During the first semester of my senior year, I started my first internship. I was working with the Human Resources at Materion Technical Materials, an advanced material company that focuses on specialty metals and other materials in Lincoln, Rhode Island. I worked with members of Materion’s Environmental Health and Safety team along with Human Resources to create safety signs to be posted around the plant. I was asked to create unique safety signs that would help reinforce the ideas and concepts already in place as a way to refresh the staff on the principles.

 

This was a challenging project to do. I struggled with creating something unique and that would stand out from the various other safety signs throughout the plant, while still following the same style guide for the company. The messages were to be short and sweet, something that someone could read as they walked by, with images to capture their attention.

 

My skills as a communication student helped me in creating messages appropriate for the purpose and format. Working with Human Resources, we came up with a new design for a safety principle already in place. One of the primary focus areas at Materion is their Environmental Health and Safety Pledge that all employees read and sign. The poster created for it is cluttered with writing that isn’t easily digested unless employees take the time to stand and read the pledge. With our new design, we broke up each of the principles that make up the pledge into its own poster, making the message more memorable and easier to read.

 

Constructing messages without knowing your audience will not make your message effective. The messages also have to be clear in order to make sure the message is properly understood. This foundation for creating messages was taught to me in my Communication course and I have been able to apply it in my internship.