My graduation internship at ING Netherlands marked a shift from external, audience-facing media to complex global internal communication within one of Europe’s largest international financial institutions. I worked within the Enterprise Content & Automation (EC&A) department, where the challenge wasn’t creating attention-grabbing content, but improving how technical products and services are communicated to internal stakeholders across countries, disciplines, and levels of expertise.

The core of my graduation project focused on improving the global internal communication of EC&A’s independent products and services. Research showed that information was fragmented, highly technical, and inconsistently presented across regions, causing confusion and inefficiency within the organization. My role combined research, strategy, and creation: identifying the root causes of this communication gap and designing solutions that could function globally, while still aligning with ING’s branding guidelines and the European Accessibility Act (EAA).

My work consisted of three tightly connected parts. First, I conducted qualitative and quantitative research to understand how employees across different regions searched for and interpreted internal information. Based on these insights, I developed a scalable communication strategy that shifted the focus from text-heavy documentation to clear, visual storytelling. This resulted in the design and production of a globally applicable EC&A introduction video, supported by structured one-pagers and improved navigation elements within ING’s internal search environment.

Throughout the internship, I was responsible for the full creative process: concept development, scripting, visual design, video production, testing, and validation with international stakeholders. A key design choice was to prioritize clarity, consistency, and human connection over technical depth, ensuring that colleagues worldwide, regardless of technical background, could quickly understand what EC&A does and how it supports them. Accessibility was embedded as a core principle, not an add-on, making the solution usable and inclusive on a global scale.

Working at ING challenged me in a different way than creative media environments, but significantly strengthened my ability to think strategically within large, international organizations. I learned how to design for scale, navigate complex stakeholder structures, and balance creative decisions with global consistency and governance. This internship added a strong strategic and research-driven layer to my profile and reinforced my ability to translate complex systems into clear, accessible communication across borders.

DATE: SEPTEMBER 2025 - JANUARY 2026