Internship
Creating a new franchise shop

The Macaron House is a franchise brasserie where a social moment is created to appreciate and enjoy the highest quality, eco-friendly products that are made and consumed the way they supposed to be. Currently these products are coffee, tea, chocolate and macarons. All the elements such as the interior, service, packaging and tableware; are redesigned and combines the best of both the modern and traditional world. During the internship this concept is developed and shaped.

Besides creating a new franchise shop, also hands on experience was gained by working as a designer for Smores, the current company of the internship coach. Here new ideas could be tested and better understanding of the requirements for the shop were experienced. The goal was to look critical at the shop and find opportunities for improvement. Graphic designs were made, a start for a webshop and experience is gained in the profession of food photography.

Reflection

Looking back at the internship it see it as an very fruitful experience. I completed the goals stated in my PDP and even a little bit beyond that and got to experience how it is to be a designer in the real world.

At first I was quite scared choosing this as an internship since it could be too distant from the study. But within the internship I made sure that the clear connection and I even found a new interest for myself as a designer in the form giving part of designing. Although the shop isn’t fully developed, this wasn’t the goal in the first place. I’m ready to make this shop happen even after the internship and take responsibility, maybe even partly ownership.

The enormous amount of experience the internship coach shared with me I value the most. This information isn’t written in books. Working on this project has been a real pleasure and made my professionalism, vision and goals even stronger. Also the trips were a real eye-opener. I am someone who doesn’t like to ask help and searches his information by himself. During the trips I could talk to experts and by this gaining an enormous amount of specified information in a short time. I had the pleasure of experiencing the France culture with two Frenchmen next to me. It is so different from the Netherlands and only a few kilometres away. I will never look the same again against food or pastry. When your used to the best, you can’t go back anymore.

I used the complete design cycle and kept clear focus on working on the internship. It helped me to think more about really realising a concept. Having good ideas is great, but making them happen is a different thing. The feedback on the Demo-day were all praising and a friend of mine even called it the best internship of this year. In general, I still quite surprised myself what I achieved this semester. I took a risk but trusted my intuition and I nailed it.

I´m really glad with the feedback of the internship coach. Frenchman aren´t really people who give a lot of complements. When they think something is really good, they say it is not bad. That´s how also his feedback has to be read.

I feel ready for the final bachelor project and are motivated to create an amazing project that should become my business card.