Digit

Since the last of the WPP Microfellows packed up and returned to their lives as ambitious young people with their eyes on the Communications industry, our office has felt notably different. Apart from working on group work on their downtime (they were pitching a new marketing Strategy for social enterprise, Year Here), the Fellows worked on live projects at Digit. And they were naturals at it! Fellow, Jee Hyeok spent his final rotation with us and shared these thoughts on why he’s choosing a different path to his peers after University, why coincidences matter, and why your instinct is probably spot-on. — NM

If you’re a student nearing the end of your time at University — and facing the worst job market in recent history — I’m sure that you, like me, have been thinking about your future prospects  quite often as of late.

If you have a clear goal of where you want to go, be it medicine, banking, drama or music, making the transition into starting your career is a matter of trying again and again to get your foot in the door. And a few months ago, I envied anyone with such a clear sense of direction.

When friends in my Economics class were preparing themselves for interviews – almost universally for investment banks – I was wondering in the desert, desperately trying to find out where I was supposed to go. The Communications industry, or more specifically “Advertising”, was not on my radar. The word itself still conjures the image of Chandler Bing from Friends in my head (“Shorts: like pants, but shorter!”). But after a series of coincidences, I found myself applying to the WPP Microfellowship, and by some crazy luck of the draw, I earned  a spot on the programme.

As my three weeks come to an close, I am simply amazed at how lucky I’ve been: If I hadn’t picked up that book in the library; if I hadn’t read that email from my friend; if I had decided to go to the pub instead of that careers fair, I would be equally as lost as I was a couple of months ago. It also makes me wonder why it has taken me so long to find this area of work – an industry where creativity meets business. After a few discussions with my mentors, and a bit of research for Digit, I think I might have a few answers.

Firstly, Communications agencies like Digit simply don’t need as many people as banks or management consultancies, hence the absence of huge campus recruitment pushes to hire new graduates. With only a few places available at each agency, there’s never a shortage of applicants. However, on the hand, the companies which are supposed to be experts at communication (and do a great job for their clients) fail to catch most graduates’ attention.

What effect is this having on the quality of fresh entrants into the industry? Of course it would be extremely arrogant of me to claim that people who apply to work in Advertising are rejects from other industries – that’s probably just me. But I have encountered people who were considering a job in this industry simply as a back-up plan, something to settle on after a few unlucky interviews elsewhere. Obviously it’s not something an  intern like myself can solve, but I do wonder how the Communications business could be filled with people who are genuinely passionate about their work. Not only because this will benefit the work created here, but because it will be the right path for many of the graduates out there.

Before I realised I wasn’t cut out for working in the finance sector for the rest of my life (a heretical notion in the Economics department), I thought of applying to banks because i) it would make me a millionaire and ii) it almost felt like it was the only thing I could do after studying Economics. But I could not come up with a single reason why the industry would be right for me personally.

Again, it would be wrong of me to assume that all students who apply to the finance industry don’t have an honest passion for it – we all have different interests and talents, of course. But if anyone feels the way I did no matter what industry they are thinking of entering, they should stop telling themselves, “I’ll be miserable, but I’ll retire by forty.”

Yes, it will be scary to turn away from the jobs all your friends are considering. Yes, it might take a long, long time of searching and wondering before you find something that’s right for you. But once you do, I highly doubt you’ll have any regrets.

Our second WPP Microfellow, Timi Merriman-Johnson writes a blog called Negative Buoyancy and swears he can’t float. But he sure can write. See his thoughts below on his rotation at Digit last week. Timi tweets here – NM

Social media has completely changed the way we understand certain words. Before 2006, the act of following a complete stranger would have been the prerogative of the criminally inclined. And writing on the walls of those we knew would’ve been a sure-fire way to lose friends, not gain them. Funnily enough, it has also changed the way we view relationships. Nowadays it’s quite common to come across a Facebook profile casually boasting an excess of 1,000 friends. A thousand?! I barely have five. Two years ago, evolutionary anthropologist Robin Dunbar claimed the human brain was only large enough to manage 150 meaningful relationships at a time. I’m more than inclined to agree with him, as over the course of my 22 years I have come to realise two important things:

Sometimes, less is more. And that bigger isn’t necessarily better.

These sentiments could not manifest themselves any better than the fluid, bustling machine that is Digit, London. Digit isn’t the largest design company in the world, neither does it rest atop the tallest of buildings, and yet that’s what makes it so great. With the exception of the meeting rooms (and the toilets) a conversation held at any point in the studio can be heard by the rest of the team. The faint buzz of the coffee machine frequently makes its way from the kitchenette, all the way to the strategy department. And the muted hum of music manages to permeate all four corners of the open plan workspace.This interconnectedness informs the way in which Digit works on their projects, the relationships the employees all have with one another, and the way they treat individuals who don’t actually work here. Simple. Human. Interaction.

