World's Greatest Internship

You should select me because

Well, I can cook Thai food and I can play many kind of musical instruments. Those are the very crucial skills you need when traveling around together, I assure (wink). Apart from that I’m confident in my creativity and design skills I acquired. I’m an open-minded learner, a hard worker and an effective team player, I’m positive (forget to mention I’m also a true optimistic soul) that I’m the right candidate.I won the 1st National Youth Design Awards 2018 in logo design, supported by Thailand’s Ministry of Culture, for 'Ta long' a small village in Buriram province, Northeastern Thailand. The main objective of the project was to create a unique identity design that can visualize the stories of Ta long village, where various outstanding products are produced but not be recognized, to the outsiders. The fact that they love the logo I created and use it for real to represent the village and its products literally warm my heart.I also experienced a three-month internship last summer as an art director at CJ WORX, an award winning advertising agency in Thailand and the first agency in Thailand to be awarded 2017 Cannes Design Lions Grand Prix for "The Unusual Football Field". My team also recently achieved 2019 D&AD wood pencil for their digital marketing campaign ‘Young Man and The Seal’, which I luckily have a chance to go through the production process while I was an intern.I’ve got to dip my toe into the advertising industry, but I’m still hungry for more so I applied for a Bangkok Art Directors (B.A.D) Student Workshop 2018, which hosted by top creatives from top agencies — The Leo Burnett Group Thailand, BBDO BANGKOK, Ogilvy & Mather, Thailand, CJ WORX and many more, and got selected among 30 applicants to join the three-month intensive workshop. By then I’ve learned a lot about advertising, where do ideas come from, how to stay creative and how this industry really works and got the professional comments of the weekly exercises from the committees. Knowledge, skill, and necessary attitude in creative field was very alluring to me. How an advertising holds such power and ability to convince people to do something or trigger their mindset. I still believe in a way we could convey people and make the world a better place through our limitless creativity.I’ve attended cultural exchange programs in Japan twice. The first one was a 7-day trip in 2014, hosted by Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. I got to stay with a lovely family in Nagoya, spent time sightseeing with the host. While the second time in 2016 I went to ASABA Art Square, Yokohama, for 10 days. Fortunately, I got to join the 20 kilometres walk by peace walker caravan, who happened to stay at our place for a night. That was one of an amazingly surreal moment for me in a foreign country.I surely believe that by choosing me you are NOT going to be disappointed. I could add up diverse perspectives with a sprinkle of Asian delight! and contribute to even more phenomenal works for the companies, also be a supportive companion along the marvelous journey.Thank you so much for patiently reading through my application till the end. Phusuda

1. Why are you interested in wgi?

Now that I graduated, it’s time to full-fill the real world experience (by saying real world, I literally mean it this time) and WGI offers both THE INTERNSHIP and THE WORLD, so who would’ve missed it!!!? To me WGI seems like a really dreamlike deal and extremely challenging. The opportunity to be able to experience TOP creative international companies is really like once in a lifetime experience (and not to mention there would be precisely SIX). It's like applying for the Work and Travel program, which I haven't joined one back then since there’ve never been these job fields offered before! AND FINALLY HERE IT IS! YOU INCREDIBLE PEOPLE INVENTED IT! SO THANK YOU SO SO MUCH!!! Because here in Thailand, the design industry is not as huge and competitive as others big fancy country. Of course I would like to dive head in and learn from the best when I got a chance. Thinking of all the inspiring people I'm going to associate with in the following six months, I reckon the number would be bigger than people I've ever met in my whole life. The chances to exchange cultures and diverse perspective with your idols are beyond belief. Also the opportunity to observe and put into practice a wide range of design skills I have already acquired, as well as the opportunity to learn new skills of a writer, strategist, entrepreneur, artist, culture maker and contributor are the next level, that could possibly turn me into a some kind of a superpower by the end of the program.

