An Unmatched Experience
Hi, my name is Finn Pohlner, and I had the pleasure of being selected to intern at the BMW Group + QUT Design Academy during the first semester of 2023. I would like to share my experience in the Academy and how it shifted my perspective of the future of a career in design.
Ever since starting my studies back in 2019 as a industrial design and business management student I was aware of the opportunity to travel abroad and participate in internships with BMW Group, an industry leader in product and automotive design. The goal of interning with such an organisation seemed like a farfetched dream and something I would never achieve. However, once I received the opportunity to complete a WIL unit in my final semester, I knew I had to apply to intern with the BMW Group + QUT Design Academy, as it was a career opportunity I would never get again.
When selected to be a part of the internship programm I was eager to participate in a project where I had control over my own designs. A project that was not constrained to a marking criteria or the directions of a unit outline, like most of my uni projects, initially felt daunting but I knew this was a natural transition into a professional design career. Every semester I saw the amazing outcomes of previous Academy projects and BMW interns which made me excited to see what I could achieve. I knew I wanted to work on a tangible design project and I had the intention of using feedback & collaboration with stakeholders to aid me with producing an impactful design. For these very reasons I selected the idealworks iw.hub AMR packaging project. This choice allowed me to gain insights and real-world contextual information which greater informed me on users needs, requirements and scoping for the project.
I would like to say that through my project the Academy associates really helped to guide and aid my progression. Their massive efforts in helping me and the other interns learn new software while developing, refining and challenging my designs in a constructive helpful and mentor like role. The dedication of all Design Associates to learning and staying on the front of design trends through implementing AI animation, 3D visualisation and purely amazing outcomes really helped me to realise that the world is bigger than just product design and client briefs. The quantity of ideas which were shared with me to present, produce and develop my designs in the best way possible was quite simply unmatched by any experience I've ever had.
The work environment at the BMW Group + QUT Design Academy is great and I would like to commend Jordan the lead Design Associate for creating a helpful environment, in which I was able to question, develop and form my designs. Another big thank you to Dylan Sheppard and the idealworks team for providing insightful feedback on my designs and allowing me to collaborate with a leading industry partner which gave me the experience I would have never achieved within another basic internship role.
Now that my time has finished, I'm super proud of the final outcomes of my project; creating a design which of the highest quality I've ever produced with the visualisations and technological implementation along the line. I've had a great well-rounded experience and strongly urge this opportunity to any design student considering a role within an organisation that is truly forward thinking, future ready, open minded and full of design excellence. The connections and experience I've gained along the way simply the biggest I've achieved throughout my time at university and I'm excited to see where this might take me.
Finn Pohlner
BMW Group + QUT Design Academy Intern, Semester 1 2023
