Meet our Interns: Samantha Butler

Samantha (Sam to those who know her) has just finished a graphic design internship for Greenpop in Cape Town. In her role, Sam helped with the designs for Greenpop campaigns, designed materials for events, including that for the Green Village in Rocking the Daisies, a music festival that takes place every October in South Africa. Furthermore, Sam updated old designs and worked on the revamp of the Greenpop nursery.

Sam is captivated by film and photography. “I love doing fine art and documentary photography and being able to capture beautiful moments, emotions and atmospheres throughout an event.”

Her interest in art and design is palpable. “I did a similar graphic design internship in Uganda last year which I loved so I decided I wanted to do something like that again but in a different place and Greenpop sounded exactly what I was looking for. I’d never visited South Africa before so thought it was a perfect travel opportunity too!”

When asked about her experience, Sam had much to say. “It’s great to get the chance to see all of the aspects of Greenpop by going on nursery days and plant days and seeing the difference they actually make. I didn’t really have any expectations as I had no idea what kind of work I’d get to do so it’s been great to work on some big projects and be involved with a lot more than what I thought.”

Of those projects, Sam’s favourite has been creating the design for huge storage containers in the Greenpop nursery. “The design is a way to say thank you to everyone who has contributed towards the nursery and a way to create a more colourful, exciting and educational space. It’s been really exciting to be involved in this whole process and seeing it come to life after creating the design on screen and then physically drawing and painting it onto the containers. I’m proud to have been able to be a part of a big project for Greenpop by helping them transform their nursery into a much better space that will continue to keep getting better.”

When asked how Sam felt about Greenpop both personally and professionally, she has this to say: “By getting the opportunity to attend the Zambia Festival of Action, going on plant days, monitoring days and from spending time at the nursery you get the chance to really see all of the aspects of Greenpop and what they do. You get to actually learn about the organisation as well as just learning new skills in your particular internship. I’ve also learned to be more confident with the work that I’m doing and how to take criticism constructively. Work is never perfect to start with and it’s always good to get other peoples opinions to help you improve and to make sure that the client is always getting what they are happy with.”