AMD Shadow Day Recap
For aspiring graphic designers, copywriters, photographers and social media aficionados, it’s rare to experience life at an agency before you actually launch your career. That’s why AMD began hosting our annual shadow day — a day where young creatives can come to experience what life is like at a burgeoning, vibrant creative agency owned and operated by women! Here’s a quick recap of what our latest shadow day looked like.
Last Friday, 10 young women from surrounding areas came to AMD at 9:30 a.m. to start their shadow day experience. They were greeted with coffee from Santos while they listened to a brief information session on what it’s like to work in the marketing, branding and advertising industries as a young, female creative. Then, the day segwayed into a Q&A session with AMD’s CEO and founder, Adelaide Matte, head graphic designer Mary Kalusche, graphic designer Anna Carter, as well as social media intern Katie Campbell.
Shadow Day Topics
Professionalism in the workplace
Design (ideating, creativity, problem solving)
Day-to-day life at a boutique agency
How to price yourself and your work
Creating and understanding contracts
Client relationships and boundaries
Life after graduation
Building and presenting your portfolio
How to sell yourself (in an interview and through branding)
Design and organization programs AMD uses
Before lunch (provided by Urban Cookhouse), the shadow day attendees participated in an interactive creative challenge. The women were presented with a social media “request” from a fake client — they then had to walk around downtown Birmingham looking for content for their posts. Once everyone completed the assignment (under deadline), the creations were presented among the group.
Throughout the day, the women bonded with each other and got the opportunity to both professionally and personally network, creating lasting, meaningful connections and relationships. The day ended with a quick send off at 1 p.m. All in all, it was an entertaining, educational experience, and we can’t wait to welcome more aspiring creatives to AMD at our next shadow day!
Here is what some of the attendees had to say about shadow day…
“I absolutely loved the creative activity and being able to hear from each of the staff members! Overall, the event was engaging, informative, and so much fun! Thank you again for hosting such an awesome event.”
“I just wanted to say again how grateful I am for the opportunity to have met you and the rest of the AMD girls. You all have empowered me and have given me insightful industry tips that I can't wait to apply in my future. I hope our paths cross again someday. Thank you again!”