Enter me. As an industry rookie, I had no idea what to expect when I turned up at Digit four days ago. But thankfully I can report that the folks here at Digit were genuinely kind. In my time here I’ve been given the opportunity to speak to members of the team about their respective roles in the company. I was sent on a field trip to Oxford Circus to conduct research on the in-store presence of four major clothing brands. And lastly, I was given a week long auditing task – an exciting opportunity to contribute to a live, on-going project. Everyone has treated me as if I work here, and not once have I been made to feel like ‘the work experience guy’.

Many thanks must be given to Nomfundo Msomi, my mentor, for looking after me this week. You are funny, efficient, considerate, brilliant. And a huge thanks to the rest of the Digit staff too. You did the unimaginable. You made the daily morning commute, pressed up against various members of the general public worth enduring. Thank you. Dear reader, in all seriousness though, I’ve had a great week and I’d love to come back, should the good people here be happy to have me again.

Digit: a design company with technology at its core, and an Xbox 360 in its communal area. This is a cool place to work.

The past two weeks have seen our Digit family expand, albeit temporarily. We’ve hosted two WPP Microfellows, a young designer, and a Strategist in the making. Grace turned 15 this week, and today is the last day of her two week stay at Digit. These are her thoughts on our studio — NM

My two weeks at Digit have been phenomenal. I’ve had the opportunity to discover and understand what life is like in the working world, at a digital company. I was introduced to the different departments: Strategy, Design, Tech and Production. I mostly worked on the Strategy team, and although I initially thought it would be quite dry, I was asked to look at brands I liked and to write about them (a fashion brand I like, and a supermarket brand I really don’t like!). I was then asked to do some research over the weekend on the brand I didn’t like by asking people if they felt the same way. Lucky for me, they did. I also evaluated Digit’s website, blog and twitter page and compared and contrasted them with similar companies. I  then looked at how magazines are structured, who their target audience is, how they differ and if they have websites that are similar to the print version. I looked at Vogue, Asos, Square Meal, The Big Issue, Motherland and Design Mind. The best thing about doing research was being able to give my own opinion on brands.

Not only has Digit given me an insight into their company, but also into how the big world out there truly is. First and foremost, I live all the way in Peckham and I hardly ever travel to the City. So doing my work experience here at Digit has given me a chance to to explore and experience London in a different way. I have also been able to socialise with the loveliest, most down to earth people. The most important thing I will leave understanding is the power of humility and kindness which I learned from my supervisor, Nomfundo who always took time out of her busy schedule to give me work to do and to make sure that I was settled every day. However, it was not just Nomfundo but everyone at Digit who was kind. On the first day I was taken out to lunch by Digit’s Creative Director, Henry Brook and co. Every other department took time to give me an introduction to what they do, which I really appreciated.

I will miss Digit very much. My work experience has been breathtaking. It would be my pleasure to come back. Thank you to everyone!

Digit’s Strategy department had the pleasure of hosting WPP Microfellow, Mesky Loane for a week last week. Frankly, it flew by far too quickly. Here are her thoughts on her time with us — NM

Despite thorough Google searches (‘What is business casual? Mistakes not to make on your first day, Advertising for Dummies’) looking for any way possible to create some sense of familiarity, the world I was entering was still unknown. Had Google, my most reliable supporter, really failed me? Or had I, like most other Millennials, just expected too much of the search engine? I was truly conscious for, maybe, the first time, that I effectively had no real tangible skills and limited work experience. Knowing how to find the second differential of an exponential equation was going to be of absolutely no use to me. Design company with technology at its core. Last time I took an art class, the Razor was THE phone to have. Yet, among the  bubbling insecurity was a palpable sense of excitement. These were my thoughts precisely at 10:46 on Monday morning- just as I started my brief weeklong internship at Digit.

An open and friendly atmosphere, however, immediately eased my nerves. That initial impression would be proven right time and time again over the week. From the CD (Creative Director) taking all of us interns out for lunch on the first day (which included a brief stop at an Art Gallery- in true Shoreditch style) to the inductions offered by each department, to my mentor who always found ways to allow me to play a meaningful role on interesting projects, a week that could have gone in many directions went in the right one: enjoyable, challenging, educational and truly an insight into the design world.

On Monday I was set my biggest project: auditing Digit’s online presence. A challenge in and of itself, it also made me question how to present criticism in a constructive manner. Tuesday saw me attend the Future’s Company breakfast brief (nicely summed up below) and do an independent audit of an Oxford Street shop.

I also had the opportunity (along with all the other WPP Microfellows) to listen to Jeremy Bullmore reflect on the nature of a message in Communications. Is it that which the sender transmits? Or is it that which the receiver receives?  His commanding presence, quick tongue and sharp wit as well as his obvious insight drew widespread admiration from the Microfellows. By Friday, as I was getting used to the hustle and bustle of Old Spitalfields Market, I was ready to present my findings and engage in a dialogue about Digit’s presence online to some members of the management team (yet another testament of Digit’s generosity!).

As the week winds to a close, I can’t help feel a twinge about it being over so soon, but I leave knowing it  has certainly been a privilege. A privilege, even my good friend Google couldn’t do justice.

Ps. I would like to extend a BIG thanks to the whole Digit team and more specifically to my mentor, Nomfundo Msomi, for what has been an amazing week!