Vendela Karlsson is studying Visualization and Text Design at Mälardalen University in Eskilstuna: "It's a fairly broad program that covers most aspects of information design. In short, it's about formatting and presenting information in a way that makes the content easy for everyone to understand." Here, Vendela talks about her experiences from her internship with Viable Cities' communications team at the end of 2025.
What did you get to do as a communications intern at Viable Cities?
During my internship, I worked with graphics and illustration. My role was to create artefacts such as publications, presentations, graphics, illustrations, and more. All with the aim of making the transition process understandable.
What was the most fun?
It was really fun to get some experience in the working world. I received strong confirmation of the abilities I already had, both from myself and from the people I worked with. Which was really nice!
What was the most difficult part?
The hardest part was definitely daring to throw myself into a new environment, even though most of my internship was done remotely. You always want to make the best impression, but things went much more smoothly the more open and honest I was about my abilities.
What guidance did you receive?
At Viable Cities, I worked in the communications team and was given instructions, my own work folder, and other relevant materials on my very first day.
The guidance was very flexible and involved everyone in the communications team. I really appreciated this, as I felt more independent when I had the opportunity to reach out to others through the work process on my own. It was clear to me that everyone was actively working to make me feel secure and included, regardless of my or their workload.
What will you take with you on the road ahead?
I mainly learned about communication during my internship. Everything from how to balance wishes in order to achieve a functional end result, to how varied different people's perceptions can be.
I'm taking a lot with me from my time at Viable Cities, but mainly I'm taking with me the knowledge of how to work in a team.
