Summer 2027 Intern, Designer, Creative Department

Athena Global Advisors; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; USD 23,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid internship experience

$20/hour compensation

9-week program

In-person in Philadelphia

Job summary

Athena invites Creative DEPT. Designer Interns to help shape campaign concepts, visual identities, and marketing materials while gaining hands-on experience across client projects.

You’ll develop skills in Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, and layout, and collaborate with designers, art directors, and copywriters to craft cohesive visuals and messaging.

Qualifications

• Pursuing or recently completed a degree in graphic design, visual communications, advertising, digital design, or related field
• Portfolio demonstrates strong design fundamentals and visual storytelling
• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite and Figma
• Understanding of typography, layout, color, and visual hierarchy; brand systems
• Ability to translate ideas into compelling visual concepts and polished design executions
• Strong attention to detail and time management; collaborative mindset

Responsibilities

• Support development of campaign concepts and visual directions
• Design layouts, graphics, presentations, social content, and other creative materials
• Create mood boards, explorations, comps, storyboards, and initial concepts
• Explore photography, illustration, typography, color, and graphic styles for ideas
• Apply design principles to ensure visuals and messaging are cohesive
• Collaborate with designers, art directors, and copywriters to align visuals with messaging
• Prepare creative work for internal reviews and client presentations
• Incorporate feedback and revise work with attention to detail
• Organize project files and final deliverables
• Participate in brainstorms and team critiques
• Learn how ideas are developed across platforms (social, digital, print, video, animation)
• Stay curious about design, culture, technology and trends

Skills

Graphic design

Visual storytelling

Adobe Creative Suite

Figma

Typography

Brand systems

Time management

Education

Degree in graphic design/visual communications/digital design

Tools

Adobe Creative Suite

Figma

Job description

As a Creative DEPT. Designer Intern, you’ll help create campaign concepts, visual identities, presentations, social content, websites, and marketing materials while gaining hands-on experience in design execution across a range of client and agency projects.

You’ll gain exposure to concept development, visual storytelling, branding, typography, presentation design, digital and social design, design systems, and creative collaboration. Throughout the internship, you’ll strengthen your skills in Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, layout, visual hierarchy, design craft, creative problem-solving, and integrated campaign development.

As part of the Athena team, you’ll contribute to real client and agency projects, participate in brainstorms and creative reviews, and help create thoughtful, impactful work across digital, social, brand, web, presentation, and print experiences.

About the Program

The Athena internship program immerses interns in a collaborative, cross-functional environment where they work closely with teams creative, strategy, project management, account management, and marketing—gaining exposure to how departments align to bring projects to life. Our Capstone Project allows interns to collaborate and contribute to real-world initiatives by presenting their proposal to internal stakeholders. Interns are mentored through weekly managerial check-ins and executive support. Athena fosters a culture of support, curiosity, connection, and inclusivity, which allows interns to shine. Our Intern program begins in June 2026 and is a part-time opportunity to join the organization for the summer.

Requirements

What you’ll be responsible for:

• Support the development of campaign concepts and visual directions
• Design layouts, graphics, presentations, social content, and other creative materials
• Help create mood boards, design explorations, comps, storyboards, and initial visual concepts
• Explore photography, illustration, typography, color, and graphic styles that support a creative idea
• Apply core design principles, including typography, layout, balance, proportion, rhythm, emphasis, and visual unity
• Collaborate with designers, art directors, and copywriters to help ensure that visuals and messaging work together
• Assist with preparing creative work for internal reviews and client presentations
• Incorporate feedback and revise work with attention to detail
• Help organize project files, creative references, and final deliverables
• Participate in brainstorms, team critiques, and creative working sessions
• Learn how ideas are developed and adapted across platforms, including social media, digital, print, video, and animation
• Stay curious about design, culture, technology, and emerging creative trends

The skills and experience you should have:

• Currently pursuing or recently completed a degree, certificate, or equivalent training in graphic design, visual communications, advertising, digital design, or a related field
• A portfolio that demonstrates strong design fundamentals, creative thinking, and an eye for visual storytelling
• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite and Figma
• Understanding of typography, layout, composition, color, visual hierarchy, and brand systems
• Ability to translate ideas into compelling visual concepts and polished design executions
• Passion for both conceptual thinking and hands-on design craftsmanship
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to producing high-quality work
• Excellent organization, communication, and time-management skills
• Positive, collaborative attitude with a willingness to learn and grow
• Interest in working in a fast-paced, innovative, and highly collaborative creative environment

It’s a plus if you have:

Experience with motion design, video editing, animation, photography, illustration, or 3D tools is a plus

Benefits

Paid Experience : Interns are compensated at$20/hour, withbi-weekly paythroughout the nine-week program.

Flexible Scheduling : Interns are expected to work 20–30 hours per week, ideally on a consistent schedule. Hours are coordinated with managers to allow flexibility within the weekly limit.

In-Person Engagement : This is anon-site internship based in Philadelphia, designed to provide immersive, real-world experience in a collaborative office environment.

Professional Exposure : Interns gain hands-on experience withclient-facing work, learning key skills inprofessionalism, communication, and public relations.