Emma Nolan is Awesome!
For about the last 3 years we have run something called the Wove Graduate Programme. Where we bring on board a recently graduated multidisciplinary designer and work with them for 3 months. And every year I’m amazed by how good these young people are. They’re competent, considerate, open minded and hard working. And I find that working with them makes the rest of the team, myself included, better. We become more thoughtful and open to different ideas, and when I think of what I was like at that age, they’re an inspiration. The latest graduate was the fantastic Emma Nolan, and below she gives us a sense of the programme and hopefully herself too.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Hey! I’m Emma, and I just finished up studying visual communication design at Iadt Dun Laoghaire last May. I got into design because I liked how it utilises so many different kinds of creativity (image-making, storytelling, problem solving, language, psychology) and I still feel the same as a graduate to be honest. I enjoy many different areas of design and find it hard to put myself in a bracket, but I’m excited to try out lots of new things now that I’m out of college.
How does it feel to be recently graduated from college?
The feeling bobs between excitement, possibility and anxiety. I find I put myself under pressure to be doing something great, especially in Dublin where it’s small and everyone kinda knows what everyone is up to. But I’m thinking, try to relax, try out loads of new things and see what I actually like and so right now I’m on the excitement side of things, enjoying the journey and seeing where my path takes me.
Where did you hear about the Wove Graduate Programme?
I first properly heard about it through Éadaoin Hennessy, who did the first year of the graduate program with wove, while we were working on a client project together. She spoke so highly of it, it really stuck in my mind. Then the prospect of working in wove came up again in my final year as Scott Burnett from wove, was one of our external examiners, I got to know him better and learn more about what wove got up to, it sounded cool. So I guess it was my positive experiences working with people who had worked in wove that made me want to apply.
How would you describe the programme?
The best way I could sum it up is kind of like a flexible, personalised, internship designed to give you the best step up from college into industry but you’re not treated as an intern. You’re a full time member of the team, and get to work across all the different projects alongside everyone else. I was as much a part of aad (wove’s sister business) as I was wove, which was nice as I got a real mix of production, design work and strategy. If you’re unsure, coming out of college, what exactly it is you want to do, then the program is great for allowing you to try out loads of different disciplines in a professional environment, without any pressure to know your place yet.
What was the application process like?
Really seamless actually. After submitting my portfolio I got a warm response thanking me for my application. This then led to a call with Cat Robertson, who coordinates the program, and acts as the graduate mentor, and Éadaoin. It was more like a chat than an interview really, no intimidating questions or rehearsed script- it just felt like three people getting to know each other. By the end of the call I wasn’t even thinking about how I did, which was lovely, but it did make me really want to work there. So I was thrilled when I got an email the following week offering me the position!
Describe the Digital Sustainability project you delivered.
As part of the program, I was given the opportunity to lead a studio project on my own, which was really cool. The project was for the team themselves, who were struggling to convey all that they had learnt, were practicing and now offered around the area of digital sustainability (which is quite a lot). It was my job to figure out the best way to communicate all of this, and make it easier for the team to have discussions about digital sustainability with each other, with clients, and with the wider industry.
Like most people, I wasn’t really sure what digital sustainability was when I started. It’s essentially about looking at the environmental impact of our online presence- how things like websites and emails have a carbon footprint too, and how we can adopt better digital habits and practices to keep it small. I saw a statistic early on that said if the internet was a country, it would be the 4th biggest polluter. I would use that as a guiding statement when thinking about the scale of the issue.
The project ran for the duration of the program (3 months), and involved researching the area of digital sustainability, conducting stakeholder interviews, presenting to the team, running group workshops and developing solutions. I had a lot of help from the team with this. The final outcome was a microsite that would act both as an opening for clients interested in digital sustainability, and as a tool that the team could use to explain wove / aad’s position and offerings around this. I really enjoyed this aspect of the program as it gave me the time and space to get deep into a project- like we were used to doing in college- as well as real responsibility and independence, which I think set it apart from typical intern work. I also loved the subject area as it felt really meaningful, and was something I had a personal interest in already.
