Member of the Week: Brittain McNeel

CAFME's full of some pretty amazing people, and we want you to get to know them. This week? Meet Brittain McNeel, a graphic design student interning at Niche Media and ArtistDaily in NYC.


Tell us a bit about yourself.
I'm from Tampa, Florida and am a senior studying graphic design with UNC's Journalism School. I'm captain of the equestrian team, and my favorite things are horseback riding, reading coffee table books and going to music festivals. I'm also the art director of the online magazine Uncharted, and am pumped to do a redesign next semester.

How did you get involved with CAFME?
I joined CAFME sophomore year because it has always been my dream to work in magazines.

What do you like the most about the club?
Hearing advice and anecdotes from professionals is what I love most because it confirms that it's worth the hard work to pursue a magazine career.

Tell us about your internship.
This summer, I have two design-related internships in NYC. The first is with Niche Media, where I work with several art directors on FOB/BOB spreads, photo and text selection/placement, and whatever else they ask me to do (never getting coffee, thankfully!). The second internship is with ArtistDaily, which owns several magazines including American Artist and Drawing magazine. Here I work with the art director and the marketing director, so I switch off every week designing spreads for the magazine and making house ads for print and web. This week I'm starting to work on the iPad version of American Artist, which is really exciting!


How did you hear about the opportunity?
I found my internships from Ed2010 and SPD.org. I absolutely love SPD! It was wonderful student resources from beginner designers in addition to professional blogs and a job board that keeps me optimistic.


What has been the most challenging/rewarding aspects of the internship?
The most challenging thing about my internship so far is accepting that sometimes there isn't much for me to do. I help out several art directors at once, which usually keeps me busy, but Niche runs like a well-oiled machine so once the magazine is designed, the art directors get a bit of a break until content for the next issue comes in. It's actually refreshing to know that if I decide to work for Niche or a similar company after graduating, I won't be stressed all the time, working after hours like I hear many magazine interns talking about. I will like to be busy and feel like I'm contributing, so it's an adjustment to get used to not always being able to help.

What tips would you offer to others trying to follow in your footsteps?
The best advice I have for people applying for internships is to ask their interviewer about how they got started in the magazine industry. It's a subtle form of flattery, so everyone I've asked has responded enthusiastically, saying that's a great question and they'd love to explain how they got their job. In addition to flattering and impressing your interview, you learn more about how you can get a job like theirs.

What would you like to do after you graduate?
When I graduate, I would love to have a starting position in the art department of a magazine, either in NYC or out west, maybe San Francisco. GQ is my favorite magazine, and I would ultimately love to work for it.

What's your one Carolina must-do before you graduate?
I have a whole bucket list of things to do my senior year, but a big one is to explore Raleigh more. It's easy to get caught up in Chapel Hill and Carrboro, but I discovered some awesome places in Durham this year (like Dame's Chicken and Waffles) and want to do the same with Raleigh.