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A Day in the Life of an Intern
Written By - Vanya Goel
A Day in the Life of an Intern
Written By - Vanya Goel
A Day in the Life of an Intern
Written By - Vanya Goel
Journal
Journal
Featured
Featured
28 Nov 2025
28 Nov 2025
One email was all it took – the next thing I knew, I was packing up my dorm room in London and hopping on a 10-hour flight home, with an internship offer sitting in my inbox. Positively anxious and massively jet-lagged, I was in the office the very next day – standing at the cusp of a summer full of learning and growing.
One email was all it took – the next thing I knew, I was packing up my dorm room in London and hopping on a 10-hour flight home, with an internship offer sitting in my inbox. Positively anxious and massively jet-lagged, I was in the office the very next day – standing at the cusp of a summer full of learning and growing.
The Flight of Uncertainty and Hopes
The Flight of Uncertainty and Hopes
From navigating an unfamiliar metro line to finding my place in a close-knit team of five, I was simultaneously excited and nervous about my first week. Though it was daunting being the youngest team member, the endless room for growth and the team’s willingness to guide me every step of the way quickly alleviated my uncertainty.
From navigating an unfamiliar metro line to finding my place in a close-knit team of five, I was simultaneously excited and nervous about my first week. Though it was daunting being the youngest team member, the endless room for growth and the team’s willingness to guide me every step of the way quickly alleviated my uncertainty.
Fake It Till You Make It
Fake It Till You Make It
Starting at Kwazi felt like jumping aboard a moving ship to become a sailing crew member, and it guaranteed that I never felt like just an intern. With ongoing projects and active client relations, I quickly learned how to adapt to fast-moving deadlines and juggle a variety of tasks. Instead of grabbing coffee orders and going on print runs, I dove headfirst into leading my own projects, whether it was developing a brand identity for the newest coffee spot in town or conducting research for an editorial. At times, I realised I was in over my head, but at Kwazi, the motto is simple: fake it till you make it. I channelled my inner jugaad skills to achieve exactly that: doing my best, often failing miserably, but eventually figuring it out with the help of the design team I’d pester daily with my unending questions and doubts.
Starting at Kwazi felt like jumping aboard a moving ship to become a sailing crew member, and it guaranteed that I never felt like just an intern. With ongoing projects and active client relations, I quickly learned how to adapt to fast-moving deadlines and juggle a variety of tasks. Instead of grabbing coffee orders and going on print runs, I dove headfirst into leading my own projects, whether it was developing a brand identity for the newest coffee spot in town or conducting research for an editorial. At times, I realised I was in over my head, but at Kwazi, the motto is simple: fake it till you make it. I channelled my inner jugaad skills to achieve exactly that: doing my best, often failing miserably, but eventually figuring it out with the help of the design team I’d pester daily with my unending questions and doubts.
Experiment, Iterate and Refine
Experiment, Iterate and Refine
Being on the design team, the small wins made the daily grind worth it – from a client approving a colour palette on the first call to my logo being chosen and displayed on the glorious “logo wall” in the office. Even the seemingly tedious tasks, like tweaking a logo’s typography for hours on end because it just didn’t seem right, taught me the importance of small details. Working behind the scenes, I realised how every design decision, however minor it may seem at first glance, functions like a piece of a puzzle – the typeface, colour, scale, all working together harmoniously to build the brands we see around us every day.
Whenever I hit creative block – every designer’s worst nightmare – my team showed me how to extract inspiration from daily life and add a fresh perspective to things. Turning shapes around me into patterns and patterns into visual identities, I learned how to push past the lack of intrinsic inspiration to then experiment, iterate, and refine until I find the right fit.
Being on the design team, the small wins made the daily grind worth it – from a client approving a colour palette on the first call to my logo being chosen and displayed on the glorious “logo wall” in the office. Even the seemingly tedious tasks, like tweaking a logo’s typography for hours on end because it just didn’t seem right, taught me the importance of small details. Working behind the scenes, I realised how every design decision, however minor it may seem at first glance, functions like a piece of a puzzle – the typeface, colour, scale, all working together harmoniously to build the brands we see around us every day.
Whenever I hit creative block – every designer’s worst nightmare – my team showed me how to extract inspiration from daily life and add a fresh perspective to things. Turning shapes around me into patterns and patterns into visual identities, I learned how to push past the lack of intrinsic inspiration to then experiment, iterate, and refine until I find the right fit.
The Full Experience
The Full Experience
One thing I can say with certainty is that I got the full start-up/studio family experience. The anticipation for the daily lunch breaks, the shared rajma chawal and stolen sweets from home, the impromptu ping pong matches to counter post-meeting midday blues – interning at Kwazi felt like working amongst peers and friends rather than for bosses. As a natural extrovert, I loved floating around the room, picking up different learnings and skills from each team member, be it how one capitalises on their perfectionist tendencies or how to creatively adapt to a complicated brief.
One thing I can say with certainty is that I got the full start-up/studio family experience. The anticipation for the daily lunch breaks, the shared rajma chawal and stolen sweets from home, the impromptu ping pong matches to counter post-meeting midday blues – interning at Kwazi felt like working amongst peers and friends rather than for bosses. As a natural extrovert, I loved floating around the room, picking up different learnings and skills from each team member, be it how one capitalises on their perfectionist tendencies or how to creatively adapt to a complicated brief.
The Perfect End
The Perfect End
As more interns joined during my time here, I watched the team grow, always staying committed to giving back to students like me, who are eager to learn and create. Though my time at Kwazi was short, it had the perfect end: a night of board games, beers, and bittersweet goodbyes at the office.
As more interns joined during my time here, I watched the team grow, always staying committed to giving back to students like me, who are eager to learn and create. Though my time at Kwazi was short, it had the perfect end: a night of board games, beers, and bittersweet goodbyes at the office.
