By Chauncey Rasmussen, Intern
My time as an intern at The Hoffman Agency has been a fantastic experience! From the very beginning, I was excited to be a part of the team and jump into the position with both feet. I quickly found Hoffman’s office culture to be one of positivity, community and commitment. As soon as I joined, everyone made me feel included. From murder mystery nights on Wednesdays, to quarantine happy hour with the whole company – the folks at Hoffman know how to interact and make people feel like a valued member of the community. On top of that, the team has provided a wealth of knowledge. I was able to get a crash course in PR to get my feet wet before dedicating all my time to graphic design. I feel that as a design intern, the PR experience I gained is a huge asset, and has helped me to grow as a designer.
Shortly after starting the position, the COVID-19 pandemic struck and everyone scrambled to figure out what the best way forward would be. I feared the worst; however, the folks at Hoffman quickly transitioned over to the work-from-home model, and to my surprise, work continued in a pretty seamless and efficient manner. Everyone communicated and worked together, and as an intern, people were incredibly patient with me. Overall morale stayed high, and positive attitudes have prevailed months after everyone started this new work–from-home experience. In addition, the pandemic allowed me to work on one of my favorite projects — an ad campaign for a local virtual concert and then a follow-up bingo night flyer. This project stood out to me, because the client gave me and the team full creative control, and the folks were really fun to work with.
One of the things that The Hoffman Agency has taught me is consistency along brand lines. Prior to my internship here, I had mainly done freelance work where the projects would differ between clients and projects. At Hoffman, many of our clients and in-house work must maintain a consistent look and feel that follows within the branding guidelines. This means that fonts, colors and aesthetic must be utilized at all times. At first I found this challenging because I wanted to constantly change the look and feel, but I came to recognize this as an asset in building a consistent brand image and portfolio.
Overall, my time as an intern at The Hoffman Agency has been a great experience. I really feel I have grown and learned a ton from my time here, and would highly recommend it to others! Looking back at my time here, I would encourage new interns to enjoy the culture, and take advantage of all the tools, tips, and knowledge that The Hoffman Agency has to offer. It is great to hone your skills and learn, but even better when the people you work with are awesome!
