This summer, I had the wonderful opportunity to intern with Allegravita in New York City.

Though it is just an internship, I didn’t take it lightly. I traveled from across the country (Los Angeles), with no money and almost no accommodation to east-coast city life, in hope to gain real-world experience in my field and to get a feel of what life is like in the Big Apple.

From the perspective of a young, entry-level designer, it is no surprise that my time here was a big learning experience. Working with clients from across the globe (from the US to Australia to China), I developed not only as a designer, but as a person who is now more culturally aware; knowing what does and doesn’t visually appeal to certain cultures, to me, is a huge professional and personal benefit.

The Allegravita team was more than accommodating, making sure the other designers and I had everything we need to get the job done efficiently. Because we have colleagues working in several different time zones, it was easy and efficient to communicate and speed up the work process internally and with our clients. This sped up the already fast-paced studio environment exponentially.

I can see now why my professors and alumni tell me that I will learn much more working a few months in the real world than my entire four years in college. Working with real clients, meeting real deadlines and having the fate of a several thousand dollar print job at your fingertips is something that cannot be taught at school.

I am truly grateful to the Allegravita team to be given this opportunity and experience to jumpstart my career as a designer.

Andrew Vuong.

[Editor’s note: Andrew, it was an absolute pleasure working with you, and we all wish you great luck in finishing your design degree!]