Robot Food welcomes new intern Mia Jones

At Robot Food we’re passionate about finding the new generation of design stars and giving them real world experience in a working agency to get them started in their career.

Our internships are paid, and our interns get to work on real projects. They’re part of the family from the get go, there’s no photocopying, sandwich errands or making the tea (unless they really want to).

Mentorship and support are important to us, there’s no better way to learn than on the job.

So without further ado we’d like to introduce our intern Mia, who’s recently graduated from Norwich University of the Arts and is half way through her six week stint with us.

We’ve been seriously impressed by how Mia has effortlessly fitted into the team and her high standard of work has turned a few heads.

We managed to grab a few minutes with her to ask some burning questions.

Why Robot Food?

Throughout the duration of my degree, I have been continuously inspired by the work you produce. I remember stumbling across your work on Instagram and instantly falling in love with the vibrancy and character carried across all your projects. I could just tell the designers working behind the scenes on these projects loved what they were doing from the vast creativity and beautiful execution.

Tell us three things about yourself that most people don’t know?

I am a massive Studio Ghibli fan, so much so I’m planning on getting another tattoo of a little Totoro before Christmas!

Bounties are my favourite chocolate bar, controversial I know, but a Bounty that’s been in the fridge for a little bit, you can’t go wrong.

In my second year of uni I bought myself a rescue dog, potentially my biggest ever impulse purchase

What were you looking forward to most about your time with us?

Honestly, I was excited for the whole experience! I’ve really enjoyed working collaboratively alongside such a lovely and welcoming team, who are clearly very talented, and learning how they approach ideas and thinking.

This is also my first time being in Leeds, so I’m enjoying immersing myself into the northern culture and getting to know a new city.

Who are your design heroes? What inspires you?

I wouldn’t say I specifically have a group of design heroes. However, saying this I am a fan of Philip Carter, after hearing him speak a couple of times whilst I was at university, he gave me a very different insight and perspective into how he sees the world and how he takes this consideration into design. Making me realise it’s important to take the time to observe the things you don’t always see. He’s a very inspirational man, so check him out if you haven’t!

I get a lot of my inspiration from the world around me, and just taking the time to observe design that’s already out there, especially when it’s quite literally everywhere. I’ve always found the best cure for creative block is to just go on a little walk. I do also think being in creative environments and around creative people can be the biggest source of inspiration, just having that one conversation can spark that great idea.

Robot Food Senior Designer Julia Allan said, “Mia's done a few placements in London and it’s great to hear how much she’s enjoying it in Leeds.

I have a few bad memories from placements I did when I was first starting out. I was expected to do them for free, which I don’t agree with, and I’m not sure anyone benefits fully from that scenario. It should be a bit of a red flag really.

I wasn’t welcomed into the team to say the least, so I’m making it my business for any intern not to have the experience I had, which is why I volunteered to mentor Mia.

We integrate our interns as we would a new team member and put them to the test, otherwise how do you see what they’re capable of?”