoyed Tiphène’s energy and creative work, it was a shame we couldn’t have a team outing to get to know her better.”
Tiphène was equally as enthusiastic about her placement with Dodgems and Floss, also recognising the benefit of the EP Scheme as a means of securing valuable work experience in a competitive market. As a Graphic Design intern, Tiphène explained how the placement provided a chance to learn more about particular areas of design she would not have been exposed to at university.
“It helped me learn a lot of key principles that I am sure I will always remember moving forward. Rather than giving me tasks that I will not be able to see beyond the end of my internship, my employers have been thoughtful in assigning me projects that I will be able to use in my portfolio. Throughout my time there, every project has been different from the previous: creating poster designs, playing with typography, illustration, iconography and branding.”
Overall, Tiphène stated about her experience:
“This placement has increased my confidence in graphic design, and definitely improved my hard skills. It has given me the time and place to spend time in area of design that I have not have a chance to before, like illustration. As a consequence, I was able to create my first entire set of characters. I would feel more confident undertaking client projects in this area now.”
Dodgems and Floss generously provided this internship for EP in 2021, we look forward to working with them again next year!
The internship was partly possible with thanks to the funding provided by Santander Universities.