My experience with Flying Horse Design Studio!
Maddie Morton
GD498 • Summer 2024
Graphic Designer
During May and June this year, I had the incredible honour and privilege of participating in a practicum with Flying Horse Design Studio (FHDS). Most projects at the studio focus on website or social media design.
Christie, the owner of FHDS, was incredibly understanding from the start and has hosted multiple other students completing practicums with her studio in the past, which immediately put me at ease. I was in a supportive environment and constantly given opportunities to grow and learn.
Right away, I was thrown into projects, but Christie was always there, guiding me and providing feedback every step of the way. Despite feeling a bit of impostor syndrome at first, I reminded myself that my years of schooling had prepared me well, since my practicum was just a new kind of hands-on learning! These were things I had done before, just not in a studio setting.
As the weeks went on, I shadowed meetings about website development and rebranding, which gave me a full picture of how projects start and evolve. I even took the lead on working with one client continuously firsthand, which involved frequent emailing and telephone conversations, a fantastic learning experience. I worked on a lot of social media development, and seeing my work contribute to real-world projects like social media posts and website layouts was incredibly rewarding and solidified my passion for this field.
I learned a lot about the practical side of graphic design, especially how to apply my skills to meet client needs within established brand guidelines. While revisiting some software I learned years ago in my first semester of university, I realized that learning new tools was more about understanding their capabilities than memorizing every detail.
By the end of my time there, it was hard to say goodbye. The team had become like a second family, and I loved the collaborative spirit where we could bounce ideas off each other freely. Overall, my practicum at Flying Horse Design Studio was an invaluable experience that not only deepened my understanding of graphic design but also gave me the confidence to pursue a career in this competitive industry. I’m incredibly grateful to Christie for her guidance and to everyone at the studio for making me feel like a valued member of the team.
Maddie is a 3rd year BFA student majoring in Graphic Design.
