Beyond the Classroom: Julia Cheung (CFA’25)

BFA Graphic Design student shares her experience as a retail visual and product designer for The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

CFA Students

Designing for a world-renowned museum: My experience as a retail visual and product designer for The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

In CFA’s Beyond the Classroom Series, music, theatre, and visual arts students at BU share their professional work experiences. These Terriers express how the resources at BU prepared them for success beyond the classroom.

October 10, 2024
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Beyond the Classroom: Julia Cheung (CFA’25)

Visiting The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, anytime soon? You might see some of Julia Cheung’s design work in their shop! Over the summer, Julia, an undergraduate graphic design student at BU School of Visual Arts, interned as the museum’s Retail Visual and Product Designer, where she assisted in developing the design of products from stationery and apparel to prints and home decor.

For Julia, this internship allowed her to envision herself pursuing a career in packaging design and built her confidence as she was given opportunities to lead many design projects.

Julia shares with CFA what it was like to work in the 20th-largest art museum in the world and how she learned there’s power in being flexible and adapting to different working styles to get the job done.

Q&A

WITH JULIA CHEUNG (CFA’25)

CFA: What did your summer internship at The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston consist of?

Julia: I was interning as the Retail Visual and Product Designer. This involved assisting in developing the design of different products sold in the MFA shop such as stationery, apparel, prints, home decor, and toys, as well as helping create some photography/videography/design content for their social media posts. Many of these projects were related to upcoming exhibitions, new product additions to the shop, and working closely with the E-commerce SEO Marketing & Strategy Intern in the Retail department.

CFA: How did you learn about this opportunity, and what steps did you take to secure it?

Julia: I was actively looking for internship opportunities for the summer, and my roommates who were applying for separate internships at the MFA Boston encouraged me to apply as well. I ended up applying as soon as the application was available, and had enough relatable experience/art portfolio to gain an in-person interview a few weeks later. Within that month, I followed up with the employees who interviewed me to inquire on their decision and was excited to learn that I was picked for the job!

CFA: What are some of your most notable accomplishments as a Retail Visual and Product Designer intern at the MFA?

Julia: My largest accomplishments were definitely the few projects I was given the opportunity to lead. The first project was creating a large scarf for the Audubon series that’s being released in the upcoming Fall, in which I made multiple options and presented them to the department team. The second project was designing the packaging and cards for the MFA Boston playing cards.

CFA: Did any courses or resources at CFA help you prepare for success?

Julia: One of my classes in the Fall 2023 semester called Design Lab, inspired me to start looking for internships at that time. Much of this class involved having guest designers visit to discuss their experience, and lessons run by the professor to prepare us for job/internship hunting.

CFA: In what ways do you think this opportunity has helped you with your work upon graduation?

Julia: This internship was extremely helpful, as it allowed me to envision myself pursuing a career path in packaging design and understand the possibilities for this form of design to expand into occupations such as retail.

I was also given a very diverse work experience in terms of working alongside my mentor, days alone without any supervision, and in a team with another intern. I was also able to fully design a few products that will be featured and sold in the MFA shop, which will be great additions to my design portfolio.

CFA: What did you learn about yourself?

Julia: I learned that I can be a very flexible worker who can multitask many projects at the same time, and am compatible with different forms of working styles.

CFA: Any advice for current CFA students beginning this type of process?

Julia: Internships are very important in discovering whether or not a prospective career path is suitable for what you want! Many of my friends with internships gained insight into whether or not they still wanted to pursue a specific form of graphic design. Therefore, it’s good to search for internships with that mindset and goal. It’s also good to be realistic about job hunting during the school year, and to stay determined despite the struggles that go along with this process, since there is always a job out there for everyone!

Internships are very important in discovering whether or not a prospective career path is suitable for what you want! Many of my friends with internships gained insight into whether or not they still wanted to pursue a specific form of graphic design. Therefore, it’s good to search for internships with that mindset and goal. It’s also good to be realistic about job hunting during the school year, and to stay determined despite the struggles that go along with this process, since there is always a job out there for everyone!

-Julia Cheung (CFA’25), BFA Graphic Design

CFA: Julia, what’s next for you?

Julia: Trying to have as much fun as possible during my senior year of college with my thesis! Afterwards, I’ll hopefully get more involved in packaging design and possibly one day I’ll be able to work at a Graphic Design Studio.

Tell us about your career opportunity!

Are you a current student at BU College of Fine Arts completing an internship, fellowship, community service, or part-time job related to the arts and your studies at CFA? We want to hear about your experience! Fill out the form found at the link below to be featured on CFA’s news and social media channels.

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Internships & Career Resources

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