A New Shade of Cherry and White

On June first, I waved goodbye to Philadelphia and boarded a plane to Minneapolis, Minnesota. With my bags tightly packed for ten weeks, I knew I was in for an unforgettable and surreal opportunity with an iconic brand. I was nervous and excited to experience a new city, live with people I’ve never met before, and work on a schedule that puts my “early” 11AM classes to shame.

This summer I’m working at Target Corporate Headquarters as an Art Director Intern. Here, I’ve been challenged to navigate the corporate world on a creative team, embrace the unfamiliar, and motivate myself to create meaningful work with an impact.

There are over 200 interns at Target HQ and seven are part of the Marketing Associates Program. Each marketing intern works on a different team under Target’s marketing arm, bringing a unique perspective and specialty to the table.

I’m on the Weekly Ad team which focuses on marketing promotions, value-based social media campaigns, of course, the Weekly Ad! With such a huge push towards digital in retail, including at Target, designing in print has reminded me that this mode of marketing is still entertaining and effective. Working in layout is like solving a puzzle. Sometimes restrictions bring out more creativity in your designs, but are ultimately there to ensure that the highest standard of work is produced. From concepting, to designing, to working with copywriters, and shooting with photographers at the studio, the Target Weekly Ad embodies a classic form of art direction.

While I’ve been fortunate to have some fantastic internship experiences during my time at Temple, I can clearly see where the knowledge I’ve gained from my advertising classes apply here at Target. Whether it’s drawing from my understanding of concepting and critiques in Art Direction I, to learning how to effectively collaborate on large teams through my yearlong involvement with NSAC; I’ve been able to reflect on these lessons while encountering similar situations in new environments.

There is a culture at Target that is so willing to help you succeed. While I have been assigned two awesome mentors on my team, I’ve received guidance from people in so many areas of the company, even if I only worked with them for a day. The internship program has provided multiple opportunities to hear company leaders speak, training on bias and diversity, marketing workshops, and one-on-one meetings to get to know the successful people that make up the Target team.

I’m looking forward to spending the rest of my summer here and learning more about myself and this company every day.

Keep an eye out for page four of the August 4-10 Weekly Ad to see what I’ve contributed! Additional updates at https://michelleintoccia.myportfolio.com/