(GRAPHIC DESIGN)
(2025)
I completed a six-month internship at Rootz Media, where I was supervised by Serge Siebelt. Serge had always worked extensively for clients, but also wanted to set up something of his own. That is how the idea for Canvias came about: he decided he wanted to create and sell posters and small paintings of various cities. I worked hard on this, by conducting research, but primarily by designing the posters.
Assignment
Serge had had this idea for a while, but had little time himself to develop it further. During my internship, I was given the opportunity to actively contribute to this. In the beginning, I mainly researched the possibilities: where can we sell this product, does it have a chance on the market, and how do we ensure that the designs resonate with the target audience?
Process
After the research, I started designing the posters. I worked with Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign for this. During this process, I experimented extensively with different styles, colors, and effects.
To get a good idea of the final result, I regularly printed out designs. This allowed me to see what the posters look like in real life and where improvements were still needed. The idea to apply a watercolor style also emerged from that process. As a result, the posters appear painted, even though they were designed digitally.
When developing this style, I used the ‘generative fill’ feature in Photoshop. Through this, I learned how important it is to prompt properly and that working with AI does not come naturally. By experimenting with this, I further developed my skills in using AI within the design process.
Result
This project was a valuable learning experience for me, during which I further developed my design skills. I gained a better command of the Adobe programs and discovered how to use AI to support my work without it taking over the entire process.
Additionally, I gained insight into how to establish a concept or brand and how to investigate whether an idea has a chance of success in the market. Unfortunately, my internship period was already over before Canvias was actually launched. Serge is definitely going to continue with this, and I think it would be really cool to finally see the posters I worked on actually on the market.
