When graphic design major Emma Sibson ’25 stepped into Stop & Shop’s headquarters in Quincy, Mass., for her senior internship, she expected to strengthen her portfolio. What she didn’t expect was to art-direct a salmon photoshoot, design a cookbook for an entire marketing department, or see her work appear in the same grocery aisles she grew up walking with her family.
During her time with Stop & Shop’s creative and marketing teams, she gained a firsthand look at how a major regional brand operates—from the fast-paced collaboration across departments to the power of clear messaging that reaches millions of customers.
What were your primary responsibilities in interning with Stop & Shop?
I worked with the creative and marketing teams to further the company’s brand identity. Some of my tasks included creating a web-friendly version of Stop & Shop’s brand guidelines (working on both the wireframes and the final design), creating several print and digital deliverables, assisting with food photoshoots and Savory magazine editorial layouts, and establishing organized libraries of existing design elements for all departments to pull from. I also designed new LinkedIn banners and oversaw planning and design for a team cookbook gifted to the creative department as a holiday present.
Can you describe a project you worked on during your internship that you found particularly challenging or rewarding?
I would help edit images of certain products and also attend Savory magazine photoshoots. One day, the chef and stylist weren’t available, so I was asked to help cook some salmon and assist with a photoshoot. I ended up cooking the salmon, and I was given the privilege of art-directing the shoot with the photographer.
When we got the shot, the creative team was really proud of me for stepping in when we needed something done quickly. I felt honored that they trusted me to execute the photoshoot with our amazing photographer, and it gave me a lot of confidence to voice my creative opinion and see the task through from start to finish.
I was also given complete control over a team cookbook project. I reached out to everyone in the marketing department to submit their favorite family recipes and the meanings behind them, then compiled all the recipes and designed the entire layout of the cookbook from cover to back. I loved getting to work on something slightly outside of the usual Stop & Shop design guidelines and to create a heartfelt gift for the team that had been so kind to me.
Finally, I’ve been grocery shopping at Stop & Shop with my family since I was little, so it was very surreal for me to be part of their creative team. I started recognizing projects I had helped with when I went to the store, and that was extremely rewarding.
What skills did you develop or improve during your internship?
I had never worked for such a large company before, and it was fascinating to learn how so many different departments all cooperated to develop cohesive branding and messaging. This internship helped me to develop my time management skills further because I often worked on multiple projects at once with quick deadlines that affected multiple store locations. I gained more confidence in myself as a designer and proved to myself that I could be independent, but I also collaborated with my team members to make sure we were putting our best work forward. We all leaned on each other using our different strengths, and having an amazing team showed me the importance of organization and communication.
How did your internship help you understand the industry or field you're interested in?
Getting to work on projects that were eventually displayed in stores and participating in creative meetings for future marketing campaigns showed me how my team’s work would directly affect customers.
My supervisors would often discuss recent customer feedback so our team could brainstorm ways to sustain positive initiatives and address any gaps. I usually had to think of myself as a Stop & Shop customer and how my work would come across to an outside perspective. For example, if a store location was going to be temporarily closed, I knew I had to make signage extremely clear and direct to avoid confusion.
What was the most surprising thing you learned during your internship?
I was most surprised to learn how efficient department-wide meetings were. Every meeting was as smooth as a well-oiled machine, with each team presenting exactly what needed to be said. By the end, everyone knew exactly what they needed to work on for the week, and there would even be workload check-ins to ensure no one was overloaded. If anyone felt they couldn’t meet a deadline, other coworkers would step in and help where they could. It was so encouraging to work with such a dedicated and friendly group of people. It made me realize how crucial a positive team was for my future career path.
How did the internship environment compare to your expectations of a professional workplace?
This was my first corporate work experience, and although certain elements could seem mundane, my co-workers made everything positive and creative. There would even be fun events like a Halloween party or a Hispanic Heritage Month, where everyone got free food from food trucks outside. We also went on a company field trip to the place that prints all our signs, where I got to see some of the signs I worked on printed in real time. Everyone was very professional as expected, but it was also an environment of creativity and inspiration.
Did your internship help you confirm or reassess your career path or aspirations?
My internship definitely confirmed that I am in the right career path because I love solving problems with my designs and making experiences more enjoyable and creative. Because the corporate setting has many restrictions and multiple departments to go through for designs, it made me realize that a corporate environment might not be my favorite kind of graphic design work. Still, it was also really satisfying to see my work in the stores I had always shopped in, and I had proved to myself that I could work in a corporate environment if needed. After my other two internships, I’d gotten a full picture of different kinds of graphic design industries.
Were there any specific courses or knowledge from your major that were particularly useful during your internship?
While working at Stop & Shop, I was also taking my theory and research class for my thesis project, in which I studied the role nostalgia plays in design. This was extremely helpful when working on the cookbook project because these recipes were so nostalgic and meaningful for my co-workers, and I wanted to capture that through my design of the book. My other classes, such as typography and design studio, were also crucial in developing the skills I needed to execute effective layouts for signage and digital assets.
How do you think this internship will impact your future job prospects or academic pursuits?
I’m currently working my first full-time job as a graphic designer for a clothing boutique. My experience at Stop & Shop was truly so helpful, not only during my interview process, but also for the work I now do each day. I have the skills I need to manage my time, have confidence in my work, utilize constructive feedback, and create effective designs. It was the perfect transition from college to working full-time as an adult.
My internship at Stop & Shop was an amazing experience that taught me so much, and I am grateful to have been a part of it. I’m also grateful for Endicott's internship program in general, as all three of my internships have collectively set me up for success.