2. What are you looking to gain from an experience such as WGI?

The knowledges and guidances from the experts in the creative fields. The insights of working with top engaging companies. In the meantime got a chance to perform in a given role. A solid proof that I’m on the right track and to keep going. But above all, it would be the memorable memories and connections through a six-month journey in six different cities, with amazing friends who shared my interests and passions. The opportunity and friendship won’t end just here, I believe the endless chances would be coming right after too. How fun it could be, I would dying to explore this first hand, not by reading through the winners’ journey anymore. (p.s. all hail Queen Maddy Carrucan and Queen Whitney Badge!)

3. What would be your goals after completing WGI if you were selected?

Woah, that’s a lot to think about, but I would surely love to gain more design experiences abroad in a longer period. Actually, I dream I could share what I've learned through the journey with Thai design industry and Asian creative world.

4. How did you hear about wgi?

I came across the program in an article on AIGA Eye on Design website.

5. Share an example of a time you were most motivated and a time you were most demotivated.

My crucial motivation is to face the new challenges. I went through some struggle with my graduation project — 'The Man Box’ a campaign to raise awareness among young adults who still have narrow perception of men and pressure them to fit the gender expectations. While I found this problem very serious, the committees didn’t seem so sure about it. This issue is a tough pill to swallow and rather new in Thailand. However, I didn’t easily give in and change the topic like my adviser had suggested. Therefore, the challenge made my determinations to overcome and spread this important message go higher. Finally, they let me continue with the project. At the end of the day I didn’t get an A, but I regret nothing. Apart from the challenging part, I find myself got motivated by surrounding with enthusiast team who constantly spreads creative and positive radiant. After all I’m not going to lie, but what get me to really finish my work is the deadline. I’m sure that I’m not in this alone (ha ha). A time I don’t feel motivated is when I don’t know what I’m doing, when I don’t see the clear picture or the direction I’m going. I would tend to just sit back down, take a mental break and figure things out, go through the hazy cloud in my own brain. Then I would be ready to drive right in again.

6. In your opinion, what creates a great culture at a company?

I believe that an open-minded personality is a fundamental of a great team work, and great a team certainly creates a great environment in a company. People should listen and respect others opinions without shutting them down right away just because of the differences in perspectives, work positions, genders or ages. Also a positive energy and a strong ambition can spark the whole company into life.

7. What brands and companies do you admire and why?

I’m more committed and engaged by individual work over the whole company or brand. It’s more about specific people behind the work than a big-name company, for me. However, I would say I respect Mother very much. In terms of my own mother and the agency I mean. I inevitably fall in love with the name first, then soon be captivated by their creativity and the commitment to make the world a better place through design, which was also my strong passion to do so. The witty and fearless idea in KFC ‘FCK’ ad is a great example to show how they can brilliantly make use of those boring three letters in a crisis. Along with Pentagram, since the company sets out a very high quality in design. I’ve learned about Paula Scher’s razor-sharp eyes in graphic design through an episode on Netflix. Here again I admired her so much, as an individual, but of course, incredible people surely make an exceptional company. For a brand, I’m more likely to admire a local brand and be fascinated by their brilliant creativity. It doesn’t have to be big at all, just some additional spices to their products.

8. What do you do to stay sharp and improve your craft?

I look through international works across the globe, both design and advertising world, to see where the trend is leading. Also study from the award winning designs and their case studies. That way I can learn from the challenges and their process to solve them. Though at the end of the day, I tend to stick to my gut feeling, my own style and not really care much about trends. What I do to improve my craft is to keep creating works better than before, compete with yesterday-me. My strongest point would be crafting a powerful and meaningful message in my design, that make my works stand out from others.

9. What’s your favorite quote?

Treat people with kindness. It costs nothing to be nice, and don’t underestimate the power of kindness. It what keeps the world going today. I’m truly committed to this idea that I literally put it in one of my project about 4 traits that you need to acquire, in order to survive the future world peacefully — Adaptable, Creative, Kind and Optimistic. Please check it out on my portfolio for further information (wink).

10. If you could solve one problem in the world what would it be?

Phusuda Phusahas

Woah, that’s a lot to think about, but I would surely love to gain more design experiences abroad in a longer period. Actually, I dream I could share what I've learned through the journey with Thai design industry and Asian creative world.

I came across the program in an article on AIGA Eye on Design website.