This summer I am working at Darice Incorporated in their Product Development department in the Trends area. Darice is a local art supplies company in Cleveland who started by becoming a wholesaler to stores like Joann Fabrics and Pat Catans Craft. As I have been here I have been able to witness them grow and make deals with large buyers like Dollar General, Ross, TJ Maxx, and Target. I have been fortunate enough to be included in the preparation for these meetings by designing trend reports, putting together presentation boards, accumulating information and creating info graphics, being involved in Photo Studio Tech, designing show room exhibitions, doing work in the comp room to show examples of the work our products are capable of and much more.
Since our growth as a company, we have been recently bought by Michaels craft stores and are in a transitional state. Since our new Chief Executive of Creative and Vice President of Creative have started, the environment has changed and become much more welcoming and supportive. Every month we have a “Three Cheers” meeting where the entire creative team meets and thanks or commends each other for the work the team has done (attached are a few 3 cheers notes). Everyday our CEC pops popcorn and brings it to everyone at 3 o clock because he “understands how the end of the day drags”. I work directly under the Director of Visual Marketing & Consumer Research alongside specifically typography designers, photo studio designers, and logo & graphic designers.
Thanks for the photos, Sami. That really helps me get a sense of what you are doing and the range of projects. It looks like you have done so much already! Do you think that is because you interned with them before? (This is the same company as last time, right?) Were they more able to trust you soon because you are a known commodity?
Popcorn in the late afternoon sounds like a good idea! Setting the atmosphere in a workplace can be a tricky thing to get right, but the results can really help with employee satisfaction.