And how would you summarise your overall experience?
A really positive experience and a big learning curve! Maybe it’d be easier if I split it into different parts:
The work. In terms of the types of projects you get to work on, most tended to sit within the cultural and arts sector, such as the Abbey Theatre and Dublin Dance Festival. Most of the work is similar to what I’d done in college, just juggled with other projects and with tighter deadlines!
The Structure. There’s 3 teams within the studio: Strategy, Brand and Digital. I got to work across all 3 teams with everyone at some point, trying my hand at everything from UI development, to print production, to client strategy workshops. The working structure is fluid too: since Covid the studio is set up to operate completely remotely, but there is also a physical studio space that you can opt to work in too. I found this really worked for me as I could split my week between working from home and going into the studio.
The People. From day one I really got the sense that wove / aad are a people centred studio. Before I even started, I was invited to the weekly “wove mind” chat, this is a chance for everyone to catch up from the week and share what’s been on our minds, which really took away all the first day nerves. There was always a genuine atmosphere of support, encouragement and respect, which was extended particularly to me. Feeling comfortable with everyone on the team made asking questions (and there were many) and getting feedback so much easier as well. Cat and I would have weekly check ins to see how I was getting on. There were wove get together days where everyone would make an effort to come into the studio to work together (often followed by pints), and we had a very wholesome handmade Secret Santa at Christmas where everyone made each other a present. The people were definitely a highlight of working at wove, and what I’ll miss the most leaving!
Did the programme deliver on your expectations?
To be honest, this was my first proper studio experience outside of college, so I’m not sure I knew what to expect! I guess some things I thought might be different were:
- Remote working: I was a little wary of remote working, as I had experienced it through Covid in college and as we all know it can be quite isolating- but I actually found the hybrid working model really worked for me. It was as flexible as you wanted it to be, so I got to stay at home when it suited me better but also got the social aspect of working with others in a studio, which I think is really important when you’re first starting off. The group channels are also pretty active, so I never felt like I was on my own.
- Studio workflow: Time management, job juggling, production skills, client relations, team communication, money. Tackling all of these was a far bigger learning curve than I expected, and not something you get a lot of experience with in college. The team were great for pushing me towards tasks that at times felt daunting, and they quickly became doable knowing everyone had your back. I was given real responsibility from the very beginning, which helped to grow both my skillset and my confidence.
- Work / life balance: For me anyway, switching off from work is something I struggled with in college, so it was a very welcome change getting to clock off in the evenings when I started at wove. And who knew weekends could be so wonderful!
And what (if anything 😬) do you think worked particularly well?
For me, the level of support and encouragement I received from the whole team really stood out. Cat in particular, as my mentor, made such an effort to check in on me and make sure I was getting as much as possible out of the program. If there was something I was interested in exploring, she worked to make it happen. The team as a whole always made me feel welcomed. I think it’s easy as a new designer to question the value you bring to a more experienced team (at least for me anyway). From the beginning of the program though, my opinion and my input was always valued. Regardless of experience or skill level, everyone had an equal voice when it came studio work and discussions, which I really appreciated.
As mentioned above, I think the general fluidity and flexibility of the studio worked really well also. The hybrid working model and the variety of work made every week a bit different, and I loved the mix of lots of smaller tasks with my own larger ongoing project.
If you were running the programme, is there anything you would change?
I can’t really think of much, I guess I was wary about the fully remote part of the program description, and was really happy that I got the chance to work as much as I wanted in the physical studio.
I think the part I struggled with most was just managing projects and managing my time (which I know kind of just comes with experience). Maybe a workshop or chat about how you guys go about approaching & organising tasks/workflow could be good, as that’s something I wasn’t really used to coming from college.
Overall though those are minor suggestions and there isn’t really anything I would change about the program. It was great!
Anything else to add?
Thanks for everything and best of luck in 2024! Hopefully our paths will cross again :)
