Hey farm friends! I’m Eden Balog, the Graphic Design Intern for the Penn State Student Farm. I’m currently a senior (scary!) planning to graduate in May from the amazing Graphic Design program here at Penn State. I’m from Johnstown, PA, a small town not far from State College, and although no one would describe me as someone you’d find on a farm, I’ve had a wonderful time interning with this lovely community of people.
I began my journey with the Student Farm during my sophomore year, after the former graphic design intern—the lovely Kimi Mate—spoke to my sophomore design class about the open position. I was very timid to apply at first. As I mentioned above, I’m not very farm-y, nor outdoors-y, and I basically kill every plant that I touch… but I’m so glad I looked into this position. During the application process, I was challenged to design an Instagram post for one of the farm’s major events, Garden Grow How. After learning the ins and outs of the farm’s branding, it was easy to fall in love; the design elements of a bright color scheme, hand drawn veggies, all lowercase copywriting, and friendly tone really spoke to me and who I am as a designer. Luckily for me, the farm’s Communications Team at the time thought I was a great fit too, and the rest is history!
As a senior who has now been working in this position for going on 2 years, I have the authority to say being involved with the Student Farm is one of the most rewarding experiences you can get here at Penn State. Professionally, I had the opportunity to build years of internship experience, create connections with student leaders and Penn State staff, develop necessary professional communication skills, and collaborate on a small team. As a designer, I was able to develop my design skills, keep my abilities sharp over the long academic breaks, build my design portfolio, lead projects, and see real world applications of the work I was creating. Balancing an internship with multiple other commitments can be a challenge, but choosing my own hours and getting paid throughout the school year has made this balance not only possible, but rewarding.
The unexpected benefit from this role has been learning things completely out of my comfort zone. I’ve learned plenty about topics I had no previous experience in, like food systems, sustainability, how to keep my plants alive, what it tastes like when every ingredient on my pizza is fresh and made from scratch, and best of all, how much passion there is in this little farm community.
To any young designers out there, consider applying to this role to shape your career (and self!) as you continue your journey at Penn State. I can’t recommend enough how great of an opportunity this experience has been.