Design Projects, Oxford Commas, & The Lit Corner: A Summer at 3Points
As it does every year, summer in Chicago is going by way too quickly. That realization set in for us last week, as Notre Dame rising senior Anna Bradley finishes her internship with us.
Anna has been a wonderful addition to our office, not only providing much-needed bandwidth, but also taking the initiative on numerous important projects related to our own branding. For example, our Twitter and Facebook accounts have grown their followers over 40% and 20%, respectively, in the past two months — mainly due to Anna’s creativity and dedication. (She sent so many tweet drafts on nights and weekends that we actually worried our intern might be working too hard.)
Of course, she also taught us today’s college student slang, which we are sadly not cool enough to use. (Is the word “cool” even cool anymore?)
For the final week of her internship, we asked Anna a few questions about her experience this summer. Warning: it’s about to get “lit.”
What did you learn about PR over the course of your internship?
I learned about the daily tasks of a PR pro: I created media lists, wrote a client proposal, pitched influencers, assisted with interview prep documents, went to client meetings, etc. I also learned that the most valuable skills are the least tangible — perseverance, the ability to take rejections in stride, and really rolling up your sleeves to get the job done. The highly-motivated and experienced team members at 3Points were the best teachers I could have had for a summer internship.
What new skills did you pick up?
I got to try my hand at some design this summer, which I wasn’t expecting to be as important to me as it ended up being. Canva is a very simplified version of the Adobe design software, but it was a lot of fun to create marketing materials for both 3Points and other organizations we’re involved with. It also inspired me to register for a design course at school this coming semester, so that I can learn about Photoshop, InDesign, and the rest of the creative cloud.
What was your favorite project you worked on?
It’s a close call between doing an audit of one of our clients’ Twitter followers and designing our first leave-behind brochure, but in the end I’d have to pick the brochure. Redesigning it three different times to try to get it to where I wanted it didn’t always feel fun, but it was an opportunity for me to use my creativity to build something that our team can use to our advantage and showcase who we are. During the last week of my internship I got to collaborate with our resident grammar genius, Katie O’Shea, on the first ever 3Points Style Guide! As someone with very strong opinions about Oxford comma usage, it was a dream come true to put together guidelines for the company to use in our writing.
What were your most memorable moments here? Or most memorable day?
Everyday is memorable when you work with such colorful people! But if I had to choose some of my favorite moments, they would include (in no particular order) going on bakery runs with Chris Cris, teaching my coworkers how to stay culturally relevant, witnessing Mike Cavanaugh’s dabs, and being a founding member of the coolest corner of the office (aka “The Lit Corner”), along with Sam and aforementioned Chris.
What did you enjoy most about being in Chicago for the summer?
Yet another toss up, but this time it’s between the food I got to eat and all the activities I did. Blue Door Kitchen and Garden was a three minute walk from my apartment, and I could eat their beignets for the rest of my life. I also loved Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba in Lincoln Park — it wasn’t Spain but I’d say it was a pretty good tapas experience.
As for activities, since I was here for such a short time I tried to pack my weekends with as much as I could. I love being outdoors, so kayaking on the lake with the skyline in the background was one of my favorite weekend outings.
While her internship is now over, this isn’t the end of Anna’s time at 3Points — she will be working part time for us through her senior year, helping to continue our social media momentum, amongst other things. We’re thrilled that she enjoyed her time here this summer and we’re glad to have her staying onboard moving forward.
