NTU Elefairy Reflection

Over the past two weeks Emily, Mavis and Catherine (aka the NTU Elefairies) have been working hard on multiple design projects in connection with the #Grads4Nottm scheme. The programme is aimed to show graduates the many career opportunities in the city and encourage them to remain in Nottingham. So what are their thoughts after interning at Elefair?

Emily

Before #Grads4Nottm I had never even thought about the possibility of staying in Nottingham, let alone beyond my first year at uni! The general conception is that London is the go-to place for graduate jobs, particularly within the fashion industry. However, after completing my internship at Elefair, my eyes have been opened to many more exciting prospects within Nottingham.

The work at Elefair has been varied and fun, keeping us on our toes! I felt that this gave me a real insight into the professional world of work which is fast-paced and pushes you to meet quick deadlines to a high standard.

The most enjoyable part of my time at Elefair was designing and installing the visual concept for Sherwood Art Week. I was given complete creative freedom to promote the company to a new audience and it has definitely been rewarding to see people visiting the store because of my display.

I have learnt so many new skills as well as putting into practise my existing design knowledge and I now feel that staying in Nottingham after graduation could be an option for me!

The Sherwood Art Week display at The Robin Hood 

Mavis

When I first decided to sign up for #Grads4Nottm I didn’t really know what to expect but once we got to Elefair we really hit the ground running as we were assigned various tasks. As a law graduate I’m open to any sort of legal work experience. This indeed counts as one of the most unique work experiences I’ve had. Not only was I given the chance to draft an actual contract and give legal advice to a client, but I also had a lot of fun coming up with various design ideas. The most exciting task for me was designing the stall for Glastonbury because for once I had a chance to flex my creative muscles which I never knew I had!

This experience has really confirmed why Nottingham would be a great place to ‘work play and stay!’ it has made me more aware of my strengths and weaknesses. As a result of this challenge I have an even greater passion for law, as well as opening up my mind to considering more creative entrepreneurship ideas.  

The stall design for Glastonbury

 Catherine

Elefair has been a massively creative process over the last 2 weeks and after recently graduating with a first class honours in BA photography, it was very important for me to get stuck into internships and placements to gain experience for future employment.

 As a team, Emily, Mavis and I have been given many varying tasks to complete with lots of free reign to experiment and create our own designs and concepts. My main job has been to photograph lots of different products in store to be used for the website and social media. I was asked to do straight forward product shots and also creative / groups photographs of the products. A trip to the Arboretum allowed for a location shot for a teddy bears picnic and kite flying product shoot. From this I have been using my images to start a new Elefair Instagram (@Elefair_Giftware). It has also been good to get involved with other tasks during my time at Elefair, creating a visual concept for the Glastonbury stall and Gloworm Festival was a fun and creative task to get stuck into.
From my time being an Elefairy I have gained brilliant experience to help with my progression after graduation.

In action shooting the teddy bear picnic

We would all like to say thank you to Ele for this fantastic opportunity to become a member of your team for this short but sweet internship. We have enjoyed ourselves and have gained knowledge and skills we can all take forward with us in the future.

The NTU Elefairies x